“Experiencing places and cultures, one has a chance to lead and experience a thousand different lives themselves in one lifetime.” – Steph D
People these days are starting to realize little by little how important it is to travel. But, what I mean by travel is going out there and really see what the world has to offer.
Back in June I went to Cancun, Mexico for a few days. Cancun was beautiful; the water was warm and crystal clear, the food tasted great; overall the entire resort was outstanding. But, the only thing was, I did not get to see Mexico. I was inside the resort most of the time, and when I did leave the resort, it was for only a little while.
Sometimes going to a different country and staying in a resort will not get you to have the experience of a lifetime. You can say, “I went to a resort in Thailand and it was the best experience of my life!” Don’t get me wrong, the resorts in Thailand are amazing, but the only down fall on staying at a resort is that people do not get to see outside of that resort. People can say whatever they want ”Oh, it’s not safe.” Or “It’s too dangerous, you can get hurt or kidnapped.”
Everywhere you go has “bad areas.” Just do some research and you’ll see that being outside a resort will not kill you. If anything, you’ll gain more knowledge about the country, have a better experience and realize that it is not bad after all.
I interviewed 14 of my friends asking them why they think it is important to travel. I can go on and on about why I think it is important to travel, but I wanted to see what other people had to say.
Most of them all replied saying it’s important to travel because you will experience different cultures. But, why should we care about how other people live?
My roommate says “By experiencing different cultures and geographic locations you are educating yourself about the world.” Learning about other country’s cultures in a history or a geography class is one thing, but experiencing it for yourself is another.
“Experience is better than book knowledge” says Zach who’s been hiking out in west and east of America.
A really good friend of mine Jessica who I’ve known for years says “Its also our responsibility as people to see how others lives differ from our own, which can only be experienced through travel. The world has so many interesting things that are meant to be shared with everyone.”
A person can learn SO MUCH more by going out there and adsorbing it all through their own eyes. Ryan mentions, “If you go to places you have never been to before, you are given a first hand experience.”
Another commonly given answer was people need to get out so they can escape from a monotonous life they may be experiencing where they live. Melissa who is a friend of mine says “Sometimes you need a change of scenery.” I completely agree with her statement. After awhile looking at the same thing over and over again gets old. Another good friend of mine Jon says, “ I live in Pequannock, NJ and nothing ever happens, nothing will ever happen here. That’s why I think it’s important to just get out and see new things.” He mentions how he wants to visit a lot of places for example, Las Vegas and Japan.
Me – “So Dan, you’ve been to a lot of places around the world, why do you think it’s important to travel?
Dan Z– “Easy, to open up your world-view. Through travel, you don’t just experience a country, but its culture, its traditions, the people, the food, the music. Traveling allows you to open up your mind to what else is out there, apart from what we all know as America. I came back to America with a huge appreciation for what I have and what I was able to experience while I was abroad.
Seeing the world really does open up so many doors for you. Do it! Dream big and make sure those dreams come true. Hell, last week I planned a backpacking trip into the Maine wilderness with my friend Sam. We’re bringing sleeping bags, a tent, knives and fishing poles. We’re living off the land. I LOVE to travel and see places other than New Jersey.”
Dan Z has been to Italy, France, England, Amsterdam, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Egypt, Spain, West Indies, and a lot more.
Everyone that I talked to seems to agree that traveling is important. Why? Well, think about it…would you want to see the world? Wouldn’t you want to see what else is out there? Wouldn’t you want to see how other people live so much different from you? And if you don’t want to, then you have no idea what you’re missing.
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