Recently I traveled to Italy and while I was in the Rome airport headed home, I spent some time reflecting on my trip. I'm really grateful to have been able to travel so much and have so many amazing experiences. If you're thinking of going on a trip, just do it and stop waiting. There's so much beauty in the world to see and if you're not convinced, I shared a few reasons I think it's important to travel below :)
Traveling inspires you. A lot of people talk about how they travel to “find themselves”. For me it’s kind of the opposite. At home in Houston, I get to go to a job I love every day, I’m training for a marathon, I'm getting my master's degree, I love my friends and family and I know who I am. I don’t travel to change or to find myself, but to grow, learn, laugh, be inspired and appreciate the life I love at home and appreciate the big, beautiful world we live in.
It challenges you in so many ways. You must learn basic phrases your English speaking/reading and writing mind is not used to. And you have to find a way to overcome fatigue and exhaustion for the sake of your fellow travelers. No one likes a negative attitude even if you're running on no sleep, hungover, hungry or frustrated. Just remember you're on vacay and you're a better person who's left all their worries behind. Instead you just have to find ways to be creative, use teamwork, and offer help.
You are physically challenged to lug (in my case) a slightly overweight rectangle carrying all of the clothes and shoes you’ll most likely never get through. BUT OPTIONS! Am I right? You could also end up staying in the most beautiful villa in Positano with a private beach that's 400+ steps down...and then 400+ steps back up. Talk about feeling the burn, but I would do that everyday to live there.
P.S. I would totally recommend this place to anyone heading to Positano anytime soon! It's incredible.
You meet SO many new people exposing you to new ways of thinking, ways of living , eating, dressing...the list is endless. You get to hear about their lives, if you listen, and their stories. It also makes you confident in your own life story and experiences.
Every unfortunate event somehow manages to become a funny story. You miss your train or book the wrong one? No problem, you'll figure out a way to get to the next destination. When bad things happen on vacation it almost always ends up turning into a funny story. This teaches me to not take things so seriously and laugh at the mishaps because that's just life sometimes and nothing will go perfectly all the time.
It’s important to see such wonderful historical artifacts while they're all still here. I've never been a huge history buff, but I really loved learning about all of the places we visited and learned so much. For example, I had almost no interest in seeing Pompeii but it ended up being one of my favorite stops. I have endless facts on this historical site, if you're ever interested :) Always be open to new experiences and to learning new things.
Save your money, book the trip, take the Insta pics, make the mems. It's worth it, promise.
Thanks for reading All Kinds of Vibes // Megan