People, for the most part, follow the same basic template throughout their lives; receive a high school diploma, and if they’re lucky enough to make it further, they’ll drown in college debt while working towards earning a degree. Upon graduation, they hope to find a job with said diploma. Somewhere along the way, people have forgotten what living is truly about — experience.

The ability to travel, in this day and age, is one of the many gifts the planet has to offer. Traveling allows people to see, touch, smell and experience all new things for the first time. It’s uncomfortable, and awkward at first, no doubt. However, traveling can open up the mind to things that weren’t previously available beforehand. Take photographs for example, people tend to receive a similar, yet simpler gratification by purchasing a beautiful picture, rather than capturing that beautiful moment on their own. When people don’t take the time to travel, they risk not experiencing self-discovery and limit their life, potential and most importantly, their mind.

There are many reasons you’ll tell yourself not to travel, one of them simply being funds. Traveling will cost money, but not as much as one may think. Remember to travel smart, light and with an open mind, making it nearly impossible to not find happiness in each journey ventured. Another reason many don’t travel is because of the societal pressures to obtain a job and settle down. Why the rush? How are people truly able to discover themselves if they never leave the place they live? Your mood and overall attitude towards life, is often molded by the setting in which you are apart of. A rainy day almost immediately makes the day that much gloomier. The same way a beautiful beach, with a crystal blue ocean for as far as the eye can see, is quite a hard place to be feeling down in.

The list of reasons for one to not travel can be endless, if they choose to make it that way. Therefore, travel because it will open the mind to knew things. Be spontaneous and don’t look back, because any bad experience in life is blessed with a lesson. Try new foods, wear new clothes and learn a new language. Don’t just be an average person from a small town, be a well-rounded, cultured human being.

You’ll regret not traveling because lives are meant to be viewed from more than a single place. Feelings demand to be felt the same way our world demands to be seen. The things you’ll learn traveling cannot be read from a textbook or seen through a photograph. Travel to not only discover the world, but to let the world discover you. Not only will you have stories to share with those at home, you will have memories that permanently affect who you are. Simply, travel because you can. Ray Bradbury said it best, “Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.”