Being an eighteen year old college student has enough hardships has is; loans, family friends, relationships you name it. But one thing that is commonly forgotten among the teens and young adults still in college is the desire to explore and travel the world.
Wanderlust (n): A strong desire to travel and explore the world. In any trip either within the bounds of your home state, across the country or overseas to a brand new place, there is always more information and a different way of life to see. For example, New York City is the city that never sleeps, always constant hustle bustle, traffic and thousands of different people with different agendas for each day, while Boulder, Colorado is one of the larger cities in the state, but has a much slower pace and relaxing way of life. When you travel to a place like Italy the food is always bought fresh from the market that very day and the leftovers are simply thrown out, while in places of Africa and South America something as simple as a meal is cherished and not taken for such gratitude.
We learn these differences in lifestyles, not through sitting in a classroom reading a textbook, or by searching Google Maps, but by taking a step outside our comfort zone and exploring and educating ourselves through experience and exposure to different cultures.
Having personally traveled to Nicaragua, I saw this cultural difference right in front of my eyes. The food, attitude, mindset, cities and everything about this place was different from what I am used to. Now having that experience under my belt, I can truly appreciate all the things that I would normally take for granted like school supplies and good clothing. Now I’m not saying that everywhere else is poor compared to how we live, but that the differences in the simple things are astonishing.
Most college students have some sort of desire to travel and/or study abroad, but the amount that actually do, is minimal. Most students are unaware of the cheaper options that are available to them so they can travel and explore. There are countless programs and opportunities out there for individuals to travel, with the knowledge of economic uncertainty these students may have in mind.
Being able to travel and explore the world and learning different cultures and customs is a passion I hope to pass on not to just my friends and family, but to those I surround myself in the future and my future family as well. Take time to explore, there is always more to see. As it is known, travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.
