Traveling - Why it's important to me

When I was fourteen years old, I came home from school one day and announced that I was going on a trip to Europe.  My father looked at me and said, "Oh yeah?"  Well guess what?  I went.  I left in August of 1985 (then fifteen years old) and flew to Heathrow airport with a group from school.  What a blast that trip was.  I fell in love with Europe on that trip and knew I wanted to return.  We visited the tourist spots in England, France and Italy for two weeks and then returned with some amazing stories of sightseeing, history, people and even some partying that we were legal to do there (but not the US).  I am not 42 and I still have not lost that determination to return to Europe. 

Since that trip, I've graduated from school, worked, married, had a daughter, started my own business, closed that business.  My favorite thing to do before my daughter started school was to travel.  Her and I used to jump in the car and just go.  She was (and still is) an amazing traveler.   School has slowed this down quite a bit and I miss it terribly.  But, I always swore I'd travel with my daughter when I had her.  I didn't want her thinking that the world was a small place.  I wanted her to know people from other countries, realizing that there's many acceptable ways of living and thinking on this spinning planet.  It's still my determination to do that.  She's visited many US states and cities, but I want her to experience Europe.  And not just the tourist spots!  I want her seeing how people there live and the difference between our cultures!

We discuss the United Kingdom quite a bit.  We have a running joke that she wants to go and see if cats meow with British accents.  We are convinced that they do and Brits don't know it because they hear it all the time and it's normal for them.  If we are wrong, please don't bust our bubbles... we'd prefer to stay in the world of la la la and disillusionment, ok?  We'll discover that on our own time frame :)

You can read about places, tour them online, talk with people who have been there but until you truly experience a place on your own, you won't understand a thing about that place.  This blog has caused me to stop and study so many aspects of the United Kingdom so far it astonishes me, and even having been there twice, I know that I won't completely understand what I have studied until I am actually there again visiting these places in person.  Imagine how I will feel when I am sitting at The Minack Theatre after having studied it's history and following their recent performances and pictures on Facebook, etc.  It'll be bittersweet.  Maybe I need to move to the SW part of the UK in order to experience all the shows here!

Everyone knows I am infatuated with the  stones in the UK, but imagine how I will feel when I am walking along, running my hand across stones that have been there for the ages.  Stopping to think about the source of these stones, how long they have been there, who else may have placed their hands on these stones throughout the years, how these stones may have protected the land from various aspects such as war, or waves from the ocean.  Or as simple as keeping a child safely in someones yard :)  Or the neighbors dog out of that same yard :)

Nothing can compare to the feeling of being on a plane, closing your eyes and waking to the voice of the pilot saying "We'll be landing in xyz country in about 20 minutes - please return your seat and tray to their upright position".   

they say only 10% of Americans have a passport.  Their IS a reason so many people in other countries call Americans closed minded.  There is more to the world than just the US.   Let's go explore it!  I'm not saying everyone should want to move places like I do, but go see them, appreciate their beauty then you can return home to yours.