Why I travel

Every time the thermostat even remotely reaches close to 40 degrees, and I find myself lying half-naked/half-conscious as close as possible to the nearest fan, I can’t help but find my mind racing back to the six weeks I spent running around South East Asia wearing horrendous happy pants, a ton of sweat and the biggest smile.

As those of you who know me well could vouch, I don’t care to dwell too much on all things emotional but that trip is somewhat of a trigger for me. Coming on two years later, I can still remember it vividly. The nerves, the smells, the heat, and even the things that were weighing on my mind back then. To me the trip has become a time capsule, and a landmark from which I base many of my present-day decisions. Would it have worried me then?

See, that trip changed my mindset immensely. It brought out a version of myself that I had never met before, and a version of myself I loved. Whether it was traveling that I fell in love with, or the person that I was when I traveled, is irrelevant. I wore the same outfit for days at a time and no make-up. I was constantly sweating and no doubt smelt. But for some god forsaken reason I was the most confident I had ever been. Things that normally worried me at home had no significance while traveling. I met people who completely changed my way of thinking, and whom to this day still bring a smile to my face when I think about them. I did things I would have never considered doing at home, which have left me with the most incredible stories to tell. And I love telling them.

So when people ask me how and why I travel as often as I do, the answer is simple. Travel has been the best investment I have ever made. It’s self-investment. And while I know that my first adventure will probably be impossible to beat for the very fact that it was my first, I will always endeavour to beat it. To find greater meaning and greater happiness. So far I have already been fortunate to have had so many amazing adventures, and have learnt something new and different from each of them. They have each shaped me into who I am today, and will no doubt continue to shape me as I journey further.

So while I sit under my fan, half-naked/half-conscious in the blistering Australian summer, thinking about travel and my conscientious decision not to do it this summer, I also think about the voucher to Flight Centre that my beautiful friends gave me for my birthday this year, and smile.