As a kid, I was always along for the ride on every beach vacation, weekend trip, or even a simple day out. I honestly never knew any different. The logic in my family always seemed to be as follows:

Spend your money on what will make you richer – experiences over things.

So I went along with it, as most kids do who don’t know any different. As I grew up, I realized that this had instilled in me a burning desire for constant adventure. I woke up in the morning ready to pack as much as into each and every day as I could – because how else are you going to see and do everything you want to?

I took this mantra with me wherever I went. And, if at all possible, I took it even more seriously while I was in a new place exploring. Whether this was the nooks and crannies of my hometown that I had stumbled upon or across the world in Sydney, Australia. Every time I returned from a day (or a few weeks…) of adventure my mind was full of thoughts and my heart was full of lust for life. I felt refreshed, as if I just took an incredibly successful nap. I realized that in the time period I spent travelling somewhere new, I learned so much more about culture, diversity, life, and myself, than I ever had learned sitting through social studies lectures. Why was this?

After carefully thinking about the matter, I came to a few conclusions. Travel is something that you can’t exactly cheat. You are the only one who gets to live through these experiences. They are individual, they are memorable, and they are genuine. Spending time in a place different than what you’re used it, talking to new people, and sleeping in a new bed will change you no matter what.

As you’re growing up, you are put through various hard times, tests, and trials that all end up molding you as a person. Thinking back on what really shaped me as who I am today – the girl who loves to photograph beautiful moments, the person who is always jotting down memories in the form of elaborate words, and someone who has the deepest appreciation for sunsets, and the world around me – was saying yes to experiences. Primarily, experiences involving travel; involving stepping out of my comfort zone physically and mentally. Accepting challenges in the form of exploration was absolutely foolproof – every adventure came with new life lessons, advice, and an even greater drive to do it all over again. Bigger and better every time.

I learned how to pack my suitcase to exactly 49 lbs. when the limit was 50. I learned how to make the best cup of coffee with whatever the hotel seems to be providing that morning. I’ve learned a lot of things like this – a lot of trivial but necessary how-to’s. But despite all of that I’ve come to recognize that sometimes learning can be a little bit deeper. I’ve felt chills run up and down my spine as I set foot in the gas chambers at a holocaust death camp. I realized how vast and exotic the world really is while snorkeling The Great Barrier reef in Australia. I felt an intense adrenaline rush as I walked towards the middle of Devil’s Bridge in Sedona, Arizona. All of this life experience, these independent discoveries – they would not have been possible without the ability to sit on a plane for 14 hours or more, and my own willingness to do it. Saying yes to travel made me say yes to hands on learning, and gave me a love for new knowledge – something that “grades” always seemed to promote but never really nailed into my brain.

Saying yes to travel made me understand who I am and what I want from my life.

While walking back to the hotel, very very lost, on the unknown streets of Berlin in the middle of a torrential downpour – I learned that I really could make the best of any bad (and terribly cold and wet) situation. I laughed and stomped in puddles, finally accepting the fact that every inch of me was going to be drenched given 10 more minutes of walking.

I learned that the people I walked with made this experience bearable.

And when I got back to my hotel, soaking wet but still laughing and smiling, I realized something. I learned the most valuable lesson – the life you’ve been given is exactly that. It is the life you have been given. It is The cards you have been dealt. So overall, it is your responsibility to decide what you’re going to do with your hand. Go see the world, your hometown, or even the hiking trail down the road. LEARN about the world around you first hand – don’t settle for pictures you saw online, or a book you got from the library. Set out on an expedition and make tangible memories. Bring home pictures, souvenirs, and stories; but most importantly, bring home the desire to go back and do it all again.