Three Reasons to Travel as Much as Possible

Ciao! I’m writing from a train through Italy on the way to Rome, and life is, as you can imagine, pretty good.

I typically like to check out completely while on vacation, digitally speaking. With a job that requires me to be on my computer or phone all the time, it’s nice to go off the grid occasionally, without checking for new work-related emails every morning, or updating one of the multiple Instagram accounts I manage. I’ve gotten a lot better over the last couple years about utilizing vacation time for what exactly it’s meant to be: vacation.

That said, I’ve got a couple hours to kill on this train and I’m feelin’ inspired. I’ll fill you in on all the deets of my Euro trip when I’m home next week, so stay tuned for a fab guide to eating well in London, a recap of my Italian cooking class and more. For now, I want to chat about the topic that’s been on my mind.

We’re so accustomed to our daily grinds, that we don’t really take the time to look around and notice things. I realized a long time ago that when I travel, I observe people and places differently, and even think differently. It’s so refreshing, and one of the reasons I’m a big advocate for adventure. But I don’t just think it’s a nice thing to do. I think it’s essential, and here’s why:

1. It’s a big world and we’re only a teeny tiny little part.

The world is MASSIVE, and I am never ever gonna be able to see it all. That makes me sad, but it also drops a big reality bomb. Sometimes I live in a little bubble-like existence in Brooklyn, with my dog, and my job, and my friends, and it’s all wonderful and comfortable. But I’m not the center of the universe, and there are so many other cultures to understand, respect and learn from, full of people with stunning stories to tell. Traveling gets us out the safe zone and helps us develop empathy. When we can see things through the lens of another person, we’re more likely to yield things on an emotionally informed basis.

2. We are capable of much more than we know or think possible.

I drove a Vespa through the hills of Tuscany yesterday. That’s not something I thought I’d say casually. Driving a Vespa is a lot harder than it looks, and sort of terrifying at first. But once I got the hang of it, I was cruising along, NBD. Until I cruised right up a hill, in a direction other than the rest of the Vespa-driving tour group. Whoops. Anyway, my point is that something that seemed super scary at first was actually super fun, and made me feel awesome. I wouldn’t have known, had I not said ‘eh, what the hell’ and hopped on. The same philosophy can be applied to life, yes? (Side note, I eventually made it back to the rest of the group).

3. We’re also really, really lucky.

This one needs no harping on, you already know. But life is short, and very precious. The ability to board a plane to anywhere is something many people take for granted. Maybe traveling isn’t your thing. Find out what it is that makes you happy, and spend your time, money and energy doing that, as often possible.

Shutting down for now. Next step: Roma! P.S., shout-out to D$ for the packing tips. I even had room in my suitcase for some new sweet-ass leather shoes. Here are some snaps of the journey through England and Italy thus far: