Dedicated to everyone who has lost someone too early.
I am in a group called "Girls LOVE travel." It is all about how people love to travel and love to see the world. It has provided me a unique experience to figure out where to go, where not to go, and the different experiences that people have when traveling. It has been wonderful getting to know ladies that live for seeing the world, and want to share that love with others.
My mom would always say that our family was born with wings, not roots. That isn't to say that knowing where your home is isn't a good thing, that is why my family and I went back to Alaska every summer we lived abroad. It is important to understand where you come from if you are going to travel and not get lost in the experience. When I first starting traveling (and I mean traveling on my own and not with my family, because they kept me grounded), it was easy to lose myself in the country I was in. I forgot about the feeling of being in your own space, and got used to living out of a suitcase.
For me I travel because I want to see outside of my own bubble. I don't want to lose touch with the rest of the world and forget that I am a global citizen. Every single time I travel I learn more about the world, I learn more than all my research has told me, and more than the stories I have heard. I have met more interesting people traveling than ever in my life. I have climbed Machu Picchu, helped people in Ecuador, and documented the fate of birds in Peru.
Everyone has their own story of why they travel. Of what inspires them. Some travel to see the world. Some travel to escape. Sometimes it isn't a matter of money or escaping or anything in between. Some people just have an intense wanderlust. They want to experience new cultures and open their mind to the possibilities of how others live. To allow for their spirit to soar and their mind to open.
Getting out of your comfort zone is a big part of traveling, and a huge part of figuring out who you are as a person. Living a safe and normal life never pushes you to see how you act in the face of struggle. Traveling is all about making the most of every moment. Sometimes those moments are spending for hours on a train, or walking with your bags at midnight. I have seen some of the most amazing and the most horrifying things while travelings, but that is all part of the experience.
Christina Arum Sok-Cabrera said the most inspired thing about traveling, "Traveling has given me insight into how we are more similar than different. I love to travel because it makes us wiser, more tolerant, more loving and compassionate. And for this reason alone we were not meant to stay in one place." Wanderlust gives people the ability to explore not only others cultures, but who they are and who they want to be.
I asked others why they travel, and this is one that really struck a chord with me. Maggie Langeness shared her story about a road trip she took. After asking a friend to travel with her, he responded saying he would do his traveling later. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. He passed away at the age of 20 before his later could come to pass. Maggie then decided that she never wanted to hear the word "later" ever again. Now she travels and hopes to inspire people to travel.
Do not let life get in the way of living.
