Being an explorer, not just a tourist..

Posted on November 20th, 2014

As the year is winding down, I have begun to reflect about what I have personally accomplished in 2014. Like so many travel bloggers out there, I have traveled to several new countries this year – I have been to new places, seen new faces, and tasted some delicious food.

For me, ticking off cities, countries, passport stamps and experiences off my travel bucket list is nice, but that’s only half of it. The other, more important half, is what I learned. What values I took away from those experiences to become a better person. To my opinion, traveling and self-growth are irrevocably linked. I am on my own personal journey to become what I want to become – a person with values and interest for other cultures and respect for their personality.

Being a traveler is when you’re away from the routine and comforts of your home life. Our eyes are a little bit more open to every experience and new opportunity. We pay attention more to the people and places around us. Every day is seen as a new opportunity to learn, taking in all that the local area has to offer. We want to taste new foods, talk with new people, and gather as many experiences as possible to fully experience another culture.

For me exploring the world allows us to grow and develop a deeper understanding of the places and people that I visit. Moreover absorbing so much information and experiences causes us to think a little bit more about ourselves and our own place on the earth.

As a small child I had a globe with a light bulb inside that showed geographic surface of the world. I remember being especially attracted to the world’s geography that globe gave me a pretty long list of places to travel! and the wish to travel will never end for me.

My piece of advice to explore the world – be open and explore…the more the better …