The Importance of Traveling: Why We Cannot Be Afraid

Every time the news comes on, I shutter a little more with fear. As much as we don't like to talk about it or think about it, the world around us is scary. Plain and simple. Even right this moment with the imminent threat we face from overseas; it seems to get scarier by the day. No matter where your political views lie, this is way more than that. The situation we face today as a society is more than who you believe would do the best job with handling these situations. They're real, they're happening and they're scary. And by "they", I mean the terror threats and terrorism that shakes this world way more often than we'd ALL like to believe.

It's a sad reality that we have to question nearly every move we make; going to the mall, heading into the city for a fun night out, and traveling and experiencing everything this beautiful world has to offer.
For me, traveling and more specifically flying has been a fear of mine. I've never considered myself to have true travel anxiety, but my heart does skip a beat every time I sit down on a plane. I think it's a rational fear and one I'm not alone in, but the most important thing for me is that I never, ever have let it interfere with taking that trip or getting on that plane. That anxiety a lot of us fear about traveling, is the exact stigma that runs through our brains after every horrific news story we hear. Instead of being a nervous wreck when leaving your house, realize the strength we have not only as a society and country but as a world as a whole. If we stop doing things we, as wanderlusters, love and stop traveling, we're giving in. We cannot under any circumstances cower to the fear that's constantly in our minds. It sounds crazy, because how could we not worry? Here's why we shouldn't, and why we as lovers of new, worldly experiences should never stop exploring.

Upstanding citizens are in the majority.

No matter how much hate there seems to be worldwide, we - the good, positive people of this world - are the majority. Look at the way the world bands together after every one of these horrific attacks. After the most recent attack in Manchester, a group of super talented celebrities got together and put on a benefit concert, raising $13 million for the victims. After the Boston Marathon bombing, #BostonStrong came about and cities all over the U.S. banded together. After 9/11, the country came together as one to remember the victims and work through the pain as one. The hate subsides and the love is let in.

Jamaica, 2015

If we live how we want, we win.

Living in fear and never leaving the house is what they want. Deciding against taking that trip and enjoying our lives is what they want. As scary as the current events may be, we cannot let them win. We can't hide, we have to persevere and live the life we choose to set out on.

Fear is nothing more than a barrier that stands in the way of progression.

It's normal to be scared. Hell, I'm scared whenever I walk into an airport. It's normal, unfortunately. But the fear we have cannot stop us. The more we grow past this the more we'll grow. Fear cannot determine your destiny, only you can.

Traveling is the best form of education.

I'm a firm believer that you will learn more by traveling to any given destination, than you ever could or will in a classroom or from a textbook. I'm by no means saying learning in school isn't important, it totally is, but seeing things for yourself is the best history lesson, period. It also is best form of personal education. For personal growth, for meeting new people and for learning first hand about new cultures and lifestyles.

You can learn a new language by traveling, understand other cultures, live in current events, expand your social skills and become independent and most importantly, you learn a hell of a lot about yourself.

OneRepublic concert, 2017

Understand that statistically, you're not any less safe abroad than you are right this very moment.

Honestly, it's hard for me to even say that because it's something I have trouble grasping, too. But when you stop for a second and really think about it, what are the odds that in the exact moment and place you are that something will happen? There are truly more dangers we put ourselves in at home, in this country, than we could abroad. It's completely rational to be afraid if you ask me, but it can't stop us from planning trips and taking adventures. I often find myself saying "well I won't go to Paris right now" or, "we probably shouldn't go there yet" but I know that can't be how I think. I know that it's psychological, and I know that the fear we all have about traveling is the "what ifs", which is formulated in our minds. It becomes a game of probability and statistics, and I didn't do well in either in school, ha!

Comfort zones vanish once you travel the globe.

We all have certain places, people and things that create our comfort zones. However the barrier is broken when you begin to travel and set out on trips and adventures. Leaving your comfort zone is SCARY. It isn't easy and it's uncomfortable but once you do it, you feel like you can concur the world.

Italy, 2016
Get out there and travel, it's the best experience and makes for the best memories you can imagine. Don't let fear overcome your passion; our strength comes from doing the things we didn't believe we could.
XOXO -A