Why I travel and why you should too
At a height of a whopping 7,359 feet and about 5,500 steps, Sri Prada is the tallest and steepest mountain in Sri Lanka. I began the trek at 2 o’clock in the morning in preparation to reach the top before sunrise. I had zero idea what I was actually getting myself into. The climb took nearly four hours to reach the top and I had trouble catching my breath the whole way up. Every time I thought I was close, I’d look up to see an endless amount of steps ahead of me. The climb was dark, except for the dim light from my cell phone torch and a couple of lanterns along the way. The air was the coldest I’ve ever felt in Sri Lanka, considering the days are consistently above 80 degrees. While the local shop workers were climbing for their third time that week to refill the food and water stock in the Temple, I was contemplating the probability of me falling down the cliff. When I made it to the top, the sun was rising and the fog was layered across the skyline. And for the first time through the whole experience, I was finally glad I said yes.
It takes guts to find the courage to travel, but once you say yes, you’ll find a whole new side of you that’s been hiding underneath the word “no.”
Traveling is one of those things that everyone claims they are going to get around to, but fast forward 20 years later, you’re settled down with a family and suddenly have no time to take that trip to Europe you always said you were going to take. It’s easy to make excuses or create reasons not to adventure to unfamiliar places. Time, money, and fear all seem like valid reasons not to go, but putting aside those excuses could have a significant impact on who you really are.
Traveling is not an easy task. With my 7 years of travel experience, I’ve missed my share of flights, ran to catch last minute trains in the pouring rain, lost visas upon entry of foriegn countries and almost backed out of trips because, well, they scared me. But, none of these unfortunate events have convinced me to stay at home or cancel a flight, why? Because traveling makes me a better, stronger and happier person.
Exploring the unfamiliar, will test your knowledge in a way that no standardized test could ever attempt to examine your intelligence. You’ll be forced to navigate through unexplored cities on your own and experience the process of getting lost and finding your way back. You’ll have to communicate with strangers on a constant basis and sometimes put your trust in others. You’ll be encouraged to try new activities, like skydiving or bungee jumping, things you told yourself you’d never try, which will challenge you step outside your comfort zone and boosts your self esteem.
Although as you travel, you will be faced with challenges. As much as I’d like to convince you that traveling is a seamless and enlightening experience, travel also has a down side.
Within the first 24 hours of my first backpacking experience, a local man convinced me it was Buddha’s birthday, and explained that the city was having a festival to celebrate. He buttered me up with stories about his family, and told me how excited his wife would be to hear that he met an American. I followed him about a half mile through the city to take part in the event until he eventually tried to trick me into taking a three-wheeled taxi or “tuk tuk” to the festival. Luckily, I denied the tuk tuk and I later found out that it was not Buddha’s birthday, and there was no festival being held at all.
Traveling abroad will compel you to make independent decisions and take initiative on your adventure. It will force you to trust your inticnts and think smart. With all the good and the bad, it will teach you more about the world and yourself, which will ultimately give you a sense of newfound confidence.
The experience of travel is a form of education. It will teach you about culture, society and the lifestyle of other people first hand.
This past year, I spent over a month traveling the country of Sri Lanka. I was able to develop a deeper understanding of humanity.The people I was surrounded by were faced with incredible hardships and limited resources, yet still kept a smile on their face. I was offered gifts from strangers who didn’t have much to give and my exposure to this type culture has expanded my views on the world. The United States is blessed with privileges that many countries do not have, and no matter how often you read about, seeing the differences in person will change your entire perspective. Experiencing and appreciating new cultures first hand has a unique impact on a person that can’t be discovered from reading a textbook.
Traveling will create the most interesting and shareable stories. Whether it’s the time you were stranded on derailed train for 6 hours (yes, this happened to me) or the time you conquered your fear of heights and climbed the tallest mountain in Sr Lanka (also me), you gain a collection of memories that could never exist if you hadn’t experienced it.
From the people you meet, to the outrageous food you try, your stories from traveling are just that; yours. You can choose the share them, or keep them for yourself but the stories are the evidence of who you’ve become.