What Traveling Has Given Me…Besides a Meager Bank Account
Never in my life could I have forseen the last 365 days.
In early 2014, the cliche idea was born to my friend Paul and I that we should “see the world while we’re young”. The classic Eurotrip was the agenda- backpack through Western European countries and savor our youth while we could. So we saved up, planned, and executed.
Some of the best times of my life happened during that trip. Predictably, it wasn’t enough. Back home and back at work in Seattle, spaces and people became too familiar, too repetitive, too accommodating. Boredom and exasperation would constantly set in. Why am I here when there’s so much more out there?
Your mid 20's are full of questions, but equally full of answers. You really get to know who you are- and traveling has taught me more about myself than I’ve ever known. I’m impulsive, emotional, and reactive. I’m passionate- dangerously so, sometimes. Your 20's aren’t meant for you to work out your kinks, but to discover and embrace them. I embraced mine, and set out on a journey that many would call crazy.
One year ago, I had never left North America.
Since then, I’ve dangled my feet off the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, and sipped wine with my best friend in the Eiffel Tower’s shadow. I’m sure I did something in Amsterdam, but I can’t recall. I’ve sweated through my shirt in humid Singapore, and I’ve been to a church service in Austria I didn’t understand a word of.
I’ve watched the sunrise on the beach in Portugal, and I’ve spoke broken-ass Spanish to locals in Barcelona who laughed at my attempts. I’ve bungee jumped 600ft into a picturesque lake in Switzerland, and gotten lost in the winding streets of Venice.
I’ve gotten kicked by a hostile policeman at a train station in Belgium, and I’ve listened to a melodius symphony in Tuscany. I’ve seen Armin van Buuren at a club in Greece, and I’ve crashed a scooter in Indonesia.
I’ve learned (a little) Japanese from a local in Tokyo, and I’ve wandered the Gold Coast in Australia with a new friend. I’ve lounged on a beach in Thailand, and I’ve had a pint or 5 in Germany.
Different people, cultures, and landscapes lie quietly in every corner of our world, waiting to be discovered. Social media and technology have made it simple to imagine being there, but seeing it first hand is worlds different than following Earth Pics on instagram. On Facebook, you can’t meet the people who live there and learn about their day to day lives. You can’t empathize with them or truly understand their way of life. You can read a Buzzfeed or Elite Daily article, but it won’t look the same as it will through your own eyes.
In the past, many people have lived and died in the same corner of the world. But things have changed. The world is still big, but now it’s reachable. Money is temporary, but the memories money can buy are truly priceless. The greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, and the high that feeling brings never wears off. It only makes you hungrier for more.
Traveling has given me peace of mind that I don’t need to have all the answers, because no one really does. We’re all on a quest, one way or another, and we’re so focused on the destination that we forget the journey. For me, living in the moment has been the biggest challenge. It’s easy to have anxiety about the future, and the past. What’s hard is relishing in the now. Soaking it all in.
And I’m getting better at it every day.
I couldn’t have done any of this without the strong support of my parents, mentors, and best friends- for them I’m eternally grateful. I’m blessed beyond words for the opportunities I’ve had- It’s been a wild ride and I couldn’t have done it without em.
God only knows what the next 365 will bring…I’ll keep you posted.
-Tony
