I’ve always been a traveler, whether I wanted to be or not. My first flight was taken at the ripe age of six-months-old when my parents took me, along with my three older siblings on a family pilgrimage to Rome. Sadly I remember nothing of this trip myself but have heard the stories featuring, amongst other things, how close my then four-year-old sister came to being run over by a bus and how I learned how to crawl in a convent in Rome. Not a bad start to my travel experiences!
As a kid, we went to some pretty cool places: France, Canada, and Switzerland to name the more exciting ones. I liked seeing the different sites, but there was also a part of me that did not want to go. I wished we could eat normal foods or go to the beach for summer vacation like my other friends. Looking back now I am ashamed of how I used to feel. Travel is a gift and I took it for granted.
With age I have learned and experienced how much power travel has. My first year of college I was required to take some philosophy classes in which we talked about the transcendental virtues of the true, good, and beautiful. Learning about these things and experiencing them in life on campus set my mind and soul on fire for adventure and the pursuit of the true, good, and beautiful. Thus as soon as I got back home for summer break I was to the point of craving beauty. The only problem was that in suburban Texas, the physical beauty I desired was not readily available.
After what felt like a year but was really less than a week, my parents let me go to London, England by myself to stay with some friends I had made at World Youth Day a few years back. Still to this day I do not know what overcame them to let me do this, but I choose to assume that they understand travel and the growth that comes from it, and for that I am thankful.
I had traveled alone before, flying back and forth to college or going to visit my sister, but I had never traveled internationally by myself. About half way across the Atlantic I realized what I was doing and my solitude closed in on me quickly, coming close to a panic attack. At that point there was no turning back however, which was good because I firmly believe that everyone needs to embark on a journey alone at least at one point in his or her life.
Putting aside my fears and accepting everything as an opportunity to grow, I stepped off the plane, walked myself through customs, and met my friend on the other side of security. Sometimes I have a problem finding courage, but this situation required me to find it, and that in itself was a crucial reason for this trip.
My days in London were great. I am still amazed (and made nostalgic) by how there can be a serene park within a thriving city and how its citizens can be so sophisticated whilst maintaining a friendly demeanor.
Contrary to my younger self, I did not take the trip for granted but rather soaked up every second of it in joy. I loved seeing sites of both historical import and modern influence. I loved being able to participate in new ways of worship with my fellow Christian brothers and sisters. These things are wonderful parts of any trip, but what I loved most is how my travel pushed me to grow in an area that I had guarded for too long-courage.
Travel has power. Anyone can see that travel takes you physical places, but the true beauty of travel is that it takes you further places in the maturation of self. Although I was seeking physical beauty and surely found it, I found even more beauty in the ways my travel pushed me to grow.
Growing can be painful, but growth through travel is probably the least painful way to grow. So why not embrace it and let it enhance you? I choose travel because I choose growth.
This is why I am a travella and why you should be too.
Travella 