Why I “Love to Travel”

There are a lot of people who “love to travel.”

It’s kind of a cool thing to say that you like to do. I mean first of all, it means that you are (usually) pretty fortunate. Don’t get me wrong, you can travel on a budget, but I think that there has to be something in your world that you can sacrifice that eventually allows to throw caution to the wind and hop on a plane, train, boat, etc. 🛫

For some, the ideal version of traveling is living like a local. For others, it’s seeing the sights of historical importance that take them back in time. For a few, it just means a bar crawl in every city.

There’s no “right way” to travel.

For me, traveling is none of the above.

Sure, I’ll seek out local cheeses. I’ve been known to purchase a pair of shoes (or two) of whatever the most fashionable girls on the street are wearing. I love art and architecture and how it varies from place to place. I’ve even chased down boys in the street because I thought they were cute and stayed with them until the sun came up.

But when it comes down to it, none of those ‘things’ are why I love to travel.

The truth is, I’ve never felt more like myself than when I’m in a city I’ve never been to.

Let me explain.

I went through the classic shit, everyone has their own. Divorced parents, deaths in the family — it happens. Then came the crazy ex boyfriends, the college decisions, the traumatic summers, the sorority sisters, the first apartment, the drunken nights, studying abroad. I’ve had a beautiful life this far, but it’s obviously had its’ peaks and valleys.

I love my college friends. I love my high school friends. I love my family.

These people mean the world to me and I’d never trade them for anything. But there was always a part of me that was searching for something else.

What I’ve found is that travelers are all searching for something.

Maybe it’s love. Maybe they’re trying to get away from family. For me, I’m searching for the comfort of feeling like I can be myself.

Traveling lends itself to my comfort zone.

While for many, traveling means getting out of it, for me, it’s getting into it. I feel more confident, more sure of my decisions. I don’t second guess the joke I’m about to make. When I’m out of my comfort zone in terms of routines, situations, and environment, I feel more comfortable and can act more like who I believe my true self is.

Maybe it’s when I get comfortable that I can truly feel the freedom to get uncomfortable.