Some people look at travel as a luxury. Some are perfectly content in their small bubble and never leave their town. But I have been fascinated by travel since I was a child.
I grew up in a small town in Hungary with 800 people, where everyone knew your name. I fantasized about seeing the world knowing there is a lot more out there for me to see.
For me, travel started early. I pretty much left home at age 14, moved into my high school dorm in Budapest about an hour's drive from home. And I never stopped from there.
My dad was an eighteen-wheeler truck driver, and he took my sister and me on trips to see Europe. I danced folklore dance for almost 6 years that took me to France to perform that made me fall in love with Paris.
I was 18 when I moved to the united states; alone without knowing much English. Did I think I was crazy when my hosting family picked me up at JFK Airport, and I had no idea what the heck they were trying to tell me? Yes, I thought I was crazy. I was like, what the hell I got myself into. But looking back, I never regretted taking the courage and throwing myself into the unknown.
Shortly after I learned English, I joined the hotel industry. I felt like I hit the jackpot. This is great! I can live like a forever vacationer and just move around to experience what other people can only dream of.
Since then, I have moved ten times. Wow…just thinking about it sounds like a little bit much. And believe it or not, I yet to figure out where is my destination or the forever stay put place is. Now you might think- I may have some issues. Yeah probably. We can discuss that at a later time.
But where I'm trying to get with all this back story is, what happened when the world stopped still when the COVID Pandemic hit. Travel has died. We have been just staying put and locked up with a feeling that no-one will ever travel again.
This time has made me think about why raveling. What have I learned from travel while being a global nomad?
Looking back the past 20+ years, this is what travel has taught me. These are why I won't stop traveling and miss out on taking every opportunity to meet new people, learn from new perspectives, feel the thrill of being on a new location the first time, understand a different culture, and experience a new environment.
Sense of accomplishment
So far, I have had four primary goals or dreams in my life. Learn English. Live in a different country. Become a US Citizen. Become a Hotel General Manager. Travel has helped accomplish all these!
Has this nomadic life been lonely? Yes, I will admit it has. Have moving across the pond been challenging? Yes, I will admit it has been. Despite all that, I still feel It's been amazing. I've taken myself away from my comfort zone so often, and I've done it all on my own. I've done what so many people only think of, let alone have the guts to go through with it. So yes, travel gives you many accomplishments.
Dreams do come true
Earlier I mentioned I was a child when I started dreaming of traveling. Even my grandfather told my mother, watch, this kid will be out there trying to live on an ice cube. Well, I haven't tried that yet, but who knows. I wanted to become a US Citizen, and that would've not happened if I didn't set out to live outside of my hometown. I would've not become a hotel general manager if I didn't take opportunities to come my way, even though it meant to relocate so many times.
Adventure
I have never been one of those thrill-seekers who will jump off a plane, go bungee jumping, hack I get petrified just sitting on a roller coaster. So no, I don't have those kinds of stories to tell when I get old and look back to my life thinking what the heck I've done. But I'm sure I will be able to come up with a tiny bit of a tail from every place I have lived or visited. I just wish I would've taken more pictures back in the days…but I'm a Gen X …we didn't have an iPhone in 1995.
Shakes things up
What is the meaning of doing the same thing over and over again for our entire life? I just can't do it. It's boring. If I start to feel I'm developing the endless hamster wheel's feeling, the best way to escape the motion and try something new. I'm not saying if you feel bored, you should pack up and move. But just taking a trip will shake things up.
Travel is an education
Every new place has a new challenge. Every new view, unfamiliar territory engages a part of your mind to process the original. I definitely don't call myself a book smart. But through travel, I learned situational awareness. You kind of become street smart. Experiencing the world forces you to trust your own judgment and people and identify what really matters. I think travel is the best teacher in life. Doesn't matter what you learned in school; how much you read in books; there is no comparison of how much you really know by experiencing it first-hand.
How to move forward
We all know that life doesn't always go the way we imagined. Well, that is true pretty much every time you set out to explore the world, or just stepping out of the house. Travel taught me how to go with the flow and not freak out. Many of us have a hard time letting go. I have experienced it so many times that it's like second nature now. I had to let go of expectations of how things should turn out; otherwise, I would've been disappointed every time I moved and pissed off all the time.
Changes perspective
Meeting new people from different cultures and backgrounds allows you to see the world a little bit from their perspective. Some places I moved with sight unseen. Have I done my fair share of reading blogs about the area? Or travel books, back in the day we didn't' have google. Pages of pages. Sometimes I told myself how much of a mistake I'm making by moving to a place despite all the damaging myths I read. (Because all we focus on is the negative). This taught me to avoid creating a bias towards a location. That's easily relatable to develop an inclination towards anything in your life. Travel made me a well-rounded person.
Develop new skills
I kind of consider myself a jack of all trades. Growing up on a farm, I know how to drive a tractor. Not only because I grew up folklore dancing, but just by trying other traditional dances through my travels, I think I'm a good dancer in whatever style you choose. The girl got rhythm. Moving by myself, I became pretty handy on assembling things around the house. Google becomes your best friend. And last but not least, I cut and color my own hair, which wouldn't happen, if my hair would've been butchered so many times due to so many different hairstylists in my life.
Respect for others
"A person's a person, no matter how small." - Dr. Seuss. The world population can be divided into four major races. There are 270 nationalities in the world. We speak 300 different languages. There are some 4,300 religions of the world. If I'm correct, there are 46 terms for sexual orientation. Travel teaches you, no matter all those differences, we are much more similar than we think. Ultimately, we all want the same thing from life. To be happy, healthy, love, and to be loved.
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