Have you ever heard someone say that one of their goals in life was “to travel the world?” Maybe you agreed, maybe you didn’t see the appeal or maybe you wondered why they wanted to? Let me explain why world traveling is appealing and a must do in life.
1. A change of scenery
Nothing comes close to the refreshing feeling of getting off a plane and stepping into a brand new environment. I like to tell people about the smell when I walk off a plane and onto the runway. When I travel in the United States, there is a gangway that connects the plane to the gate and you are not exposed to the outside.
If you are like me and grew up in an environment where buildings surrounded you at all times, seeing a new place with lowlands only and valleys is a new experience. It can be an eye opener to how big the world really is.
2. New food
I am a self identifying foodie and trying new cuisines can be insanely fun. You may have thought two foods should have never been cooked or even served together. Next thing you know you are in a country, bending the rules of food you had thought of and you are very impressed.
My junior year of high school I took a life changing trip to Barcelona and the South of France and my love affair with Tapas began. Tapas are small snack like meals usually served at bar with a cerveza (beer). In our case, we ate tapas one night before we served our main dish and I fell in love. One dish was Patatas Bravas, which are fried potatoes served with both a cream sauce and hot sauce drizzled on top. I would have viewed these three foods unservable together before but now I'm a fan. I have heard stories of similar experiences and many have recalled it to be one of the best parts of travel.
3. Immersion in new culture
Not everyone lives the same way you do and it can be amazing to see different cultural practices and ways of life. There can be different family dynamics and different perceptions of what is rude and what is polite.
Depending the type of trip you are on, you can also learn so much about a country's history and past. Many countries in Europe, Africa and South America are filled with a rich history that span over 300 to 200 years. Last year in my Cultural Spanish class, I learned about the complicated and violent histories of several Central and South American countries. These histories have now inspired me to travel to these countries and see the history up close. And maybe that's because I'm bit of a history nerd.
4. Unique opportunities to see things you may only visit once in your lifetime.
Places people only dream about visiting typically only make it to bucket lists and can never become reality. I challenge anyone who has been the victim of this sad fact to make that dream trip a reality. The same trip to Barcelona that I took also took me to Monaco, the shining principality on the hill that I would have never imagined actually visiting. And it was beautiful as I had imagined. If you have a goal to go somewhere: work to make it reality.
For now, I'll be studying in college and working as hard as I can so I can visit all the places I hope to see one day. Where do you want to go, you may ask? To keep it short: Santorini and Mykonos, Italy, Portugal, Argentina, Vietnam, Japan, Australia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Machu Pichu, South Africa, The Galapagos, Germany, Amsterdam and Cuba.
So grab a piece of paper and get to dreaming and planning.
