It is not quite as rampant as it was right after the school year ended, but every time I log onto Facebook or Instagram, I scrolled through posts about memories of traveling abroad, photos of recent adventures abroad, or even post from people yearning to dip their toes in international waters. As someone who has traveled abroad multiple times, this made me think about some of my own memories and some of the places I have yet to travel and my message for anyone who even has the smallest inclination to travel abroad (or to simply travel in general)--DO IT!
Seeing all these posts from other people prompted me to look back at the different times that I have travelled and I have nothing of fond memories of not the places that I visited, but the people that I met as well. For people who don't know me well, I am not the most adventurous person in the world, but I stepped out of my comfort zone because traveling was something that I felt I needed to do. I was nervous and anxious all the way up until the day I left (I did a twelve day tour of Ireland, Wales, England, and France and a couple years later I traveled to the Dominican Republic for nine days) and I remained nervous until about halfway through the flight when I finally realized that there was no turning back. Once I accepted that I was going to have a good time, my entire attitude changed and I begin to turn the nervous and anxious energy that I had been harboring into excitement and yearning for adventure.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that for people who have travelled, make sure that you cherish those memories; and for people who haven't traveled, get out there and make those memories. The summer is coming to close and before you know it we will be back in school or back to work or back to whatever it is that draws us away from lazy days in the sun, but don't let the opportunity to travel pass you by. If you are the type of people who gets nervous and anxious and the prospect of trying something new (like me), just know that it may seem scary at first, but all of the memories that will make and all of the interesting people you will meet will help you to see that there was nothing to be nervous about in the first place.
Get out there and see the world! You won't regret it--I promise.
