A few years ago I heard a friend say to me "I don't want to just be alive, I want to live." Ever since that moment, I often find myself pondering on the true meaning behind it.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word "live," means "to be alive." However, in order to be alive, I believe that you must be actively participating in something that you are passionate about.

Personally, I attribute living with traveling. It has always been my dream to travel across the world and experience everything God created for us. Last summer, I was fortunate enough to travel overseas for the first time. I visited cities in England, France, and Italy. While on my vacation, I came to the realization that I had never felt more freeing. I was able to see the things I had only read about or seen online. Traveling instilled this overwhelming sense of joy and adventure. Traveling made me feel alive.

It has been nearly a year since my trip to Europe, and I have been brainstorming ways to get money to go travel. For those of you who have never been able to get out of your country, I highly recommend seizing any opportunity you find. If it is not financially possible to leave your county, traveling can be done anywhere, even in your own state!

Here are some tips to begin your travel experience:

1. Travel to a city you've never been to.
Hop on a plane at LAX with a dream in your cardigan! Whether the city is in your state, or across the globe, it is possible.

2. Drive until you run out of gas and see where you end up.
Driving can be a form of relaxation (but still be careful), take a drive and see where life takes you.

3. Create a summer road trip with friends.
Sometimes the best way to get to know someone is to travel with them.

4. Spontaneously book a plane ticket.
This is a fun way to get out of your comfort zone while having the luxury of not having to be too far from home.

5. Spin a globe and whatever country your finger lands on, you travel to!
An idea that I personally hope to do one day! Go alone, or find a friend and see what the globe says!

You can choose to find yourself in any form or fashion that you choose, travel is my best advice to you. Seize each moment that you are given. Let yourself be scared, it'll make you stronger. Break out of your bubble and experience new things.

Take life full on and see what the world has to offer outside the comfort of your own home.