RealityTrek "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." - Henry Miller

The first time I ever went abroad on holiday with my family was when I was 8 years old. Since then, I'm not sure that there has ever been a time in my life that I have understood and appreciated the beauty of travel so much.

We were staying in a campsite in the small town of Monschau, Germany; an idyllic setting - filled with tall trees and beautiful rolling hills. This was the first time I ever really appreciated what it meant to travel because I knew the lengths my parents had gone to in order to provide my brother and I with this experience. They had spent months saving money, paying for passports, booking a ferry and driving for hours in a foreign country to take us to our final destination.

My parents could not have chosen a better place or type of accommodation. The campsite was mainly full of local families and although not completely off the beaten track, this was by no means a travel hot spot for people from all over the world. However, this made everything all the better for us and we were, for the first time, able to immerse ourselves in another culture, play with children who spoke another language and explore the area as we pleased. My brother and I instantly made friends with the many children on the campsite and spent our whole days under the sun in the confines of the camping ground. My parents sometimes joke that to other people our holiday would never be classed as "travelling" because we spent almost every day of the two weeks in the campsite. Yet, that experience all those years ago still makes me realise that travelling is not about having a bucket list of places to see before you die or visiting all the wonders of the world. There is nothing wrong with having such ambitions but I personally don't think that is what travelling really is. I believe travelling is about first time experiences and throwing yourself into the unknown; whether that be close to home or abroad.

The fact that I am still in touch with children I met on the campsite all those years ago is a true testament to how worthwhile travel can be. Real travel adventures can provide you with friends, memories and places to revisit that will last a lifetime.

Finally, I am unable to finish my travel story without recommending camping. I am a big advocate of camping because I think it brings you closer to nature and people. Camping fulfills the definition of travel and gives everyone the opportunity to pack up, move and explore.