My sophomore year of high school, I received the privilege of traveling to Europe. Although an expensive adventure, it’s well worth it. I traveled with a few members of the German classes at my high school to four different countries: Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. I grew closer with two students in my class and met some of the upper students as well. I actually became very good friends with one of them and think about our foreign adventures often.

It was a fantastic experience that really helped me understand the necessity of traveling.

Everyone agrees with that, anyone you meet believes that traveling is a great thing to do and is worth the expenses. So why doesn’t everyone do this? Even just once? I think there’s some fear with it. I mean, I don’t blame them. Traveling to a place that’s completely different than the one you’re in is daunting. Everything about it is new and different. That’s hard to understand and embrace.

But I think there are a lot of new and different things out there that are worth running toward. Sure, it’s like running into the unknown, but what if that unknown is amazing?

To me, that’s what traveling is like.

It’s scary but always, always, worth it. Traveling to a different country is an experience that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s a chance to experience history and culture in a completely different and emerging way. When you travel, you drown in the culture. It swarms you and envelopes you like a giant wave.

That sounds scary, but it’s really beautiful. The view you have after that wave is incredible and worth the pound every time.

I say this because of my trip to Europe and my own experiences with different cultures. It’s enlightening to embrace another side of the world for a little while and see a glimpse of what they see. You experience a taste, a tiny sip, of a world and a life far different than your own. Not many people get to taste that.

There are so many countries in this world, so many places to go. Pick one and emerge yourself into the experience.