Thinking of Traveling Abroad?

Lauren Young London, England

Date

November 12, 2014

First off, don’t let the ominous fees scare you away. No monetary value will ever be worth the memories I’ve made while traveling. Sure, I might have a hole in my pocket and a very wounded bank account but money is just money. One day when you’re sitting around the kitchen table telling stories to your wide eyed grandchildren about all the places you’ve been, you surely won’t end off with, “oh but man was I poor when I got back.”

Second off, don’t worry about missing your friends or your family. If they’re your real friends they will stick with you in spirit everyday, watching and enjoying your explorations around the world via every social network possible. At the end of the day, you can always catch up over a quick FaceTime session, a text, or if you’re feeling old fashioned a postcard. When you’re abroad you don’t feel as far away from your loved ones as you would think.

Lastly, learning might seem lame at times but it’s one of the driving forces behind traveling abroad. Everyday you will learn something new, without a doubt. It might be as simple as which way to look before crossing the street or flexibility when it comes to packing lighter than you normally would. Traveling teaches you how to be the person you never thought you needed to be.

I can’t express enough my love for adventure. I cross my fingers everyday that someone will broaden their mind and adventure out of their comfort zone the way I did. Maybe one day, the world will be as small as we like to believe it is.​

 

---

Additionally, attached are a few pictures from my weekend in Shere​ and Guildford. I got to walk along one of the longest canal systems in England which links the river Thames in London all the way out through the countryside. Canal boats used to be the easiest way to ship goods back and forth and the last working canal boat up this river was in the 1970's which is amazing to think about being that the country had cars, railways, and many other means of transport yet still relied on their old ways.