We all know it, the feeling of wanderlust, the desire to travel and explore the world. But there are a few of us who are never truly able to alleviate our wanderlust; very few of us let it perpetuate in our souls daily. I am one of the few, I am a perpetual wanderlust, and I would not change it for anything.

Since the second grade I was luckily enough to head on a yearly vacation, generally a cruise to the Caribbean. At that age, I never understood how lucky I was, or what traveling really meant to me. To me, I was happy to be somewhere warm, somewhere that I could meet new friends, roam about a giant boat, and eat whatever I wanted. Today though, I am extremely grateful for the experiences I had from a young age. Growing up in small-town America, I know many people who can never escape their homes, their towns. I know so many children who give up on the idea of evading the rural town we grew up in, and simply accept it instead. I’ve seen so many wondrous souls be shut down by the inability to travel somewhere new. But, luckily, my wondrous soul was preserved from a young age. And now I can never shut it down.

I check out the travel boards on Pinterest, daily. I check out Groupon Getaways to see the beautiful places, daily. I am always on Kayak, Orbitz, and other airline sights seeing the great deals that are out there, daily. I am looking at the beautiful apartments on Airbnb, the best hostels to stay at in Europe, and the gorgeous bed and breakfasts in charming towns across the country, daily. My daily life is filled with the prospects of the next adventure and that is not a bad thing. It is not because I hate where I am, but rather because I love this would we live in.

Being wanderlust means my creativity is ever present. It means my imagination wasn’t stolen from me, like it is from so many kids today by the devices you are reading this on. It means I have finally started buying experiences rather than material items. It means I recognize beauty across the world. It means I have faith that this world is going to survive through the adversities it is facing. It means I love to meet people, hear their stories, and live in their cultures. The world is filled with so many amazing people, people with stories just like us, and I travel to meet them all. Being wanderlust means I desire more out of my life, and I will always hold that dear to me.

As I write this today, I am preparing to fly to Ireland, to try and put my wanderlust at bay for at least a week. I am not sure where the next adventure will take me, but I know there will be another, and another, and another, and that fills me with hope. Never let your wanderlust die, never let your wondrous soul be taken from you. Go travel, go learn, go experience. Just go. Just be perpetually wanderlust like me.