Why I Travel
For me, it really grabbed hold, the travel bug I mean, standing at a counter in a cafe in Venice, Italy. I’d been handed the Coca-Cola I ordered, in a glass, with a lemon, and two cubes of ice. I don’t drink Coke (I’m a Dr. Pepper girl,) I don’t like lemon, and I fill my glasses to the very tippy-top with ice. When I tell you this was the very best Coke I’d had up to that point, I am not exaggerating. The. Best. Coke. Ever. It was certainly not because of a sudden love of Coke or lemons or for drinks almost warm.
No.
It was because I was in a completely foreign to me place for the first time in my life and I was getting my very first taste, literally, of how things are done away from my home.
And I LOVED it.
That trip to Italy was the first of my many trips overseas. The reasons I continue to leave home for places undiscovered by me are a deep love of people I’ve never met, a curiosity for places and cultures I’ve never experienced, an insatiable taste for foods outside of Tex-Mex, the challenge of being able to learn and grow when faced with the uncertainties of travel, and an internal and very deep, very real need for adventure.
NEW PEOPLE
A lot of my international travel has been solo, which almost forces a person to look up and interact more with those around you. I’ve been so fortunate to have encountered some of the most beautiful people on the planet this way. Whether it be the kind stranger in Belgium who helped me find the correct train platform and then chatted with me as we made our way toward Amsterdam, the lovely Greek lady who served my breakfast every morning at my hotel often sitting with her own cup of coffee as we talked over what I would be exploring that day, the random and gorgeous new friends that made sure I was not alone on St.Patty’s Day in Austria, the burly but teddybear-like manager from Bulgaria on a river cruise who shared his stories with us in the late evenings once the ship had gone to sleep…no matter the encounter, short or long, these people and so many others have allowed me a brief moment to see their lives, hear their perspectives, and appreciate our beautiful differences. Because of them, my understanding of humanity has broadened in ways not possible if you are not intentional about wanting to have meaningful encounters with others, and certainly not possible if you don’t leave home. The conversations I’ve had the privilege of being part of have been some of the most precious souvenirs I’ve gathered in my travels.
NEW PLACES
Texas is my home and I love it and am so proud to be from the best state in the country. However, with each new place I am allowed to explore, I realize I have a pretty large capacity for loving a place. People often ask me what my favorite destination is and my common response is, “wherever I’m going next.” I adore a town with quaint cafes and a pedestrian lifestyle where cars are kind of pointless, or an ancient city with ruins that seem to be from a time before time really existed, or a place where huge green cliffs meet right up next to a cold ocean with fierce winds and grey skies, or of course paradise-like islands with water a shade of blue you’ve never known and hospitality that rivals a Southern grandma. I truly fall in love with every new place, whether it be for a moment as I simply appreciate how different it is - looking at you Sao Paulo - or for a lifetime as I dream of one day actually living there for a time - thinking of you, Italy! The new (to me) cultures, the new (to me) landscapes, the new (to me) architecture, the new (to me) pace of life…all of it charms me to no end and leaves me so curious about what the next place might offer.
NEW FOODS
Let’s not go pretending that I am a super adventurous eater. I was raised on a steady diet of enchiladas and chips and salsa and have been accused (not inaccurately) of being a remarkably picky eater. However, I LOVE to eat. My favorite thing to explore about a new place is very likely the food. While I may not participate in the Omakase sushi experience in Japan, their Kobe and Wagyu beef are out-of-this-world delicious. The dessert scene in a new place is generally the highlight for me (look up trdelnik, head to Prague and thank me later). Though I’ve been to Italy many times, the challenge to find the world’s best gelato seems to be a worthwhile endeavor, a burden I will take for the team - I will let you know if I come to any conclusions on that front. I will transit through the Amsterdam airport on the way to anywhere just for the chance to pick up more Stroopwafels. And though mayonnaise at home is really off-putting to me, the Belgium people may put as much of it as they like upon the top of my frites cone and I will devour it happily. As your travel designer, you will find that I regularly include a food tour near the beginning of your trip so that you can taste the place you are visiting. Those tours generally also serve as a way to learn more of the history and culture, see an overview of the area, and allow you to get some insider information from the guide about where your next meals should be partaken. But, the idea that you would never leave the hotel for your meals, or that you would purposely find something from home (like the local McDonalds) seems almost criminal to me. Order the Hungarian goulash and have it served in a bread bowl, and save the Five Guys for when you return home.
NEW CHALLENGES
I’ve read studies that say if two candidates who are equally qualified for a job, with similar resumes interview for a position, the one who is really well-traveled will win the position almost every time. I think, in my experiences exploring the world, I can understand easily why that might be the case. Travel produces challenges that require a unique set of skills to overcome. You must be able to make quick decisions, be spontaneous, adapt to changes, communicate effectively, and be resourceful in ways not generally necessary at home. Italy's rail system goes on strike, but you need to get from Florence to Rome, what do you do? Your flight from Frankfurt to Basel is canceled, how do you proceed with your trip? Your luggage (that you knew you shouldn’t have checked, but you did anyway) is lost, what are your options? You don’t speak the language, and don’t understand the bizarre metro system in Tokyo, how do you get back to your hotel after an evening out? The challenges that transportation can produce are vast, but there are other challenges that will creep up on most trips including learning basic phrases in a new language, understanding a new currency and exchange rates, and even being aware of cultural differences in such a way as to not offend anyone in the new place you are exploring. These challenges make me feel like I am growing and learning and becoming a more well-rounded and more capable person. And I love it!
NEW ADVENTURES
There are very few tall things I don’t want to jump from and very few trails I don’t want to veer from. Ask my poor dad who was tasked with following me off every marked trail on every mountain we climbed in Colorado as kids. To get the opportunity to cliff dive in Antibes, paraglide in the Swiss Alps, and bungee jump in the Corinth canal; my need for a beautiful adrenaline rush is filled in pretty epic ways. But these adrenaline rushes are not the only adventure I seek. Something inside me craves new and different, and exciting. The unpredictability of travel keeps me on my toes and makes me feel alive. Some of the most incredible moments of my life are all wrapped up in the adventure that travel has provided for me…holding a koala or hanging out with kangaroos in Australia, hiking 6 miles on the Caldera from one end of Santorini to the next ending in a swimming pool intended just for those hikers, kayaking and biking through the gorgeous and untouched bay in Montenegro, exploring the medieval towns of Tuscany from the back of a motorcycle. With each new adventure I feel more blessed and more alive than ever and so I will keep traveling to find the next grand adventure and let it feed that part of my soul. There is a quote I think of from time to time that speaks to this, “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it is lethal,” I could not agree more.
Though it all began with a warm, lemony coke at a cafe in Venice, the need to travel crept in and took hold and is one of the most incredible things I get the privilege of doing. And I don’t take one moment of it for granted.
So Why Travel?
New People
New Places
New Foods
New Challenges
New Adventures
