Why we travel so much...

So recently I've been asked by several people why we travel "so much". Well, here's the short answer...

Because we like it and it's important to us.

I'll expound, as you knew I would!

Scott and I travel because number one, we LOVE it. We love being new places, seeing different cultures, experiencing new people, food, climates, art, history...the works! Traveling shapes your world view in so many ways. It heightens your awareness of world issues, it gives faces to cultures and the joys and problems they may face. It gives you a great appreciation for not only what you have, but the beauty and all the amazement that comes from seeing new places. Traveling makes it very hard to make sweeping statements about "those people", whoever they may be. Putting a face on an issue always changes the way you come to your opinion, good, bad, or indifferent. Knowing people from other places is supremely important to Scott and I, and we are rather rabid about making sure that our children have the same opportunity.


Traveling teaches you about patience. About packing light. About newest security measures. About compassion. Traveling makes you aware, oh so very aware, of what your personal limits are mentally, and physically! Traveling makes you deeply appreciate that first shower after 21 hours on a plane, train or automobile. Traveling makes you stronger, more resilient, more flexible, more able to solve problems. Traveling greatly increases your map reading skills ;P Traveling gives you a perfect excuse to dust off your high school French and knock your husbands socks off by ordering dinner in the native tongue, without making a complete fool of yourself! Traveling forces you out of your comfort zone. Traveling gives you the opportunity to try new things. Traveling helps you discover your passions, big and small.

Traveling rocks.

:P

Another reason Scott and I have always loved to travel is because we are rather nerdy about history. In fact, I took extra history classes in college just because I liked them, and therefore they were easy and interesting for me. There is something surreal and awesome about standing some place where an event in history occur ed hundreds if not thousands of years ago. There is no doubt that experiencing history is so much cooler than just reading it. For example, I knew about the Coliseum in Rome (I mean, who doesn't know something about it?), but to actually BE there and SEE it with my own two eyes? AMAZING. Or the Mona Lisa. Who hasn't seen that painting on a magnet or a postcard? But to actually fight through the crowds at the Louvre and see this small artwork was just breath taking. To walk into Notre Dame, Westminster Abbey, the Vatican...there are no words. Watching history become real is one of my favorite past times :)

The experiences, the memories!!!

But most of all, it's fun :)

Since our kids are young, we've kept their traveling to lots of small trips by car so far. They've been to art museums, parks, zoos, restaurants, festivals, water parks, lakes, movies, amusement parks, hotels, sculpture parks, art shows, the ocean, baseball games, etc. They've been cliff diving, rock climbing, tubing...the list is exhaustive! We love including them in our travels as well as getting them used to packing and planning :) And as soon as we deem them old enough, we will start taking them on international trips as well. In fact, this newest trip to Disney World is by plane, their first flight, to get them used to that experience on a 2 hour flight as opposed to an 8 hour one!


We've been asked why we go to all these places, and even, *gasp*, how we pay for it. I actually hate this question, mostly because 1. I don't understand the first part, and 2. Why is that any ones business? But hey, I'm accommodating so I'll answer.


We go to get our kids used to traveling, and hopefully they will love it as much as we do when they get older. As for the financial aspect of it, Scott and I are very frugal in our day to day lives, which gives us much more room to travel with our fun money. I mean come on, we are the couple who started buying CD's (certificates of deposits) in high school when everyone else was buying...well, CD's ;P We also find unconventional ways of making travel more affordable by taking groups from Scott's school on international trips, which means that Scott goes free and I get a DEEP discount :)


I have had conversations with people who say that the only traveling their kids will do will be mission trips. Now, I have NO problems with mission trips. I've been on several and they were deeply enriching to me mentally, physically and spiritually. I think mission trips are amazing and completely important and I hope that our children are blessed to go on several. However, I also think that it's important to experience other cultures as a tourist as well, and not just as a, well, "savior" figure. I have seen lots of mission trips to mostly disadvantaged areas where participants come back feeling blessed by their circumstances, but also pity for others. I'm not comfortable with my kids thinking that all these other wonderful, rich, amazing cultures should be pitied, or only associate traveling with helping. I want them to experience various cultures and soak in all the wonder that they can from it! I'm sure I'm not saying this right, but I hope you understand what I mean!

So I hope that this has answered some questions that people have had.

Now, I've got to go pack :)