Why I travel...

I travel because I value experience over anything and everything tangible. I travel to better understand the difference between wants and desires. I travel to better comprehend the variation and variety in the world, thus deepening the awareness of self and the role an individual can play in the global ecosystem. The earth is one big family.

I travel not to take pictures, to boast, or check an item off a “bucket list,” I travel to see the world through different senses. Through eyes that constantly search for their next source of food, ears always on the alert—anticipating another ambush, noses that scrunch from the wafting stenches of living in the slums, and mouths constantly smiling and laughing while surrounded by those they love.

I travel to wander…”Not all those who wander are lost”…I travel to experience adventure, serendipity, and spontaneity.

I travel to live life first hand, not through a television, tablet, or computer screen. I travel because I don’t want to live vicariously through others. I travel for me.

I travel because I feel a need to spread love and understanding. I travel to learn of heartache and injustice. I travel to raise awareness and learn how to help those who need it. I travel for them.

I travel to keep perspective, and to remember that I don’t need everything I have. I travel because I need the reminder that happiness is not attached to tangible objects, but to basic human interaction and connection. A smile can brighten one’s day, a hug can reverse depression, and a good deed can last forever. I travel to observe and watch, to interact and learn, to listen not to speak.

I travel to stay young and keep the childlike perspective. I travel to look with the eyes of a six-year-old, inquisitive and always wanting to know “why.” I travel for the discovery of truth.

I travel not to leave home or to escape my reality. I travel to remind myself how great life is: the phone call from a loving mother, the text from a special someone, sharing a hilarious YouTube video with friends, and having access to running water. I travel to turn good-byes into undefined see-you-laters. I travel, because without subjection to cognitive dissonance, how does one determine what one prefers, needs, likes, and loves. In the words of Augustine of Hippo, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” I travel to turn the page of my very own “choose your own adventure book” that is personally unique and never-ending.

I travel to extend my reach, to decrease my narrow-mindedness, for everyone on earth deserves to be heard, loved, and validated. I travel to not have regret. I travel to not lose time, but to make my dreams and goals become my reality and memories, not “what-ifs” and “maybes.” I travel to make time.

Make the time to listen, Make the time for love, Make the time to travel.