When I started telling people I was taking a gap year, everyone wanted to know what I´d be doing. The easiest response was ¨traveling¨. Many people interpreted that as, ¨ Oh you want a year to relax and travel to nice places¨. Sure, I´m probably more relaxed than all my friends who are applying to college or pulling all nighters cramming for their mid-terms. And I´d be lying if I said the views here are anything less than spectacular. But that´s not why I travel.
My dad always used to make this joke that when we moved we could only bring 100 things with us. I ´ve had a lot of time to think about what it is I would take and what items I have at home that I don’t really need. Traveling has made me more aware of how realistic 100 items actually could be. Maybe not cutting back to 100 (sorry papa) but seeing all these families without internet or phones, not even hot water, yet so content with the way they live their lives, has definately been enlightening. And this, I have learned through travel.
Traveling is a comparison. I´m constantly comparing my experiences of the cultures I´ve encountered, the food, the people, even the public transportation. I certainely haven´t made a dent in all the cultures, but for me, with each new place I visit, my global perspective is widened and I understand that much more about humanity.
I travel because I love to learn. I love to see things as they are, not just words in a textbook. I love to learn about history and art, but most importantly about myself. I find it easy to be happy when I´m surrounded by comforts at home. When I´m bored I can pull out my iPhone and have access to almost anything that occupies my mind. But what makes me happy? In the middle of an unfamiliar place with few of my traditional comforts and no iPhone to play on to keep me occupied – I´ve found I´ve learned more about myself than in years at home.
So to answer the question I´ve been asked so many times; yes, I´m taking a gap year to travel. What is traveling? To me, it is so much more than I could put into words. Each second is a unique experience, a unique lesson, and something I so greatly appreciate having the privilege of doing. But I think it means something different to everyone. So yes – I´m relaxed and the views are great.
