I don’t understand the concept of “waiting until I’m older to travel.” I hear this all the time from friends, teammates and classmates. High school and college students believe that they do not have the time or money to see the world right now. But there is always a way. And if you put it off until you’re older, chances are that you’ll never go. Go off and see the world. Spend the money. One day it’ll be too late, and all you’ll have are regrets instead of experiences.
You see pictures on Instagram of perfectly blue water against impossibly white sand and think to yourself, "How incredible would it be to go to a place like that?" Maybe you even have a list of all the countries you plan to visit 'someday.' Chichen Itza, the Egyptian Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben are all must-sees on your bucket list. You see your friends who have embarked on study abroad trips and you’re jealous of their experiences. They are sipping café con leche in a local coffee shop in Spain while you’re stalking their social media in your dorm room. You know people who have backpacked through Europe, and you keep telling yourself that is something you want to do so badly.
You can’t keep telling yourself that you’ll go one day. You can’t keep pushing it off until after graduation. Go now. I have read too many articles and seen too many documentaries that express how many people’s biggest regret is not traveling while they are young. Wouldn’t you rather see the world when you are best able to experience it? Life gets very real after college. You enter the work force, and soon you have no time for anything but your career. That “someday” that you plan on traveling keeps getting pushed back. If you don’t make it a priority now, it will never be one.
Act on it.
One of my favorite quotes, and one that has been extremely relevant to my life, comes from Mary Anne Radmacher — “I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” Travel changes people. It makes you realize how little space you occupy in this world. It makes you aware that your culture is not the only one that exists. It makes you appreciate the way other people live, but it also makes you appreciate your own life a little more. Without experiencing other parts of the world, we are left ignorant of how other cultures live day to day. Cultural awareness makes the world a better place.
When people ask me what my hobbies are, my response is always “traveling.” It is my absolute favorite thing to do — immersing myself in another culture, speaking with locals and trying new things everywhere I go. It may be an expensive hobby, but I know the experiences I have and the things I have learned are worth far more than the expenses I have paid. When I return from my trips, my friends always say how they wish they could do that too. I don’t get that because, honestly, the only difference between us is that I actually acted on what I wanted. As students, we worry too much about costs. Yes, we are going to have college debts no matter what. So why not study abroad? It costs the SAME as staying at school. Actually, in many cases, it costs LESS. Why not backpack through Europe over the summer? Plan it out, it’s really not as expensive as you may think. There’s a reason people who travel are such advocates for it. Go find out for yourself.
No one has ever regretted going out and seeing all the world has to offer.
Disclaimer: Traveling only makes you want to travel more. Once you start, you’ll never be able to fight off the urge to pack your bags and go see the world. And that is a wonderful thing.
