This past winter, I decided to completely push the comfort of living close to home aside and move somewhere different, only to discover a brand new comfort zone. I always long to be somewhere else, and my short, but sweet trip only fueled the fire of my gypsy soul.
During my three months living in Puerto Rico, I did some incredible things. I explored abandoned light houses, hiked through caves and over cliffs, snorkeled, hitchhiked, swam in a bioluminescent bay and that's just to name a few. I learned to drive like a local, speak some Spanish, and walk around barefoot for three months (right up my alley). There were a lot of times I had convinced myself I was dreaming, and never thought having those opportunities were even possible. Now, I can't imagine myself doing anything else. I want to keep taking risks and exploring; staying on the safe side just doesn't seem like an option anymore.
There's a total difference in experiencing a resort in a different place, and actually seeing somewhere and how the locals see it. Resorts don't offer you the culture and diversity. Traveling off a resort may be more difficult in some aspects, but certainly more worth it. I would have never gotten to experience the local spots, or learned half of what I did during my time in Puerto Rico, if I had limited myself to a resort. There's so much to do and so much to see besides the elaborate pool and fancy restaurants.
The travel craze seems to be big with younger people, especially us in our twenties (obviously I can relate). But, reading travel articles, I've stumbled upon some that feel differently. "Why you don't need to travel in your twenties," and "Stop telling me travel," just to name a couple. Totally understandable; not everyone has the same view point. It takes special people to be able to drop everything and go somewhere new. We have special souls that live for chaos, surprises, new places and adventures. We believe in magic and miracles, and will do everything in our power to make all of our fairytales a reality. We find beauty in imperfection and create our own paths to follow, and they may not always be going in the right direction, but that is certainly the beauty in it all.
I've only gotten to travel to a couple places so far, and I can't wait to fulfill all the places on my travel list. The possibilities really are endless, and you never know what could happen. The world has so much to offer and so much to teach us; it helps us escape our comfort zones, meet new people and helps us see things in a new light. Even with my short trip, I made some amazing connections and friendships that I am forever grateful for. I have enough memories already to last a lifetime.
Whether I'm traveling far, or just a short distance to see college friends a couple of states away, a change of scenery is good for me, good for everyone, really. No matter how cliche it is, life is certainly too short to remain in one place. As long as I can make it work, I'll be on my way to somewhere new. "Experience is far more valuable than money will ever be."
