How Traveling Has Changed My Life

Since I was a child I always had a plan for my life. There was a specific timeline that I set up for myself and needed to follow. I would go to college to be a veterinarian straight after high school. During college I would meet my future husband. We would get married after graduation and have children right away. I wanted to be a young mom and already be settled in my career before I was 25. Well flash forward some years and I am already 23, single, and have no career settled whatsoever (and my previous plan just sounds so silly to me now). So what happened?! Did my life fall apart? Am I miserable because nothing went as planned? No, actually it is quite the opposite. My priorities in life have changed and I am happiest I have ever been. Maybe it is just a matter of growing up and becoming aware of the realities of life, but I would also like to think that traveling is what helped me change my mindset.

The first time I ever stepped foot outside North America was on a family vacation when I was 16. We were going on a Mediterranean cruise and the ship was leaving out of Barcelona. I still remember the moments after I stepped out of the airport and stepped in to Spain. I was in awe because EVERYTHING was sooo different. The buildings were old, the cars were small and there were so many motor scooters, and every word I saw was in a language foreign to me. I was just trying to adjust to the fact that I was in a different part of the world. Life didn’t just exist in Los Angeles, California. I was amazed. Obviously I knew life existed outside my city, but I never thought I would be able to experience this different way of life. It was just a far fetched dream that I never thought would be a reality. I am thankful for this experience because it is what lead me to get bit by the travel bug. It sparked my passion for traveling and is what inspired me to pursue this dream of seeing the world and living abroad (which is what I have done twice now).

Throughout the trip we visited 5 different countries. I saw 5 unique cultures and different ways of life. What truly amazed me was the fact that we all live on this planet together, yet each culture has a different way of doing life. And the beauty of those differences is that no culture is right or wrong in what they do. They are just simply different. After my first European experience I knew my life was going to change. I knew what my priorities needed to be. I didn’t want to be stuck in the same place forever. The world is here for us to explore. It is here to help us open our mind and be tolerant of one another. Before I started traveling I never really thought too much about how other people lived. I just believed that my way of living was the normal way. Traveling proved me wrong, and I am glad it did. I believe traveling is so important for everyone to experience at least once in their life. You don’t have to go across the world to travel. Just go somewhere beyond the borders of your own home. You can even be a tourist in your own city so you can see it with a fresh perspective. The world is not a scary place. We all need traveling to help us realize that the world is beautiful, people are beautiful, and life is beautiful.

I am starting this blog for a few purposes. One, is so I can easily share my travel experiences friends and family. I have always been better at thinking and writing than I am with verbally expressing myself. So I figured I can express myself better through a blog than having to tell so many different people what I am feeling. Another reason is that I hope to inspire people to get out there and see the world. Hopefully I can inspire someone on where to go or just give them a few tips when they go somewhere I have already been. Third, this blog is a great way to get me out of my comfort zone. For those of you who know me, you know that I am a very reserved person and always have been. It takes me a while to warm up to people. I feel very vulnerable sharing all my thoughts for the world to see, but maybe this can help me open up to people a little easier. Anyways, so now you know what this blog is all about. Sorry for the long post, but I hope to take you along with me through all my future travels.