I was determined to travel this year. Like I was set and making plans even though my bank account was like “hey girl, calm it down.” But then COVID hit and you know what they say, safety first! I had traveled to the DR last October and then I was able to make it to AZ and on a cruise to Key West and the Bahamas literally right before they shut everything down.

Traveling wasn’t something I did much as a child unless it was to states where family lived in but once I started to go out of the country (which wasn’t often) or to areas I’ve never been to, I discovered how beautiful it is to explore new places. That’s when I discovered how quickly I can fall in love with any given location, including the people I have the opportunity to meet.

Learning about your culture or learning about someone else’s is such a privilege that I think everyone should set out to do. If you want to talk about entering a different world, opening yourself up to a place far from home is the best way to experience that. Getting to know another person’s way of life, their view on the world, the beauty in what they wear and how they talk, and what sets them a part, making them unique compared to the rest of the world is an adventure in it of itself. It’s an honor being introduced to their normal.

What a dream it would be for everyone to have the opportunity to travel at least once a year to a place they’ve never been before. I’ve always been a fan of islands so anywhere tropical would make me happy but I’m also obsessed with just about everything else, that I could go from a cabana in Bora Bora to a cottage in Switzerland. (Yes, these are absolutely on my bucket list).

Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.

Anthony Bourdain

I’m in love with beauty and there’s so much of it out in the world that I haven’t seen in person yet and I long for the day I get to travel to all those remarkable places. I’ve only ever lived vicariously through the ones who do travel often and post such stunning pictures of their location. It’s hard not to fall in love with your surroundings and I easily fall in love with landscapes, architecture and scenery.

My family came to the realization that what we want out of life is not materialistic things but the chance to see the world with our own eyes. Not just in pictures or movies or magazines. We want to experience life outside of the comfort of our four walls at home and even state lines although I would love to travel to states I’ve never been to, like Asheville, NC! Even WITHIN New Jersey which is where I live, there are beautiful places I never knew existed that I would love to see one day.

You see life through a completely different lens

I admire the people who’s sole purpose in life is to travel. All they want is to see the world and a lot of them don’t just go to the nice areas but to places that are most humble. Now that’s where you learn what it means to be grateful for what you have. But the other beautiful part of going to those areas is you see life through a completely different lens and most likely, it’s one you never would’ve expected. Sometimes you end up taking that lens with you back home.

There’s so much that traveling can do in a person’s life in more ways than I. The impact it can have on someone’s identity, their way of life, how they see the world, or what they want out of it. Don’t let finances, fear or contentment keep you from exploring what the world has to offer. I have many places that I need to visit and I intend to check off every one on my bucket list.