Travel Lessons
For as long as I can remember I have felt this unrelenting pull to discover something more in this life. The restlessness seems to come in waves. Needing to see what's out there in all corners of the world. Aching to uncover what I'm so desperately seeking (yet completely unaware of what it is exactly I am grasping for). And that's when it dawned on me, I long for the adventure because it forces me to grow. It's a cliche of course, but it's 100% true--travel has made me a better person not just when I'm jet setting, but in my day to day world too.
Work with what you've got
Travel teaches you to do more with less. You don't pack your entire closet. You make your dollar stretch a little further. You get creative in all aspects of your adventure. Travel teaches you to make use of what you have and to not focus on what's missing.
Don't sweat the small stuff
Fun fact: when you're traveling, something is bound to go awry. Whether you forget your favorite lipstick or your flight gets cancelled, it's the law of the universe for something to stray from the plan. But that's the beautiful thing about travel. You can choose to have it ruin your day, or you can roll with the punches. Travel teaches you to choose the latter and live your every day life in the same manner.
Every day is "vacation"
On vacation every day is a "treat yourself" day. The older I get the more I realize that life is too short to not live every day like this. There's minimal hesitation to "splurge" on spontaneous dessert at a cafe in Paris, so why not treat a casual Tuesday in Cleveland the same way? On vacation you go out of your way to soak up a small piece of history or touch a landmark. Why one earth wouldn't we want to give ourselves that same gift in our everyday worlds?
Travel teaches you to do more with less. You don't pack your entire closet. You make your dollar stretch a little further. You get creative in all aspects of your adventure. Travel teaches you to make use of what you have and to not focus on what's missing.
Fun fact: when you're traveling, something is bound to go awry. Whether you forget your favorite lipstick or your flight gets cancelled, it's the law of the universe for something to stray from the plan. But that's the beautiful thing about travel. You can choose to have it ruin your day, or you can roll with the punches. Travel teaches you to choose the latter and live your every day life in the same manner.
Every day is "vacation"
On vacation every day is a "treat yourself" day. The older I get the more I realize that life is too short to not live every day like this. There's minimal hesitation to "splurge" on spontaneous dessert at a cafe in Paris, so why not treat a casual Tuesday in Cleveland the same way? On vacation you go out of your way to soak up a small piece of history or touch a landmark. Why one earth wouldn't we want to give ourselves that same gift in our everyday worlds?
Who you're with matters
Sometimes it's not about where you are, but who you're with. When I quit my steady 9-5 to travel, one of the most common things people asked was "who are you going with". More power to the solo travelers out there, but for me it's not just about my destination and who I meet along the way, but who I share it with. When I look back on my fondest travel memories, they all involved my partners in crime. Running down the streets of Rome with some of my college besties chugging a bottle of wine together (sorry mom), tackling a hike in Sedona with my roomie I didn't think we could do, and having a wild adventure in Mexico with strangers with my best friends by my side. The list goes on and there's no shortage of memories. But the consistency between them all is that my favorite parts are not the backdrop that was behind us, but the people I shared it with. Travel teaches you to cherish the people you experience things with. And when you live life like that, the adventure doesn't stop when you get home.
We're more alike than different
Travel teaches you to focus more on the similarities than the differences. The most beautiful thing to me is that no matter what end of the universe you find yourself at, at the core people are the same. They seek love, they seek happiness, they seek compassion. And perhaps that's the most heartbreaking part of travel for me. At our core we are all the same, but for most of us we choose to let our differences blind us. Travel encourages you not only to embrace, but also to celebrate the differences.
I know travel doesn't look the same for everyone. I know we all face our own obstacles on the journey. But I can only hope that we all begin to see the value and make it a priority to open our horizons. I would be lying if I said that travel doesn't simultaneously energize and exhaust me. I feel equally at peace and restless when I find myself in places unknown. I travel to feel small and infinite at the same time.
Sometimes it's not about where you are, but who you're with. When I quit my steady 9-5 to travel, one of the most common things people asked was "who are you going with". More power to the solo travelers out there, but for me it's not just about my destination and who I meet along the way, but who I share it with. When I look back on my fondest travel memories, they all involved my partners in crime. Running down the streets of Rome with some of my college besties chugging a bottle of wine together (sorry mom), tackling a hike in Sedona with my roomie I didn't think we could do, and having a wild adventure in Mexico with strangers with my best friends by my side. The list goes on and there's no shortage of memories. But the consistency between them all is that my favorite parts are not the backdrop that was behind us, but the people I shared it with. Travel teaches you to cherish the people you experience things with. And when you live life like that, the adventure doesn't stop when you get home.
We're more alike than different
Travel teaches you to focus more on the similarities than the differences. The most beautiful thing to me is that no matter what end of the universe you find yourself at, at the core people are the same. They seek love, they seek happiness, they seek compassion. And perhaps that's the most heartbreaking part of travel for me. At our core we are all the same, but for most of us we choose to let our differences blind us. Travel encourages you not only to embrace, but also to celebrate the differences.
I know travel doesn't look the same for everyone. I know we all face our own obstacles on the journey. But I can only hope that we all begin to see the value and make it a priority to open our horizons. I would be lying if I said that travel doesn't simultaneously energize and exhaust me. I feel equally at peace and restless when I find myself in places unknown. I travel to feel small and infinite at the same time.
#ChallengeAccepted
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