As corny as it is traveling is truly important. The world is so big and it is so easy to think that your world is the only one that matters. To go out and see how other people live and go about their daily activities is truly humbling and makes you grounded to the world as you see that there are so many people who are doing the same things as you are.
Yes, traveling is exhausting and expensive but I believe that if you can afford to travel and are up for the challenge you should really take part in it. So far, I have been to Rome, Amsterdam, Budapest, Naples, Perugia, Assisi, Florence, Paris, and Budapest with a few more cities to go before I go back to Delaware. But, throughout my study abroad experience I have been so lucky to see all different types of life and I am just getting started.
As Mark Twain once said, "travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." I believe this statement to be true as you cannot go to another country/city and be biased in your ideals as you are the visitor and you must be gracious and observant to their way of life. Traveling I believe matures you as well, as you have to behave in a higher manner as you cannot be too foolish in efforts of keeping yourself safe and mindful of others. Traveling also makes you more reliant on yourself because when I used to travel as a kid my parents did everything for me and now that I am traveling alone I have to be more mindful of what I am doing as I can only count on myself.
Overall, I think traveling can seem pretentious and a chore to some people but in reality, I believe it is important to take part in and it is a necessary step in becoming an adult. Traveling exposes you to the world and you are forced to be outside of your comfort zone. Traveling makes you more open to new adventures and life is too short to not see, eat, and be a part of new things.
