“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” - Samuel Johnson

Traveling is a community.

Now, I’m not necessarily talking about traveling as in jetting off somewhere because you haven’t seen your grandparents since you were a kid, or flying across the country for a business meeting. I’m talking about the people that travel because their heart yearns for it. I’m talking about the people that are looking to go somewhere for an experience – to learn about a new culture, to climb the tallest peak, or to dive in the clearest seas.

All travelers share a common goal – to get out there and experience the world, rather than just watching it or wondering about it. There are varying degrees to which people are willing to travel, and different ways in which they do travel, but they are all out there traveling nonetheless, and that is what ties them together. Most travelers feel this bond when they are traveling, and are willing to help each other find places, offer tips, or provide help to each other. Lifelong friendships can be formed when traveling.

Travelers come from many different backgrounds, and have many different values. Traveling isn’t about what religion you are, where you come from, or what your career is. Anyone can be a traveler, if you desire to be one. However, there are a few characteristics that most travelers share. Travelers tend to have a desire to learn. They go to a certain place because they read or heard about it, and they want to know more or see it for themselves. Most travelers also have a sense of adventure. Many times the places they travel will have customs or foods that are outsider of their comfort zones, but they are willing to dive in and experience it anyway.

Traveling has become slightly more difficult with all of the wars and tension in the world today. Some places are even deemed “unsafe” to travel to, due to hostility against our country or instability in the country itself. Regardless of your political stance, with our government or any other government for that matter, travelers must know that if they choose to travel somewhere, they must respect the values of the place in which they visit. It doesn’t matter if you would never take off your shoes before you enter a building or bow as a sign of respect here at home. If it was customary where you were traveling, you should be prepared to do so. Similarly, if you were a woman traveling in the Middle East or any conservative country, you would not run around in daisy dukes and a tank top, because it is disrespectful to that country, no matter how commonplace it is in America. Traveling is all about broadening your horizons and that includes getting outside your comfort zone. Travelers must show respect to be respected, or their experiences – wherever they are – could be greatly compromised.

I fit in with the community of travelers because traveling is something I need to do to feel fulfilled. I have always wanted to see the world, as has my husband, and we have made it a priority to get out there and do it. I would feel as though I wasted my time on this earth if I didn’t get out and see it for myself. Most of all, I travel because I love it. I travel to understand more about myself and my limits. I travel to understand more about history and why things are the way they are. I travel to understand the beauty of this world. I travel because it is who I am.