Why I Travel
Traveling has been such a big and important part of my life so, summing up all of my experiences into a blog post seems impossible. I have travelled across Europe, lived in Africa with my best friend, explored the Caribbean by sea, and ventured through many states and provinces. Each one of these trips has taught me more than any classroom, has helped me grow as a person, and has opened my eyes to parts of the world that, as a child, I thought only existed in movies and fairytales.
I should have been in Europe these past two weeks, arriving home from Dublin yesterday. Of course with the present situation I had to cancel the trip. In light of this, I wanted to share some reasons why traveling is so important to me, some of my favourite places, and lessons I have learned along the way.
Travelling is so important to me because I love learning about other countries and cultures by fully emerging myself into their way of life. I love to make connections with people everywhere I go, even if it is only for a short while. Whether it’s a waiter at a restaurant or people I worked alongside for months at a time, it only takes a moment to connect and learn from people all over the world. Smiles and laughter are universal languages, one should never underestimate how much can be spoken through them.
In 2015, my best friend and I took a four month trip to Kenya to work at a small town clinic. There, I learned what true joy and happiness looks like. The smiles on everyone’s faces and their endless laughter is still something I think about to this day. This rings especially true for the children, the pure excitement in their faces while they danced, sang, and played could light up any room. The simplicity in their joy is often something we do not see in our daily lives, and I am so thankful to have experienced this through them. We experienced daily bouts of laughter during this trip, from chickens running through the preschool classroom and causing chaos, to laughing with our Kenyan Mamma, Joyce, who had endless jokes and stories.
I love photographing people during my travels because to me, it is a small window into their lives and way of life. It is something I can bring with me to remember them and what they have taught me.
After our work term in Kenya, we did some exploring through Tanzania and Zanzibar. We explored the Serengeti, the Ngorogoro Crater, and the Indian Ocean. It was on these safaris that I learned a few things about myself and the world.
Bugs in other countries are often ten times bigger than the ones at home, and sometimes those giant bugs can fly.
Don’t get out of your truck in the middle of the Serengeti… unless your truck is stuck in the mud in which you need to get out and push it while being watched by wild animals.
Never place your tent under a tree unless you want to risk elephants stepping on you to get their food.
Midnight bathroom breaks may also result in midnight lion encounters.
Bring a zoom lens for your camera, you will not regret the extra weight.
Africa was never a dull moment and the stories I have from my time in Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar are innumerable. If you would like to read more about my time while I lived and traveled through Africa, feel free to check out the blog I kept while I was there at https://weshooktheworld.wordpress.com.
It is through my travels across the globe that I have learned to be adaptable, self aware and open minded. I do not just travel for the sake of travel, but to seek adventure, feel alive, and take part in authentic experiences that change the way I see the world. During my time in Europe I was blown away by how different and brilliant every country was. From the bustling streets of London, to the slow French countryside, to the music filled canals of Venice, excitement and wonder was everywhere I looked. There were lovers in the park watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night, street performers in Rome, infinite rows of tulips in Amsterdam and sport cars in Monaco so exotic I didn’t even know they existed. While I could have seen all of these things in movies and books, there is nothing quite like experiencing these things in person with a front row view.
The world may look a little different right now, but I cannot wait to get back out there and on my next adventure. So if you are deciding between buying that new iPhone or a plane ticket, choose the ticket. You never know what experience may just become a defining moment for you.
