4,807 miles. 4,807 miles separate me from my world in a sleepy little suburb of Chicago. And as I sit here, cozy in my window seat of an Alitalia Boeing 777 somewhere over the very northern part of Italy, I can’t help but reminisce on all that traveling has given me in my 21 years of life.

I’m on my way home from a three-week family vacation in Italy, and while usually every year I say that the trip I’m coming home from was my favorite, I think this year was different. There were 11 of us in a beautiful villa in the heart of Tuscany, outside of this tiny medieval hill town called Cortona. I have grown up with these people by my side through every awkward, brace-filled, greasy, and grubby phase of my life. Traveling with them is without a doubt, one of my favorite things to do.

Each year I travel, I learn a little something more about myself. For instance, I didn’t know I hated Campari (this gross before-dinner-drink my dad loves), or who knew that macaroon flavored gelato would be disgusting? Apparently not me.

But in all honesty, traveling teaches me, among other things, that life is a gift.

So here are a few of the lessons I have learned through my travels, may they inspire you to embrace your adventures, as well as your life.

• Don’t be crabby. I don’t care how tired you are, how much you want to kill your brother for something he probably didn’t even realize he was doing, or how thirsty you are. Traveling is an absolute gift. Enjoy it. Embrace it. Don’t let your stupid girl emotions ruin a life-changing trip.
• Always eat dessert. My two cousins and I made it a mission to try gelato in every town we visited. Then we created a ranking of each one, and by the end of the trip, we had criteria for everything from texture, to variety of flavors, to cost, to location. It became a really fun way to explore!
• Try something new. One of the delicacies of Tuscany is wild boar. I know what you’re thinking- "Wild boar? Who in their right mind would eat wild boar?’" Well I’m here to tell you that even an 11-year-old me loved it the last time we were in Tuscany. One of my cousins had never tried anything like it before, and instead of gagging, she ordered pasta with wild boar ragu. Sometimes I get too caught up in doing things my way, or in eating only what I like that I forget to try new things. And besides, the worst that can happen is that you don’t like it. But hey, at least you tried.
• Never say no. No matter how tired or jet-lagged you are, always go somewhere and see something. You will never regret doing too much, but you will always regret not doing enough. My cousin has an unbelievable zest for life and adventure, and every time I contemplated sleeping in one day, and relaxing by the pool, she was always the one to say, "Come on, Lizzy! Let’s go check out (insert name of Tuscan hill town here)!’" Whether it's your first, or 21st scoop of gelato, go for it. You’re on vacation! Relax, enjoy, and make the most of your time away from home! (And besides, a sugar rush from the gelato is bound to keep your energy level high, am I right?)
• Wine*. This trip, I learned to love wine, and wine parings with food. Italians have what’s called Vino Della Tavola, or Table Wine. Table wine is considered to be sipped with a meal. Italians don’t find it to be a high quality, but my family members who know their wines, seemed to think the table wine was “quite good!” I am by no means a sommelier (in fact, I couldn’t tell the difference between a cabernet and a merlot unless someone pointed it out… *cue the gasps of disbelief), but I did learn a lot about the way wine enhances the flavors of food, and vice versa. So go ahead, take advantage of the legality of wine-consumption, and make sure you have some wine with your pizza.

No one loves going on adventures and exploring uncharted territory more than I do, and when I’m given the chance to spend a week with the people I love the most, in one of the countries I love the most, I take it. 10 times out of 10.

*I am 21 years of age, and was drinking responsibly. (And besides the drinking age in Italy is 16… so there's that too.)