Travel. As much as you can. Ever since I was a little girl I have loved travelling. I used to beg people to tell me their travel stories (okay, I actually still beg people to tell me their travel stories). I am fortunate to have grown up in a family, where we travelled a fair bit, and I loved it. Whether my parents took us to vibrant cities or took us to nature spots, I loved it. Granted, there were a couple of, eh, challenging, holidays during my teen years (sorry Mum and Dad), but besides that I loved every minute of our travels.
As I grew older, I continued to travel on my own. I would save up, go travelling, come home, save up, and go travelling again…
I believe travelling enriches you. My travels have taught me more than my time spent on the school bench (and I love school and studying). Travelling has given me humility, gratitude, compassion, understanding, appreciation… My list is endless. But mostly, it has given me a sense of connection. When travelling you learn about different cultures and meet people of different backgrounds, and you realise we are all connected. We all have the same dreams, hopes, feelings… We might have different spiritual beliefs, political views and opinions, but at the end of the day we are all one.
One of the things I love the most about travelling is getting to know different cultures and meeting new people. Even short interactions lighten me up. Just recently my partner and I went on a tour to Pamukkale in Turkey, and we met a couple from Italy. She is Columbian, grew up in Venezuela and then moved to Italy to be with her partner. We chatted away the whole day, and by the end of the day I had gotten to know a wonderful, bubbly woman with such an inspiring story, and I now have a Spanish tutor! Trust me, if you are open to it, you will meet some interesting, cool characters while travelling.
Another thing travelling has taught me is gratitude. I grew up in one of the safest, richest countries in the world (hi there, Denmark) in a very loving family. My sister and I have had the privilege of growing up in a family where we never had to worry about anything really. Except for which outfit to wear to school maybe. Growing up, this was just normal to me, but when I started travelling, I also started realising how extremely privileged and blessed I am. Travelling puts your problems into perspective. When you see with your own eyes that there are people who struggle to feed their children, most of your problems evaporate. I am no saint. I also complain and moan, but I do think I do it much less than I used to because I know that my problems are very insignificant compared to most people’s problems in this world.
I know not every person in this world has the opportunity to travel as much as me, or even take one trip. But my guess is that if you are reading this, you are in a position to travel somewhere. Even if it’s just in your own country. I have met plenty of inspiring people while my partner and I have travelled around New Zealand. Heck, you could probably start by saying hello to your neighbour.
But travel. Seriously. Travel as much as you can, because I promise you that it will teach you lessons. It will educate you. Humble you. Give you compassion and understanding for others. It will connect you with others. But also, open yourself up to interactions while you travel. Don’t have your head buried in your phone. As my new friend and Spanish tutor said: Don’t see the concert through your phone.
