Get Out and See the World
How far do you go every day? If you are like most people, you probably spend most of your time either in the city that your live, or in the city that you work, probably with some driving time in between. We go back and forth, shuffling ourselves between ever familiar places and interacting with the same faces. Each of us knows a few hundred people at most: a few hundred out of seven billion. Looking out into the world, there are so many places just begging to be discovered. I believe that traveling to some of these places is one of the greatest things anyone can do for themselves.
There is So Much to See
How many countries do you think there are in the world? There are, approximately, 190. Each of these countries is usually divided into smaller regions, which in turn are made up of countless cities. Every single place that you could see has something different to offer. Personally, I spend most of every day within five miles of where I live. Think about it, that is so boring.
Last summer I went to Europe for the first time and I passed through six countries: The UK; The Czech Republic; Italy; The Vatican; France and Iceland. Every single place that I went was different and incredible. After three weeks of traveling I felt like some sort of old fashioned explorer who was discovering the world for the first time. I felt amazing and so much more aware of the world, but that brought my lifetime total to only 8 of the 190 countries.
There is So Much to Learn
I can remember spending hours when I was young sitting and reading atlases; literally this is what I did for fun. I read about exotic lands, foods and people while being contained within my small Massachusetts town. I spent countless hours studying the world; I learned every single country and it's capitol. After spending about fifteen years studying the world I could probably share five important facts about almost every country. This is nothing. There are thousands and thousands of important facts about every single country, every single place you could go. No matter how much I study and how much time I devote to learning, there will always be many times more information than I could possibly consume. And best of all, seeing is believing.
As people we cannot help but focus on the things that surround us every day. Our paradigms are shaped by the people around us and the things that we see. Those few hundred people shape our lives, whether we want them to or not. But when we step outside of our comfort zone, when we go somewhere new and meet new people, then suddenly we wake up. The more people that we meet outside of our own bubbles, the more we can learn about ourselves. I find it to be quite humbling when I learn about how different life can be a world away.
Traveling Is Fun
I have a very specific feeling right before I go on a trip and it happens without fail. I spend about a week just glowing with excitement before I go on a big trip and the night before I sleep for maybe three hours at most. I wake up, usually long before dawn, and spring out of bed with a nauseous feeling in my stomach. This is how I know that I'm about to embark on an amazing journey.
Seriously, I can't think of anything better than going somewhere that I've never been before. Getting away from the mundane nature of everyday life makes me feel like a kid on Christmas. I can't think of anything better to do than to catch a glimpse of a lifestyle and culture that is different from my own.
I hope that you find a way to see someplace new.
