Going to the dells, a trip to Lake Michigan or heading up north for a week in your cabin are all common vacays for us Sconnies. Traveling with the family for a couple of days to go to the water park or the wilderness is always a good time, but is this really considered traveling? For many of us, this is the only type of travel we know.
Recently, I threw every swimsuit I could find and a couple of dresses into a tiny carry on because that was all I needed. However, instead of packing for the dells, I was packing to leave the country for the first time in my life.
As I stepped down the metal stairs from the plane, I walked myself straight into paradise. The sounds of steel drums filled my ears and tempted my feet. Greetings from the islanders ensured I was about to have an amazing time here in the Dominican Republic.
I could go on about my experience here in the Caribbean, but it’s easier to tell what I got out of it.
1. Get out and Actually Travel:
So many of us live in a city and what is considered our “world” is an hour radius around that location. Think about how much you don’t know and how much you haven’t seen. How can you truly say you are living when you haven’t seen other forms of life?
2. Travel Light:
Less is more. Packing light not only ensured saving money because I didn’t have to have a bag checked at the airport, but it also allowed me to see what I really needed versus what I wanted. We live in a world where people put a high price on material things. However, spending a couple of days in a place where wifi is almost nonexistent and cell phone service is extinct allows you to appreciate how surreal Earth's beauty really is. Trust me, you can do it.
3. Be Open Minded:
Going to a foreign country or any place you are unfamiliar with is intimidating. And when you travel with a closed mind and preconceived thoughts about certain places, people, service, experiences, etc. it blocks you from taking in your surroundings. You can say you traveled to multiple places, but not many can say they experienced it. Eat weird looking meat you’ve never seen before (obviously at your own risk), pick up some of the language the locals are speaking, join in on the dancing you see, and practice the customs they practice. I think a lot of times Americans travel to foreign countries and refer to the people living there as foreign when Americans, themselves, are actually the foreign ones. Not only is it respectful, but it is also a learning experience when you try to adapt to others’ ways of life while you are abroad.
4. Be Thankful For Your Home:
Being abroad was an incredible time, so incredible that I want to do it again and I want to do it often. But after all, nothing is quite like home. I don’t think anyone can ever put a price on the experience of travel, but what you live like for a couple of days may be someone’s everyday life. Seeing shacks made from nature, kids searching for food in mounds of litter, and tears from a waiter who got a $10 tip is humbling.
Wherever you go be grateful for the opportunity and be grateful for the life you have. You never truly know what you have until you go and see what others don't.So what are you waiting for? Go and explore this crazy, beautiful, world.
