“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
Traveling the world is right at the top of many people’s bucket lists. We look up pictures online of scenic mountains and make collages on our walls of all of the awesome pictures that other travelers have snapped. However, a picture or a list can only go so far.
Traveling and embracing new places, people and cultures goes far beyond having cool pictures to show your friends or collecting stamps in your passport. Traveling is good for the soul, opens your eyes and it truly makes your dreams come true.
As many who have caught the wanderlust bug will tell you, once you begin, traveling, it becomes an addiction. Once you take yourself out of your element and surround yourself with new people, you discover who you truly are.
It is important to immerse yourself into new cultures and stay open to new experiences. Meet new people; make new friends. Create lasting relationships with people across the world.
The most important thing about traveling, besides taking the initiative and actually doing it, is being open to learn. Be open to adventure and challenges. When you are open to any and all opportunities to travel and better yourself, you will find that you are incredibly lucky. It’s easy to look past the little things in life and get caught up in unnecessary negativity.
Although travel can be pricey, and it isn’t always easy to take off enough work for a lengthy trip, it’s worth it. Take any opportunity to travel while you can.
There are many ways that Collegiates can travel. Most schools offer study abroad programs, so you can travel the world and receive college credit at the same time! UIUC even offers travel abroad scholarships. There are plenty of flights and trains to navigate yourself around foreign lands that are usually pretty affordable! Collegiates can also volunteer abroad, in basically any country you could imagine! Volunteering abroad is a great way to do your part to make the world a better place, and to open your eyes to this beautiful world we live in!
Just with any goal, begin making lists of places and wonders you want to see. Traveling doesn’t mean you have to hop on a flight across seas; there are also incredible places in North America that can be reachable by cars. Some of my favorite memories are of road trips my girlfriends and I have taken throughout our college years. Exploring new places and being in a completely new environment together has helped our friendships grow stronger and has created memories we still talk about regularly. Plus, our pictures are posted all over our refrigerators, bulletin boards and cover photos.
So Collegiates, whether it’s a road trip two hours away, or a soul-searching backpack trip around the world, set a goal to travel. There are way too many cool places in the world and in our own backyards to pass up. The person you will discover within yourself will be an awesome person to be around, and you will be proud of her. Discover the world, and discover yourself!
All pictures are of credit of my brother, William Woodward. To see more of his incredible photos from all around the world, visit: wheretowillie.com