It's Ok To See The World

                         

  It’s been a couple weeks since my vacation in Paris. In talking with various people about my experience over there, it made me think about something I would like to encourage more people to do. That’s traveling and seeing the world, not being afraid of stepping outside their comfort zone.  I remember once I was about 14 years old, and I was talking to my grandfather about a family vacation we had just taken. A buddy of his mentioned that he was 50 and had never been outside Baltimore. That stuck with me and made me realize first I was lucky to had been the few places I’d been at the time, and second there were more places I needed to see.

  I’ve been blessed to at least take one vacation somewhere for the past seven years. Early in my traveling escapades people would often ask me where I was going, if the answer wasn’t Atlanta, Miami, or maybe Vegas the follow up question was “Why you going there”? A few things, one that's a annoying ass question. Second while those are great places to visit, there is so much more this country and the world has to offer. Now that I'm off my rant.. My answer was always because I wanted to see what it’s like there.

   We have to get out that “why you going there?” mentality and look for reasons to get out into the world. Look beyond your neighborhood or even your city, don’t confine yourself to that small reality. Don’t listen to your friends who may clown you for wanting to go somewhere, or say they don’t have a desire to go anywhere...word of advice their a damn liar. Everyone wants to visit someplace other than where they live, unless they honestly don’t know any better.

If financially traveling is not an option at the moment, that’s fine just set a goal that one day you will get where you want to go, and that day will come.

Want to travel but unsure of how to start, ask friends or family who have traveled or may know a travel agent.

Not sure where to go? Research festivals or conventions of things that interest you and build your trip around that. Kill two birds with one stone.

Research different monuments, art museums, science, music, or history museums trust me Google is your friend. 

A little apprehensive about traveling far? That’s fine start small and take a road trip to a neighboring city.

Like a particular professional team? Follow them to a different city and catch their game there.

Want to visit a island but don’t think your ready to leave the country?

No worries visit Puerto Rico or one of the U.S. Virgin Islands so you're still under U.S. governance. 

These small steps will broaden your horizons to want to branch out more.

I always encourage going places with a open mind, think negatively about your trip and you won’t enjoy it from jump.

Traveling is not only a time to refresh from the daily grind, it’s also a time to experience new things.

New cultures, new food, things you normally wouldn’t do in your day to day life.

 Interact with different types of people you would never talk to on the daily. Hell you may make some life changing connections.  It’ll also make you realize how everyone perceives where they live and how everyone else lives.

 I’ve met so many people who actually have said they want to visit Baltimore one day.

I’ve also met people who have said don’t waste your time coming there, when I mention I wanted to visit their city one day.

Traveling can be a rewarding experience that makes you appreciate what you have, and know there’s more out there.

It slowly becomes a addiction as you try new things.

It also makes you realize It’s OK to be cultured no matter how “uncool” it may seem to some.I implore everyone to give it a try.