3 Reasons to Travel While You’re Young
If you’ve graduated college and have yet to get a passport you have an emptiness inside. You are stuck in the rat race of daily routine. Never enlightened to anything outside your own culture. As each year ticks by you’re getting closer to depriving yourself of ever experiencing the world.
Terameno, Sicily
Do you think it will get any easier to travel when you’re married and have a ton of responsibilities? Don’t settle for being ordinary.” Have you ever though to yourself. “I hate this city, it’s always the same old predictable routine.” You’re doing this to yourself by being a follower of the crowd. A Sheep! Your friends aren’t as interesting as you may think they are or your wouldn’t feel this void.
The other night, I had a conversation with a young woman who had a number of decisions ahead of her, one of which was whether she should go to grad school or travel the world. I told her to travel. Hands down. No excuses. Just go. The rewards are worth the costs.
She sighed.
“Yeah, but…”
Never were more fatal words spoken:
• Yeah, but… what about debt?
• Yeah, but… what about my job?
• Yeah, but… what about my boyfriend (or dog or car or whatever)?
“Yeah, but…” makes it sound like we have the best of intentions when really we are just too scared to do what we should. It allows us to be cowards, while sounding noble.
Most people I know who waited to travel the world never did. Be careful of the yeah-but. The yeah-but will kill the dreams of your youth.
The life you’ve always wanted
When you get older, life seems to just sort of happen to you. Your youth is a time of total empowerment. You get to do what you want. But as you mature and gain new responsibilities, you have to be very intentional about making sure you don’t lose sight of what’s important. So if you still have a reasonable amount of control over your circumstances, you should do what really matters. Because life won’t always be just about you.
Paris
During early adulthood, your worldview is still being formed. It’s important to give yourself opportunities to grow. A good way to do that is to travel. You will regret few risks you take when it comes to this. I promise you that. There are three reasons to travel while you’re young:
1. Traveling teaches you to live an adventure
In your lifetime, you will not be able to remember all of your experiences over the years. You will, however remember the special moments. The feeling you have for a moment in your life when you feel part of something.
Cafe Del Mar Ibiza
While you’re young, you should travel. You should take the time to see the world and taste the fullness of life. It’s worth whatever investment or money or sacrifice of time that may be required on your part. This is not about being a tourist. It’s about experiencing true risk and adventure so you don’t have to live in fear for the rest of your life.
2. Traveling helps you encounter compassion
In your youth, you will make choices that will define you. The disciplines you begin now will be with you for the rest of your life. Traveling will change you like little else can. It will put you in places that will force you to care for issues that are bigger than you.
Seaside, Amalfi Coast, Italy
If you go to Asia, you may encounter the slave trade. If eastern Europe, you may see the effects of genocide and religious persecution. If Haiti, you’ll witness the the ugly side Western paternalism.
Your heart will break. You will begin to understand that the world is both a big and small place. You will have a new-found respect for the pain and suffering that over half of the world takes for granted on a daily basis. And you will feel more connected to your fellow human beings in a deep and lasting way. You will learn to care.
3. Traveling allows you to get some culture
While you’re still young, you should get cultured. Get to know the world and the magnificent people that fill it. There’s nothing quite like sitting beside thousands of people from all over the globe to watch a sunset at Ibiza’s Café Del Mar..
I can describe Paris to you, but the feeling that the city gives to me is something you’d have to experience for yourself. You can read all the books in the world about the Great Wall of China, but being there is a different story.
The world is a stunning place, full amazing adventures. See it. Do this while you’re still young. Do not squander the time. You will never have it again.
You have a crucial opportunity to invest in the next season of your life now. Whatever you sow, you will eventually reap. Please. For your sake, do this. Because you won’t always be young. And life won’t always be just about you. So travel. Experience the world for all it’s worth. Become a person of culture, adventure, and compassion.
“What if I’m not young?”
Grand Canal – Venice, Italy
Travel, anyway. It may not be easy to do, but find a way to get out of your comfort zone. It’s really never too late.
But if you haven’t gotten sucked into the routine of life yet, I implore you to TRAVEL. It will never be easier than it is right now for you to do that which really matters.
-Ryan Slate
CEO of Players Club Tours
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