What I learned from all my travels...
Traveling has opened an entire world to me, and I have learned so much more than I ever thought I could. After all, aren’t we taught that school is the place for learning, and we need to be in school in order to be successful? Well, I did learn a lot while I was in school, but not as much as I did once I started traveling! Every trip is a chance for me to expand my knowledge in one way or another and I now relish every single minute that I am away from home, because I know that I will know even more when I return.
Here are 5 things that I learned from all my travels:
1. I Love Talking to Strangers
We have all been raised to not talk to strangers for many reasons, but since I began traveling, I couldn’t tell you how many I have spoken to! These people that I do not know have shared lots of information with me, which has allowed me to enjoy my travel even more than I thought possible. These strangers have also kept me from wandering into areas that are too dangerous or prevented me from seeing things that were not worth the trip. Plus, I can honestly say that some of these strangers have turned into friends over the years, and I love that I have more friendly faces in my life.
2. I am Getting Better at Directions
Okay, so I still can’t tell north from south, or east from west, unless I really think about it and the sun is helping me out! But I CAN read my GPS and a map now, which means that I can always find my destination eventually! I have never been good at giving or receiving directions, and most of my life has been spent with turn left at the corner store with the red roof or turn right when you see the rooster sculpture. Now, I still prefer those types of directions over street names, as I am more of a visual person, but I can manage now if you give me directions the other way too.
3. Experiences are Always Better than Material Things
Some people collect shoes, others collect movies, however, I prefer to collect experiences. I would rather go on an adventure of a lifetime instead of purchasing the newest car or the latest smartphone. I don’t think that I was always this way, but things changed once I began to travel. I started to love everything that I was doing, and how the memories from those activities made me feel much better than all the items that were surrounding me in my home. That was the turning point for me when I decided that I wanted to fill my life with experiences now and in the future.
4. Patience
Nobody is ever as patient as they should be, unless they are already a saint, but I’ll tell you, this is something that you learn when you are traveling. There was a time when I would get so upset when my flight was delayed, or my hotel room wasn’t as I expected it to be, or a tour I was scheduled for was canceled. However, nowadays, I simply embrace the changes and move on. I seem to be a little more patient that I have ever been, and I attribute that to the fact that I have begun to always look on the bright side of everything. I guess you can say that I have turned into a “the glass is half full” kind of gal! This patience is now helping me in many other areas of my life, which can be considered a good thing in so many ways.
5. I’m No Longer Scared to Do New Things
There was a time where I didn’t want to do any activity unless a friend of mine was doing it too. Or I wouldn’t want to walk down the street by myself or try new foods. Now, I relish these moments, because I am no longer scared to do or try new things. Will I be successful with everything that I try? Nope! But I will have at least attempted it and that makes me a stronger person. I can’t believe how many things I missed out on when I was younger, simply because I was too scared to do them! I guess you can say that I am making up for lost time now!
Learning and traveling go hand in hand, which is why it is a priority for me to venture away from home more often than not. I figure if I can have fun while learning new things, it is a win-win for everyone involved!