It's Time To Go
You know how you've always wanted to go to that certain city? Maybe see a beautiful monument? Get those bomb insta pics that you see in these cool cities that everyone seems to be able to go to? Well, let me tell you it's time that you stop sitting and liking everyone else's memories of their travel excursions and go out there and travel. It's 2018, it's time to go everywhere you want to go. So whether it's a road trip to a city near you or an international flight, here's why traveling is a must in 2018 (and every other year).
You learn how to plan
No matter how spontaneous you say that you are, I don't believe there is such thing as a totally spontaneous trip. Traveling entails that you know every single option that you have at your disposal to get from point A to point B. So yeah, maybe you were like "oh my gosh let's get a flight to L.A." a week before you wanted to go. Yeah, that's pretty crazy, but I guarantee you that you were looking at ticket prices for at least 3 hours before you made a set decision. You undersatnd the importance of lining up your dates and having set times, becasue sometimes that will be the difference between making and missing a flight.
You Become One Step Closer to Adulting
Do you know how much adulting it takes to go and travel ESPECIALLY when you're in your early 20s? Dude so much adulting, like it's unreal. You have to begin to look at things like flight times, reserving flights, having travel documents, reserving hotels, reserving rental cars, and the list can go on and on and on. Honestly, we hit some unfamiliar territory because we were used to our parents doing that for us. But when you start traveling in your 20s and beyond (sometimes in your late teens) you learn that a lot has to be done in order to have successful trip...before you even go on the trip.
Also it takes a lot of adulting to travel, once you get to your destination. You have to know where your hotel is and how you're gonna get there. Also, God forbid that you get sick while you're traveling because then you'll have to figure out how to get medicine. When I was in Paris and was sick, I first of all had to figure out where to get medicine and then use like half french half sign language to get the medicine (because I lost my voice). It was a mess, but I did it, and that just shows you need some grown-up skills sometimes.
New City, New Friends
One of my favorite parts of traveling is meeting new people! These people don't even have to be friends for life, they could just be like some chill people you end up talking to one night in a bar or at a concert. Or you could make some awesome friends for life. I'm proud to say that I have made many a long-term friend due to my travels. So don't miss out on that experience of meeting some cool people that you may not have had the pleasure of meeting if you didn't travel.
An Introduction to Culture
Traveling opens you up to a whole new culture! And before you say it, it's not just traveling internationally that opens you up to this, but traveling within your own country can do this as well. For example I live in Texas, and the cultural difference between Texas and New York (and honestly within Texas) is completely different. Different lifestyle, different ideas of going out, you get the idea. Maybe where you're from a late night out is like staying out until 11 but in France, a late night out is that you don't see your bed until the next morning.
Also you get to experience what makes each place unique and beautiful. You'll get to see monuments that you may have only seen in books or television, hear languages that you never thought would pass through your ears, and taste foods that you could never get in your hometown.
You Learn How to Get Lost
Traveling usually means getting lost. Like I will be completely honest with you, I would get on the wrong train, bus, über, on the daily or I would make a wrong turn walking down the street and end up somewhere else completely. But this is honestly the joy of traveling in a new and amazing city. You learn how to get lost and not freak out about it. Also, you figure out that being lost in a city can sometimes be the best thing that you could have ever done. You find new places to eat, beautiful scenery, or even meet someone new.
Now I know it's like lowkey almost impossible to be "lost" nowadays with technology being how it is, but I encourage you to turn off google maps and hop on a train or walk down a street and see where it takes you. Also, this is something that you can do with other people or by yourself. For example, when I lived in Paris, my friend Avery and I took just rode on multiple trains throughout Paris to see where we would end up, and after that, I would go out and just wander around the city at least once a month. I would just get lost, and always find something amazing.
You Learn Something New About Yourself
The absolute top reason why you should travel is because you learn so much about yourself, especially if you are traveling alone. You learn about what you like, what you hate, what views you have and how they've changed or stayed the same. You learn about how you adapt to different situations or how well you interact with other. You also learn if you like who you personally are as an individual. Traveling, not just as a tourist, but as someone who wants to spend time digging into the deeper cultures of where they go, can really influence who you are.
