Travel While You're Young

If you are given the opportunity to go on a trip tomorrow, I say go for it; get on the first flight out of here. Here's why I think you need to travel now:

1. It allows you to clear your head

I don't know about you, but getting away from my usual scene allows me to take a deep breath, and just relax. Remember that think that you were stressing about? Taking a step back from it lets you rethink, unwind, and find a solution. Sometimes you just need to get away to think clearly. It can be so easy to be overwhelmed, and traveling is the perfect way to loosen up.

2. You experience different cultures

The perfect way to experience a new way of living is to dive, head first, into a different society. This doesn't always mean leaving the country. Have you ever been to the South? Life moves slower there, and it's so peaceful (also, sweet tea? yes please). You can't just read about different cultures in books, to understand it you must immerse yourself in it.

3. You're not getting any younger

As someone who wants to travel everywhere, I realize this will take a lot of time. I'm almost 22, and I'm not getting any younger so I want to travel as much as I can, while I still can. I recently hiked over 8,000 feet, up sketchy trails, to the top of Mt. Wrightson in Arizona. Am I going to be able to do that when I'm 60? Probably not, so I want to take these trips while I can still enjoy them. In the words of Tim McGraw, "live like you were dying." Lastly, if you are still in college, you get a month off for Christmas break. Spend part of that time off traveling somewhere new, learning new things.

4. You'll learn things about yourself

Going to new places allows you to learn about yourself, in many ways. In Arizona, I learned that I love to hike and push myself to new limits, but after 8 hours on a mountain I get hangry. In Italy, I learned that I love gelato and I love to do some exploring on my own, but I also learned that I'm not very good at remembering directions. In my opinion, learning about yourself is just as important as learning about other cultures. When you're young, it's so important to discover yourself.

5. It keeps you curious

Tap into the playful curiousity of your youth and go on an adventure! I don't think you get more curious as you get older, in fact, I believe it's the opposite. Traveling keeps your curious as you're always searching for your next adventure; the next mountain to climb, the next zoo to visit, the next forest to see. That curiousity can apply to your entire life, not just your vacation. Stay curious, and keep learning.

6. It's better than Netflix

If none of those reasons were convincing enough, going on a trip and exploring is much better than sitting around watching Netflix. Stop watching adventures on television, and go live your own!

So get out there, get a breath of fresh air, and go on an adventure. :)