The beautiful, Pont Du Gard of France

There seems to be a current trend happening on social media lately, one of which I am particularly fond. Every time I go on Facebook, I see an influx of jaw-dropping landscape photos and videos rolling slowly over white-sand beaches inhabited by tanned tourists. I am certainly not an innocent, as I likely share two to three of these posts each day. Why? Well, for me the motive may be different. I share these posts religiously to postmark them to my page, my plans, my life. I do so passionately, as travel did more for me than gift me with experience. Traveling changed my life.

I recently returned to the United States after a near two-month trip around Western Europe. I started my trip in France, lining the countryside by car and ending the two week kick-off in the City of Love. After that, it was off to Spain by car. The multiple hour drive took me through the Pyrenees, cutting through perhaps one of the most beautiful natural views I have ever seen. I stayed in Spain for about a week, with a family whose hospitality and wholesomeness has now opened my eyes and my heart to many a perspective. When my time in Spain reared its end, it was off to Rome with my girlfriend- our first vacation, our first real difficult test as a couple. Mid-way through our "Italian Summer" (which was actually an Italian week), we headed south to the much-less-talked-about region of Puglia, to visit the city of my ancestry, Bari. My final two weeks in the wonder that is Western Europe were spent in The Netherlands, perhaps the one place that mimicked and felt most like home. I saw Amsterdam, met the friends and families of my girlfriend (another test drive of love), and saw many, many cows. I was falling in love by the seconds, each one arriving much too quickly after the next.

So, let's get down to it. Why am I telling you perfect strangers all of this? Why on earth would I open up the door for the internet world to get a small peak at my inward eye? Here is why: Travel is more than fun, far beyond luxury, and much greater than experience. Travel is above all things, necessary. At 21 years old, I can say that in these two months I have seen more, learned more, and felt more than I have ever felt in my life. As I parted from each country, a small, different piece of me was taken and shot with steroids, growing x10 and enriched with every possible emotion I could ever hope to feel at a young age. From France's countryside, an appreciation for the earth and it's ability to withstand such beautiful, gigantic, natural things. From Paris, an understanding for tradition, high-fashion, high-quality Parisian tastes. From Spain, love at all angles. The love that only family and genuine company can extract; a love of simplicity, nature, activity, and togetherness. In Rome, the value in compromise, coping, and learning another person were among a handful of lessons. In Bari, I was moved greatly by learning of the existence of the deep-routes to which my family line is attached. And The Netherlands, a place I have etched deeply into my heart, I learned to open my mind to the future and just how powerful the term "endless possibilities" resonates with you once you realize it is true. Above all else the package-deal offered me new perspectives on culture, people, and things. I was lucky enough to grow from my experiences, learn the skill of navigation, and become so moved by the graciousness of everyone I met.

It is too often that we find ourselves stuck in the riptide that is routine. We are comfortable in the places we have known for the duration of our lives and we tend to develop a fear for experiencing anything else. Why? My guess is that we are afraid of what the "anything else" will do to us. What will it makes us feel? Will we become dissatisfied with where we are? Will we now desire change? Perhaps the scariest word in the English language is "change." However, on another hand, I reason that when welcomed, change is among the most beautiful components to life. It is important as people, young and more mature alike, to understand just how much the world we inhabit is made of.

I did not write this article to detail my own adventures and learnings. I did not use it as a means of documenting my affinity for travel and exploration. I certainly did not write this to guarantee the same soul-satisfying experience that I have endured. However, I have written this article out of the sincerest gratitude I can offer. As human beings, we have been gifted with the ability to desire adventure and the curiosity to seek it out. As another internet-dweller and perfect stranger to you all, I can say this: Had I not traveled, at this age especially, I would not have learned the essentials of love, gratitude, and wonder. I have gained a confidence in myself that only this experience could have given me.

Grab a bag, apply for your passport, and the get the heck out of here. Your world awaits you, friends.