We all know life is short. Often times, it feels like it’s absolutely flying by. With everyday life, stresses, and work – we often forget there is a world out there full of adventure, culture, nature, and wanderlust.
My traveling bug first started in 2004 when my dad shipped my younger brother, Nicky, and I off to Cassino, Italy to get cultured and learn Italian. I didn’t do great in the learning to speak Italian department, with the exception of birra, vino, and “dove e mi frattello?”. But what I did learn was that there was a deep yearning within me to travel and explore cities that are unknown to me. To this day, that feeling has never gone away. I live in a constant state of wanderlust. The need to experience different cultures and observe new sights makes my soul feel alive. A vacation is the best dose of medication for a hungry heart.
Get out into the world, breath it all in, and enjoy! Here’s why I choose to travel:
1. Traveling opens the mind and the heart.
2. Vino never tasted so good in an ancient city and a pina colada is perfection on a sandy beach.
3. You only live once.
4. You never know who you will meet. A new best friend, a family that shows you their lifestyle and home, your soul mate. The possibilities are endless.
5. Breathing in new air is good for the soul and beyond refreshing.
6. A calm ocean can relieve a stormy mind.
7. The food. Period.
8. Walking barefoot in the sand is the world’s best exfoliator.
9. Day drinking in a new or old city can make for a very interesting afternoon, lots of laughs, and quite an adventure.
10. Having the time to actually sit and watch the sunset is a gift.
11. Taking a hike is like taking advantage of nature’s gym. Plus, it’ll have you feeling less guilty while indulging.
12. Having time to relax and spend time with loved ones while on vacation is not the same as relaxing with family and friends while not on vacation. It’s better.
13. Exploring a new land is very much like being a kid again.
14. Taking advantage of the planet’s natural swimming pools is magical. Also, skinny dipping is fun.
15. Traveling with other couples creates bonds and friendships that’ll last a lifetime.
16. Going on worldly adventures not only offers copious amount of time to JUST BE with your partner, but it also strengthens your relationship. You depend on one another to get everywhere in one piece.
17. Collecting artifacts, sea glass, rocks and favorite items from far away lands are sometimes the most precious things you will ever own. Mother nature’s souvenirs.
18. You can nap anytime, anywhere with not a worry in the world about doing so. How good does that sound?
19. A little dose of Vitamin D (ala sunscreen) does a body good.
20. Experiencing another culture is not unlike reading a book about it, except you can feel it, taste it and see it.
21. Speaking of, vacation time is the perfect time to read that book you’ve been dying to get through.
22. Slow down. It’s ok to be lazy on vacation.
23. It’s also okay to bust a move and get check marks on that bucket list!
24. Take photos. Make and preserve memories to share and save forever.
25. Americans are known to not use the little, paid vacation time we are given…people, use it! That’s what it’s there for.
27. See how and what other cultures eat and put in their body, there are lessons to be learned all over the world.
28. The human spirit and heart need adventure!
29. Whether it’s a road trip, world tour or staycation, no matter what, you’ll be very happy you went. Go see the world friends!
Lauren, To Siena, 1969, summer foreign exchange student at age 17; toured the country, but not the south.
Fifty yrs. later, I went back, forgot how much I LOVE Italy. This trip, Pompei, hiked up Mt. Vesuvio,, day trip to
Amalfi via Positano. OMG, must return soon.