I'm the one you ask, "You're going on vacation, again? Isn't that expensive?" Yes, yes, and yes I wouldn't trade that time for all the money in the world. I know, I know, you hate me. But there is something uniquely beautiful in every single place I've had the privilege to travel to that has shaped my worldview. Whether it's a spontaneous $20 ticket to a hippie one-night camping festival or a $400 ticket to a three-day music festival in a foreign country, I will choose traveling over saving my money any day of the week.

Ultimately, I do save a lot of money. If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to travel as much as I do. And my job is uniquely special and generous for allowing me to use banked overtime shifts to do so. I am appreciative of everything I've been given and everything I've worked for.

The feeling of stepping out into the world is like opening your eyes for the first time. Our lives are so rote, so routine, so monotonous. School, work, bills, death. And why? Because someone way back when decided it should be so? What about life? What about the world? When are we supposed to find time to do that? To see that?

And I promise you can find time to do that. You can find time to save money and go see that place with the pink sand or the swimming pigs or the crystallized caverns or that exotic waterfall. You just have to commit to that dream, and start planning. Don't be an observer in your own life. Go, learn, do all that you want to.

Yes, we all have responsibilities. I work full time for the county, part time for a tanning salon, and I'm pursuing a Master's degree is Social Work part time as well. I get it. You've got school and work and kids and bills. But all it takes is some rearranging; some delegation or reallocation of the funds you've already got available to you. It doesn't come easy. You're going to have to part with some things. You will have to make sacrifices. But I promise those will all be worth it in the moment you stand on that mountain or stare at that statue.

Have I spent thousands of dollars on vacations or trips through the years? Without a doubt. I don't regret a single cent. Even if it isn't everything I'd hoped for, I typically learn something valuable regardless.

I've seen Belize, Honduras, Mexico, the Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Canada, St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Maarten. I've been to North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, and Las Vegas. I'm going to the UK in August. And I am loving every second of it all. I've zip lined through Belize, snorkeled in St. John's, and parasailed in St. Maarten's. I've gone to Warped Tour, EZoo, EDC NYC and Vegas, Better Farm Festival, and countless concerts. I've gone to football games at Lambeau and hockey games in Pittsburgh.

And there are still so any things I want to do. I want to go to California, Italy, Ireland, the Dominican Republic, Bora Bora, Hawaii, and back to Belize. I can't wait to see it all. I love cruises and music festivals and anything that's something I've never done before. So while some may see these expenses as frivolous, I see them as my entire world.

My world is not my job and my apartment and my shackling responsibilities. It is those moments of pure freedom in which I have no obligations and am seeing something or feeling something I'll never see or feel again. I will strive to find a balance between the two, because I refuse to settle for a monotone life in black and white. You shouldn't either. There's a whole world of vibrant colors out there. Go explore it. I promise you won't regret it.