For as long as I can remember, I have been a traveler. I was on planes more than I was in the car, and not once have I ever looked back on my life and wished that was different. It shaped me into who I am today, and hopefully, those experiences I have gathered on my travels so far will help me develop into an even better version of myself. It really is true what they say about becoming more cultured whenever you travel to different areas. The pace of life, the way people interact, the architecture and the history are so much more diverse than where you call home. Not to say that where you come from is not diverse, but I think we all become a little immune to our area. You know which place serves the best coffee, which restaurant has the best of whatever food you enjoy the most and where the sun seems to just touch the world a little differently than any other location.

Recently, I had the chance to spend quite a few months in an entire different country, and let me tell you, I loved every second of it. I got to experience many things that I had not been able to before when I visited the great country of Brazil. First, I got to interact with more people outside of my social group. My grandmother in Brazil took me to a few of her friends' boutique parties, and I learned about the world of fashion, which I had never explored before. That's another thing about traveling -- you don't just explore the places, but you explore other mindsets, ideas and thoughts. It was interesting to learn about an industry which I had little to no knowledge about. I learned how the women and men started out their businesses, what they had to do to persevere and to keep their fashion lines in style.

My aunt decided one day that I needed to see more of the city, the life around me and of course, the beaches. Could you really say you went to Brazil if you haven't at least gone to one of the beaches? On a sunny day, there are people going around trying to sell you all sorts of things, and I know when I have a little bit of extra cash to spend, I tend to spend it on anything that catches my eye. One of the things that catches my eye the most is food. The food in Brazil is some of the best stuff on earth. Coxinhas (which usually contains some type of meat covered in dough), coconuts, natural popsicles and acai frozen yogurt bowls adorned with all great natural add-ons are just some of the many options you can choose from.

I noticed something amazing at the beach that did not have to do with food, accessories or the beautiful people playing soccer in the sand. I noticed that people did not care what anyone looked like. It didn't matter if someone was too this or too that. They all went on about their lives as if nothing was out of the ordinary. They didn't even stare at my all-too-pale skin or notice the places of my body the are the little insecurities that I have. I felt so conscious about how I looked in a swimsuit that I did what I usually do, which is cover myself in the biggest shirt I could find. Now that did draw some stares, even from my family members, as that isn't usual. My family members told me that I was being silly and that no one cared. They had more important and happier things to preoccupy their minds with rather than care to judge how I looked.

So why is it important to travel? Through traveling, I learned so much more than if I had just stayed in the place I call home. I became more aware of how people live outside of what I am used to. I learned some of the struggles that people outside of my social group had to struggle with, and the impact it had on their lives. It was eye opening, and it really made me count my blessings each and every day. You don't realize that even though the world in hindsight is quite small, there is so much opportunity to go out there and learn about different cultures. Even visiting different states and taking the time to see how people of that area react to different things, can open your eyes to see how to approach things in a different light. Maybe you'll have to work with people from a different country and learn how to adapt to an environment they've mastered. Maybe the love of your life will be from a different country and you want to impress them with your mad skills of knowledge about their culture. Whatever your reason, and whenever the opportunity arises, you should go for it. Explore. Get out of your comfort zone and get to know a world that is just waiting for you to open its pages.