Eye opening, amazing, awe-inspiring.

These three phrases and all of their synonyms flash through my eyes as I read through my travel journal, repeating line after line, page after page.

What could I have done this summer that left me so astonished and amazed? I backpacked around Europe for a little over five weeks. I know that I am extremely privileged to do so. Not everyone has this opportunity, but for those who do, I am here to encourage you to take it. And if you do not think that you are able to do so, I am here to encourage you to search for ways to travel anyways.

I do not come from a rich family. In fact, according to the government, we are barely above the poverty line. But did I let that stop me? No. Last year, I applied for a summer study abroad opportunity in Seville, Spain and ended up getting a full scholarship. That was my first leap into the outside world. My whole life had been in this bubble that is New York City, which is a diverse and vibrant city, but a bubble nonetheless. I did not have real experiences with other places and had never felt the need to leave what seemed to me as the center of the world. Who needs to travel to Chinatown and Little Italy in the backyard? As it turns out, I needed to.

The things gained from traveling are things that you do not know you need until you have gotten them. The memories created with different people, cultures, and places are priceless. I remember sitting in the British Library, talking to an old lady about Brexit before turning our attention to Chinese film. A couple of weeks later, I am in a cafe in Copenhagen talking to a newly made friend about the increased use of fear and ignorance in Western politics. Did you know that this is not only happening in America and Great Britain, but also Denmark? Because I did not. And there was no way I would have found out if I did not start talking to that Danish stranger in the cafe.

Traveling allows you to do that. It enables you talk to people from all walks of life and lets you expand your worldview. I was traveling with a friend who told me that the trip had made him more interested in politics. Traveling had opened his eyes to the problems of not only the countries we were in but also our own country. Sure, we could have focused on the high unemployment rate in Spain and given ourselves a pat on the back, but then we would have had to think about how behind we were in social developments. When I found out that Spain had legalized gay marriage a decade ago, I thought, what took us so long?

Traveling has taught me that acknowledging the faults of our country, city, or even ourselves does not mean disloyalty. In fact, it takes a certain kind of loyalty to want to change for the better. I have qualms with the United States; I always have, and always will, but this does not mean that I was not and am not patriotic. I still think New York City is the most amazing city in the world, but there are so many other amazing places to love and enjoy. And last but not least, I can now acknowledge my own faults without being unhappy with the person that I am today. I learned this valuable lesson this summer by trekking through new places, and I hope that others learn this lesson too.