Traveling to Europe this past week, on my own, made me realize it was the first time I went somewhere out of New York (and its surrounding states) in which my mom didn't help me along the way. But despite being a little nervous, I realized the importance of traveling, especially out of our bubble of a country, to experience culture, language, architecture, history and fending for yourself.

1. It opens your eyes to the fact that everywhere else is so much different from America (good and bad).

2. It's important to try and use those high school language skills to communicate with other people.

3. One day you're going to have to lead your own family around an international airport if you travel, so this is where practice begins.

4. Traveling means exploring and learning/seeing new and amazing things.

5. You don't have to travel internationally, it can even be just to Florida, but the importance is learning to be on your own.

6. You make memories you otherwise might not have just being home or going out to the bar again on another weekend.

7. You could fall in love with someone you never even knew existed somewhere else.

8. Trying new foods

9. Understanding the culture in another place.

Despite all the different reasons there are to travel, the importance in it is your independence, and the fact that we're all going to grow old soon! Make sure you have time to do the things you want to do in this world before you have a boring desk job, or three kids, and wonder where the time went. You have your whole life to make memories with your future family, but only now to make memories for yourself.