Traveling brings some of the fondest memories into my mind: flying to London for the very first time and discovering cute little shops, riding on the London Eye, going to the Warner Brother’s Studio to tour the "Harry Potter" Set. Or going to Croatia, not once, but twice in a row, for the summer and swimming around in the Adriatic for hours, laying out on cabanas and soaking in the hot, European summer heat. The list goes on and on. I could talk about the positives of traveling for hours. Even just making a trip back to America is an event. We re-immerse ourselves in the culture and eat everything in sight (Cracker Barrel, Chick-Fil-A, Sonic, you name it, we’re there). These are just a taste of the positive reasons for traveling and how fun it can be to experience, or re-experience, all of these exciting foods and sights that come along with the culture.

Some of my best stories also come from my travels. Not only can I tell people I’ve stepped foot in 10+ countries, but I get to recount and relive every moment, whether exhilarating or embarrassing, from the trip. For example, I can tell people how I went to Malta and got to swim with the dolphins there. I can tell them I’ve been to Austria and visited basically every single area where "The Sound of Music" was filmed. I can also tell them that one of my biggest accomplishments was playing Pokémon in our hotel room, for hours upon end, in every single country we visited instead of going on tours (I told you there was going to be an embarrassing one). There is so much more I could tell you, but I’ll stop and leave it at that. So many funny and amazing experiences have been had on every single one of my travels.

Now that I’ve told you all about the love and joy and beauty of traveling, let's get to the not so pretty part, or as I call it, the "hates" of traveling.

So many people have told me, "It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey." These people are right about 40 percent of the time. As a seasoned traveler and a frequent flyer, I am here to tell you it’s not all rainbows and sprinkles. I’ve seen it all when it comes to airports. Large, complicated airports, small airports, ones that have all kinds of construction going on causing you to arrive at your gate in 30 minutes instead of the 10 that it should have taken, having your gate changed 20 times over before they finally settle on one to leave you at. Also as a family of four, there are usually at least four large suitcases that are extremely heavy but are soon checked and we are relieved of our duties until further notice. Unless we decide to travel with our carry on’s as well, then it’s a whole other story. Then, in that case, cue the complaining, the struggle to find an empty overhead bin and the lot. It’s stressful for all of us. Not to mention the devil’s own child, jet lag. It’s familiar as a TCK (third culture kid), but that doesn’t mean it’s any easier for us. Time zones are killer, and they can take anywhere from a day or two to a week to recover from.

If you couldn’t tell by now, my frequent mode of transportation consists mainly of aircraft. It’s different than the norm for sure, and can be a hassle quite a bit of the time, but in the end, it really does all pay off. Besides, sometimes I even enjoy those long-haul flights, catch up on the latest movies, reading new books, listening to my favorite music, etc. I love traveling to new places, and I’d never trade any of my experiences for the world. It’s truly been a blessing to live the life I’ve lived for the past four years of my life. Here’s to the wanderlust in all of us, and the desire to travel the world and discover the new and the unknown. I challenge all of you to ask God where He wants you to go, whether it’s physically or spiritually, because either way it will grow you and change you for eternity in way’s you never knew possible, and it’s truly an amazing thing.