WHY I MAKE TRAVELING A PRIORITY
Yes, I travel a lot and man do I love it. I love exploring new places and finding new adventures along the way. Not going to lie, I get pretty anxious when I don’t have a trip planned in the works. It may seem like a waste of time or money to some people, but this is what I love doing and this is what makes me happy. And, now I’ll share with you some of the reasons as to why I make traveling a priority
Long Distance Relationship
Okay, well yeah, this goes without saying. Every month Mike and I take turns traveling down to see each other in Philly and Boston. We have been doing this ever since we started dating and have been doing it for the past two years ever since. For those of you who might now be familiar with our story, head on over to the “About” page and read about how Mike proceeded to talk to me the week before I was moving. (Oops!) But, obviously, it worked out.
Culture
When I was living abroad in Florence, I quickly learned that Italians are very different from us and have very different ways of doing things. I was fortunate enough to have a study abroad "mom" that I would meet with once a week. I would go over to her house and she would teach me how to cook. She had a seven year old daughter, Flavia, who would teach me Italian in exchange for me teaching her English.
Communication
One of the things that I’m most excited about is learning Italian. I never would have done that if I didn’t go to Italy. But, I plan to go to Italy a lot over the course of my lifetime. I simply fell in love with the country and the culture and I have been wanting to indulge in the culture even more. Because 1/6th of the population is study abroad kids, everyone speaks English there. So, I didn’t have the opportunity to learn that much Italian, besides.what Flavia taught me. But even so much as your tone of voice or body language can change the way that you are perceived, and this is something that you learn while traveling.
Appreciate what you have
Whenever you are taken away from a familiar place, you realize what and who are important to you. Of course, I always miss my family and friends, and its great when we are able to connect when I’m away. Its times like not having peanut butter for four months that makes you appreciate the little things in life.
Independence
I for one am the first to admit that I am terrible with directions. But, when you’re on your own in a new place, you need to figure out how to get around. When I moved to Philly I didn’t know anyone. It was right after college and I was looking for a job in Boston or New York and somehow ended up taking one in Wilmington, Delaware. It was the single best year of growing and maturing that I’ve had. I matured a great deal and learned so much about myself and truly validated what my values were. Even though I was only there for a year due to family matters, I would not have changed a thing. Plus, I met Mike in the meantime which is obviously another plus!
All in all I would encourage everyone to take a chance and go somewhere new. Learn about yourself and find out things that you never knew about yourself before.
Cheers!
-H