Sometimes I wonder why...

 

 

 

Why travel?  It’s a question often thought, but rarely articulated. 

 

It’s a completely reasonable question, to be fair.  Why would an individual want to leave their comfort zone, throw themselves out into the unknown, and willingly put themselves through extreme trials and tribulations that usually end in heart ache, homesickness, and an overwhelming sense of loneliness?

For me, the answer is simple.  To travel is to grow.  When you stop growing, you stop living.

Raise your hand right now if you’re curled up on a couch at home in a building you rent or own, if you’re at a desk job that is safe and confirmed, or if you’re wasting time between classes at a uni that promises you a degree leading to a bright future.

 

Do you feel comfortable?  Content?  Unfulfilled?

That’s how I felt at home.
 

Raise your hand right now if you’re perched in an internet cafe looking for a one-way flight, if you’re waiting at a train station with a pile of backpacks containing everything that you own, or if you’re planning the next day’s adventures with a group of Europeans you met the night before in the hostel’s kitchen.

Do you feel spontaneous?  Nervous?  Excited?

That’s how I feel every single day.  And I love it.

 

 

 

 Because even though there are extreme highs and lows when you take off and face the world, I would rather be off the charts with emotion and experience than stuck in one straight line.