Jet-setting to Hawaii

Beware. Traveling is dangerous. It can change you.

It will take you out of your comfort zone, it will open your eyes, make you braver, and more confident.

It will make you want more out of life. It will motivate you. It will make you see that there is more to life than what is outside your backdoor or outside your neighborhood or even outside your state.

The world is not that big. You can be on the other side of it by tomorrow, and the more you travel the smaller it will feel. You will make friends, discover new things, enjoy foreign foods and drinks – pretty much just live life to the fullest. You will realize that life is short, though, and there are many places to see.

Taking in the view – Catalina Island, CA, USA

So traveling becomes an addiction. An addiction like this can put you in debt. However, any debt that makes you believe that things are possible is worth it in my opinion. So some people incur debt, but all become rich. Rich in experiences. These aren’t experiences that you can put on a resume, but they are far more valuable than any flat screen tv or new car could ever be.

Just understand – you WILL grow restless when you aren’t traveling. You will get the itch to go back out. You will find cubicle life to be unbearable and miserable – and you will daydream of places you have been and places you want to go. You will search for new jobs not based on salary, but on flexibility and vacation time. One week vacation time starting out? No thanks, next! You will then meticulously try to maximize that vacation time, and you won’t take a sick day if it means using time off that could be spent on a trip. Life is short so who wants to spend it in a cubicle with no windows?

Holding a baby monkey – Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Drinks at Coconutz Sports Bar & Eatery – Coco Beach, Costa Rica

I am one of the few lucky ones that has gotten to travel, and I am grateful for it. I am also grateful for meeting a kindred spirit in my wife that has common passions. She is more vocal, but I have long been the quiet wanderluster. We are like yin and yang in that regard, but it works and having a partner in crime to travel the world with makes it so much better.

Traveling may not always be 100% fun or easy, but you will have experiences – and hey, isn’t that what life is really about? Perhaps that is why the people we meet or see on vacation all seem genuinely HAPPY. That is why I travel.