I love to travel. I particularly enjoy going abroad, because I think it’s a great way to open myself up to new perspectives on how to live life. It’s a great opportunity to learn about others, yourself, and to grow. However, I fear that we live in an era where proclaiming your love for travel and rattling off a list of countries you’ve visited seems to be more of a badge of honor than an indication of any learning or growing taking place.

I also think that travel has been uber-normalized so much by being reduced to a checklist of places, that people forget that travel is a privilege and also that it’s not easy. These things don’t sit well with me, and I think it’s time to start getting real about traveling. I want us to acknowledge what traveling is and is not, and that if done with growth in mind, for many of us, traveling abroad will push you out of your comfort zone.

Traveling is a Privilege

Let’s be real. It costs money to travel. Not everyone has enough dough to allocate towards jet-setting to their heart’s desire. Some people have to be very intentional about saving up to take a trip, while others that would like to just can’t fit that in the budget. When I was a kid, my mom and I never took any family vacations or trips because she had to work and make ends meet as a single mom. So traveling, especially abroad, was a foreign concept.

The other dimension of privilege is citizenship. As an American, I know we tend to not think about this (because we don’t have to), but our US passport allows us the privilege to go basically anywhere we want, with minimal hassle. For many countries we don’t even have to apply for a visa in advance to get in. This is actually not the case for citizens of many other countries. So, while I believe that traveling abroad is absolutely something people should do, I shy away from presenting my travels as a badge of honor, and definitely don’t side-eye other people who haven’t had that experience. It is something that I like to and have the privilege to do, that enriches my life.

Traveling is Hard

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished that I could magically teleport myself to my desired location, to the cleanest, safest, most convenient accommodation, at the very best price. Alas, that is not the real world. Instead, after I zero in on a destination, I spend a lot of time planning the trip. Where will I stay, how will I get around, what areas are safe and what areas should I avoid or be more cautious (especially if I’m traveling solo), where should I eat, and what should I do? There are a lot of decisions that need to be made. I don’t like to plan a trip itinerary down to a tee, but I like to pick a few “must-do’s” and have a list of “optional-do’s”. That way I’m getting the most of what the place has to offer without running around like a chicken with its head cut off the whole time. That all requires a lot of pre-work, and it can be difficult/daunting to make these decisions.

How I Travel

I want to preface this section by saying that there are many different reasons for a person to travel. Some people like to travel purely to relax in a different environment; they like to stay at all-inclusive resorts, and pretty much stay put and enjoy the offerings of the resort. Other people like to travel to see things; these are the people that like to hit up all the tourist attractions. And still others are a hybrid of these; they want to relax in luxury, do some touristy stuff, and just hang out and have fun. Also, there are people who travel to support a hobby, like hiking, skiing, or scuba diving. All of these are valid because they fulfill the goals of that traveler!

But if you’re like me, I like to travel to really experience a particular place. I want to eat what the locals eat (food really is my number one way of experiencing culture). I want to talk with the people that live there (and if I’m really lucky hang out with them). I like to hit up the tourist attractions, but I also like to get off the beaten path. And finally, I like to try to use the local language, even if I suck at it.

To me, when I’m able to go on a trip and do these things, this is what makes traveling a learning and growing experience for me. This is also why although it is definitely out of my comfort zone, I highly encourage people to take some trips alone (I still get nervous when I do it, but that hasn’t stopped me). For me, when I travel solo, I feel that I am more so open to the local culture and to meeting new people than when I’m traveling with friends, where you can really go an entire trip and only speak with your friends. I’ve shared some enjoyable meals with strangers doing this (and don’t forget that I’m not even the most outgoing person). It can be a bit nerve-wrecking exploring a foreign place alone as a single woman, but that is part of the boundary pushing. I never want to feel too afraid to explore and experience.

Traveling is great to me because the opportunity for growth and adventure that it presents through new experiences. However, it can also be grueling, tedious, expensive, and just a big undertaking to plan. Plus, let’s not forget that it’s a pastime of privilege. This is not to discourage anyone from going on their next trip. Definitely go! I just want us to acknowledge that there are challenges that go along with opening yourself up to the world, and that succeeding in that task is what we should be proud of (the opening up), not ticking another place off a travel list. With that in mind, where are you going to go next and why?