Travel is defined as making a journey of some length, usually abroad.  While traveling doesn’t necessarily have to be long distance, I’ve come to realize that the further you travel from home, the more you grow to appreciate the things you know and the things you never knew you could know.  I grew up in Hilo, a town on the Big Island of Hawaii.  It’s a big island, but a very small world.  I always used to say that our little town breeds two types of people: the ones that can’t wait to leave, and the ones that will never leave. 

Until I was 23 years old, I was certain I would never leave.  I mean, it’s not something I consciously thought about, but when I look back at that point in my life, it took a series of unfortunate events and a bunch of people who love and support me for me to snap out of the daze I was in.  Don’t get me wrong, I am very proud of where I come from, but if I never left, I really wouldn’t have developed the zest I have for life.  I would have never come to know how enriched a person’s life could become just by opening up to the world.  The world is vast and wide, with many sights to behold, people to meet, cultures to experience and food to taste. 

Travel is the only thing a person can buy that can make them richer, and I plan to be very rich.

I am fortunate enough to have landed a job with an airline that gives me the opportunity to fly for little to no money.  This is what sparked my passion for travel.  These benefits have also given my family the ability to stay connected.  Since I’ve started working at the airline, I’ve visited at least ten different countries, some even by way of cruise ship and train.  From the Big Island to the Big Apple, the banks of Japan’s Meguro River to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, my visits have increased in frequency and distance.   Each time I go on a trip, I’m left wanting more; each destination offering me something that the last place did not.

Seeing what little I have of the world has truly humbled me.  I have learned priceless lessons from my travels.  Walking the grounds of the Vatican brought my faith to life.  Standing between the River Seine and the Eiffel Tower has shown me how the earth’s natural beauty can marry man’s ingenuity and together birth a place so magical you can almost feel the love in the air.  Witnessing the “Changing of the Guard” at Buckingham Palace showed me the personification of duty and tradition.  These are things that aren’t available in stores.  You can’t have experiences, feelings, and states of mind shipped to you.  If you have a desire, a curiosity or a longing to travel, my advice is to go far and go often.