I bet you’re wondering how the hell I can afford to do any type of trip at this age while being a college student. I would love to answer that question, but honestly, I don’t know how I do it. I don’t want to tell you that I spend all of my money on going to these amazing places, but that’s definitely what it seems like. Maybe I’m not making the right financial decisions at this time in my life, maybe I should be prioritizing a little better, and maybe I should be doing all of this differently, but here’s the thing, I don’t want to. So instead I will proudly tell you why I travel so much.

1. Making memories.

No one ever started a great story off by saying how they worked a full 40 hour week. I want to be able to talk to my grandchildren at the age of 70 and tell them all of the amazing places I witnessed when I was younger. I can look back and just laugh and smile at everything I have done so far. From witnessing the ball drop in New York City to spending my Spring Break in Miami, Florida. These memories will be with me for the rest of my life and I don’t regret any of them.

2. Perfect time to do it.

It probably sounds ridiculous, but deep down, I believe that. I believe that before you settle down and have a career and family, you should get out there and see the world. Whether it’s two states away or two counties away, it should be done. Why not do everything before you have those responsibilities that you can’t get away from? Not that responsibilities are all that bad, but some will most likely hold you back. Also, by doing this, you won’t have regrets if you can’t do it later in life.

3. Deciding where to live.

This is definitely one of my main reasons. I say this because I grew up in a small town, a town of roughly 3,500 people. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it. I enjoyed being able to go to the grocery store, seeing someone I knew, and being able to have a casual conversation with them. But I also know there’s more out there for me. I know that there are many different opportunities that I will not get if I stay in a town of 3,500 people. What if I was meant to live in a city that has different cultures everywhere I look and it only takes one look for a taxi to come give me a ride? I would never know that if I didn’t experience it at once. Going to these other places will help me choose the location of my future, whether that is a town of 2,000 or a city of 50,000, there’s only one way to find out.

4. Meeting new people.

I can’t even begin to tell you about the people I have met. We are all so consumed with the same people we see every day and that’s totally fine. But it’s such a great experience to talk to someone new that has a completely different life than us. It’s almost refreshing. They teach us in college that it helps to know people. You never know how they can impact your life. These people you meet may help you out with your future job, they might be a part of your life in a romantic way or they might teach you lessons that you have not learned yet. It’s something you’ll never know until you just do it.

5. Reduces stress.

A college student having stress? I know right? Sounds a little ridiculous. But it’s not. It’s hard work to be a college student and living on your own. Mainly because it’s all new to us. It’s not like we just woke up one day and became a pro at balancing all of these new responsibilities. I will say that getting away once in a while is a wonderful thing. We are able to put the stress of work and school behind us for a couple days or even a week and just do our own thing. This allows you to breathe and to not let the problems of your everyday life consume your thoughts completely. I can honestly say that the amount of stress I typically encounter has reduced a great amount since I started traveling.

6. Get to know yourself.

Getting out of your comfort zone is a hard thing to do. By doing that, you are becoming vulnerable and that can be incredibly terrifying. What you don’t realize is by doing this you learn a lot about yourself. You learn if you are meant to be more of an alone person or if you should be surrounded by people. You learn if you meant to be where you have always been or if you should be getting out there. You learn if you are capable of trying new things. There’s plenty more too. I learned that I want to get out of Wisconsin, maybe not for good, but to try it for sure. I learned that I meant to be around all types of people and that I should build a career around that. I wouldn’t have learned that by staying in a small town my entire life.

Bottom line is, someone will question you. When people question me, I just assume they are too afraid to do it themselves. I promise you that if you just get out of your comfort zone for a couple days, you will thank yourself and you will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.