By, Taylor Jower | Writer & Evan Echelberger | Writer
March 11, 2016
What things do people do to feel complete or whole? Some people start a family. Some people make music and art and films. Some people rely on religion. Some do yoga. For me though it is travel. This raises the question why travel? Traveling is not only an amazing personal experience but it also increases your mental well being. Traveling can make you a happier person, it can build confidence, and make you more adaptable. It can also make you appreciate your family and friends more. “Getting lost is not a waste of time. To travel is to evolve”(Pierre Bernard). Traveling the world is a risk I believe everyone should take, I believe it is imperative.
We all see the people on Instagram when their photos pop up and we get the opportunity to sort of live vicariously through their experiences. Posting pictures on the crystal clear beaches in Tahiti or at the Taj Mahal in India, it amuses us, and creates wanderlust- a great desire to travel and rove around. What do we do with wanderlust? Well my advice would be to book the next flight to wherever you want to go, and just go!
Senior Seth Goodwin said you don’t want to live life “wondering when you next vacation is, instead create a life you don’t need a vacation from.” And I agree, as I believe you have to break the barrier between what is new and what is old.
Break your comfort zone. We are so used to our everyday life that we are scared to roam outside our comfort zone. Traveling is a risk,“traveling is an experience every person should take in order to have personal growth”(Shefter). Without risk though how can you begin to find your true self. Travel pushes you into whirlwinds of uncomfortable situations but overtime it becomes easy if you keep exploring. Travel drives you to meet new people with completely contrasting lifestyles, cultures, food, and language. This is the beauty in traveling. Not only are you in these beautiful places but you also get to experience the exquisite people. Some places you may go may not be pleasing to the eye, but in the disaster you can find the light and the beauty. The place may not be perfect but what makes these places beautiful is how much the people appreciate what they do have and in that you learn a good lesson.
Often times we don’t see that the world is bigger than our our perspective, that the world does not revolve around ourselves. In the world we are just a little fish in a big sea. Many times when you travel you see first hand the poverty, the famine, the war. In our free country we often forget the problems of the rest of the world, but by traveling you can see this first hand, it teaches you to drop the egotistic attitude and become aware that other people actually have it bad.
When asking my friend about it, senior Gabbi Waite said, “Traveling to new places not only was an amazing experience, but the food was absolutely amazing.” I almost forgot to mention the food. Around the world there are many different spices, flavors, and traditional dishes. For example in Italy you have to get pasta and of course pizza, India the traditional dish is curry, and how could you forget Japan’s sushi? All these foods are just a small part of the cultures of the world but as your travel you experience more and more and gain a better understanding of how other countries live and survive just like ours, each with a unique culture.
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