As humans, our existence begins at birth and ends at death. This means that the time in-between, our margin, is free for us to spend however we please. As someone with an innate curiosity about the world, I constantly find myself searching for new ways to experience life at the edge of my comfort zone.
Travel has always been a passion of mine, and experiencing new cultures and ways of life are just a few of the reasons why I’m inspired to travel. Through my many years of travel, I’ve come to find that people are my biggest inspiration for exploring the world. They say it’s the people, not the destination that enrich your travels. And after building relationships with people from all over the world, I’ve realized that some of my most memorable travel experiences have come from meeting some pretty remarkable human beings.
From trekking to Machu Pichu to skydiving over the adventure capital of the world, it has been the people who have made each experience worthwhile. I believe that certain people are placed in your life for a reason, and it doesn’t matter how long they are in your life for, but how you make the most of the time you have with them. One of the most challenging aspects of travel for me has been trying to accept the fact that people will always be coming and going from my life. I’ll admit that saying goodbye to fellow travelers is the one thing I hate about travel. But if you’re lucky enough to see that person or group of people again, it makes the encounter that much more special. Goodbyes have always been tough for me, and I’ve had watch people, who have given me so much joy and fulfillment then they’ll ever know, walk out of my life just like that. The more people come and go from your life, the more you take notice, and the more you want to hold on tight to the experiences you shared with those individuals. Time is such a precious gift, and that’s why it’s so important to make the most of the time you have with people.
Last year, I spent some time volunteering in both Fiji and the Australian Outback. From that experience, I learned how much of an impact people can make on a community when they work together toward a common goal. If I’d been less accepting of my fellow volunteers and homestay family, I would’ve missed out on the opportunity to grow and to learn from their personalities. One of the biggest takeaways from my time in Fiji was getting to learn from the locals about the importance of making the most of very little. My host family helped me gain a greater appreciation for my own family, as I began to realize how much people mean to you when you have fewer material things in your life.
As any seasoned traveler knows, travel, like life, has its fair share of ups and downs. So when the going gets tough, there’s no better feeling than experiencing the unexpected with someone by your side. While traveling solo does have its perks, nothing beats taking on a new adventure with people who share the same passion as you. It’s hard, when you’re all alone, to express that sense of accomplishment you receive after facing your biggest fear. Whenever I overcome my fears, I always want to run up to the first person I see and scream, “Did you see that?” Sharing challenging experiences with complete strangers has helped me form some of my closest friendships over the years.
While traveling solo has opened my eyes to many unique aspects of travel, being alone is not as fun as it sounds. I’m not saying that independent travelers don’t know how to have a good time, but traveling solo does make dinner conversation less entertaining, especially when you're seated at a table for one. While we can’t always choose which people enter or exit our lives, what we can choose is how to respond to different types of people. It's not always easy traveling with complete strangers, and bad company can suck the life out of travel pretty quickly, but keeping an open mind is always the best solution for this type of situation. Plus, learning how to interact with a diversity of people is what helps us grow as individuals. By opening myself up to complete strangers and listening to their stories, I've been able to put things in perspective for myself.
At home, I often get sucked into the routine, which poses the biggest threat to time. The routine is something that’s distracted me from the importance of forming relationships and meeting new people over the years. As I mentioned earlier, people inspire my travels. If I’d chosen to reject people who have introduced me to experiences that I may never have again, I can guarantee you that my life would feel pretty empty. I live for the moments where my stomach aches from laughter and my face hurts from smiling too much, and it’s because of the people I’ve been lucky enough to meet that have allowed me to experience these feelings over and over again.
People will be people, but once you learn to accept them for who they are, and learn to look past their flaws and insecurities, you’ll find beauty in every person you meet. Because there’s beauty in all of us, and finding that hint of beauty in every person I meet is one of the most rewarding parts of travel for me.
One day I hope to set foot in every country, but not for the purpose of crossing it off my bucket list, but rather, for the purpose of exposing myself to as many different people and cultures as possible. The more I’ve exposed myself to different lifestyles, the more I’ve come to appreciate the little things in life. Something that's meaningless to me back home, may mean the difference between life and death to someone on the other side of the world. Travel has given me the opportunity to see life from many different perspectives. It has taught me to take less for granted in life, and has showed me the meaning of friendship and why communication is such an important part of life. No one is certain of their time on Earth, but I’ve come to realize that welcoming people into my life and experiencing the journey with good company is a far better use of my time than worrying it away. There are many things that inspire me to travel, but nothing is more inspiring to me than the opportunity to welcome another friendly face into my life.
