It feels good to be lost in the right direction. So of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.

Personally, I'm always yearning for something exciting and different. I crave new experiences and new challenges. I have found that while I am traveling, it is the ideal place to test myself and push my limits in an effort to extend my comfort zone to a whole new level. I always feel this sense of pride when I successfully complete another trip. It's as if overcoming challenges brings me this undeniable joy and energy that makes me truly feel alive. Over time, I have realized how capable one can be if they simply put forth the effort. Throughout my travels, not only have I noticed an increase in my appreciation for my hometown, but also how my appreciation for other cultures and lifestyles has grown as well.

I've seen firsthand what a confidence-booster traveling can be for not only myself, but my family and friends as well.

On Facebook, I posted a question that openly asked what some of the benefits of traveling at a young age are. I specified the young age part of the question because I, myself, have found it truly life-changing to have seen 46 states and 3 countries already. To be able to say I've traveled so much at my youthful age of 19 is simply incredible. Not many parents have the capability of gifting their children with these experiences and I have no idea how I would even begin to repay my mother for them.

The answers I received to my question were unique and exactly the reasons I was looking for to back my experiences.

Everett Whiteman stated, "Being exposed to more types of cultures, new foods, land, and having the ability to not only learn more about the locations you travel to, but do so while actually being in the environment."

This comment hit home for me because that point is so true. You can learn all you want about a place from a book or online source, but it will never be the same as actually going there and experiencing it yourself.

Shane Pangle answered, "Life experience, growing yourself, opening your eyes to the world, seeing past the views of the small town life, going out of your comfort zone, taking a different perspective on the way people think and associate themselves." And Marina Theresa Gammerler-Price answered, "Knowing that you have plenty of time to do it all."

These two comments seemed to fit together in my mind. Knowing that I have plenty of time to do all those things that Shane listed is almost relieving. We all want to do and see so much during our lives and it often feels as though we need to rush through things. I often have to remind myself that it's okay to just sit back and enjoy the moment and that not everything needs to be captured in a photo. The saying "If you didn't post it, it didn't happen" is super cliche in my mind and I know my mom would second that in a heartbeat.

Jake Renie commented that there's the obvious benefit of, "being physically fit enough to climb countless mountains, trails, and being able to travel a great number of miles in a span without feeling the mentally taxing effects of traveling."

Yet another great point in the fact that our bodies are built to move and be tested. We should take as much advantage of this as we can.

A couple of my family members in Tennessee, Melissa Bush Blair and Amy Bush Alley, mentioned that being exposed to different cultures and beliefs, while also trying new foods and activities is an important benefit of traveling at a young age. It's only opening our minds to more of what the world has to offer. Melissa said, "To show that the possibilities are endless in life" is pretty important as well. Amy then pointed out that, "when you are young, your mind doesn't focus on what could happen. You just act and go with it."

Lastly, of course, I have to include the input that my mom commented because mom knows best. She declared, "I wanted my children to dream big! Gain life experience, not just read about places, but go there and experience it first hand." This is something that I mentioned earlier and as you can see, it's embedded in my family and many others around the world too.

The United States alone has such diverse terrain to explore. She said, "traveling got us doing things as a family, laughing, and asking questions. It gave us so much to talk about when reminiscing about vacations and also taught us some things about goal setting and money management." It definitely took a bit of time for me to understand the importance of those specific things and to realize that life is too short to sit and watch it pass us by. After all, a mind full of memories and experiences means so much more than a house full of nice things.

"Material things don't last. Memories last a lifetime." - Yes, another quote from my mother. GO EXPLORE!