on travel, and why it makes me grateful
Right now, we’re winding down our two-week vacation in Paris. You’re probably imagining that with all the beauty surrounding me right now, I have a lot to be grateful for, and you’re right; however, it’s more than just being in a glamorous city (although that would certainly be enough).
I’m grateful because travel experiences are what I live for.
I mean this in a very intentional, goal-oriented way. My husband, daughter and I live in a decent neighbourhood in Houston, but our house is very modest. I drive an old, beat-up, dented Toyota Yaris, (base model, no upgrades other than A/C & automatic transmission). I don’t buy designer clothes, and never have, preferring discount outlets. In fact, I generally only splurge on two things:
(1) the occasional purchase of technology for my work — cameras, computers, that sort of thing; which I use in full service of my second splurge …
(2) travel. As often as possible.
I blame this on my childhood. When you grow up on a small island, as I did, with parents who love adventure, as my parents did, it means that from a very early age — infancy, in fact — your parents will ensure that you not only have a passport, but that you use it. My parents made it their mission to take my sister and I off the island of Trinidad at least once a year. The distance we traveled from home was directly proportional to the amount of money they had saved in any given year — sometimes it was a quick hop to a neighbouring island, but sometimes it was to someplace more far-flung — but we always went somewhere.
My mother, whose gift is in speaking different languages (she’s fluent in about 5, at last count), encouraged my sister and I to study languages in school (by my high school graduation, I was pretty proficient in both Spanish and French). Because my parents had studied in England for university, where there was a vibrant international community, every place we went they would be sure to contact their former classmates; and I remember being pen pals with several of their friends’ kids (all of us struggling to communicate in each others’ languages).
Although I certainly enjoyed the travel that we did (outside of the usual teenage angst of spending so much time with your family), I don’t think I realized what a gift they had given us until I was an adult. It’s because of them that I have very little fear about going — or even living! — anywhere in the world. It’s because of them I have very little hesitation in learning new languages, even if it’s just to learn enough pleasantries to get around in a whole new country. It’s because of them that I’ve visited so many different places around the planet, and still have a thirst to visit more.
Even at its most basic, now that I think about it, it’s because of them that I’m married to a Brit, and living in the United States, a country foreign to my own homeland.
As a result, I know that I’m very intentional about raising my daughter in the same manner: her passport was one of the first official documents I applied for as soon as she was born, and to date, she has already been to 10 countries in her short 8 years. Happily, she loves travel and she loves adventure — she loves meeting our friends from all over the world, she loves trying new foods (frogs’ legs, FTW!) and may have already made an “email pal” (I guess they don’t call them “pen pals” anymore!) with a French friend’s son here in Paris. And so, while I’m certainly grateful to Paris for the lovely time we’ve had in this city, I’m grateful to travel in general, and my adventuresome parents (and equally adventuresome husband, Marcus) in particular.
That said, here’s what I’m particularly grateful for on this trip:
How about you — do you travel a lot? Why do you love it? If you don’t travel, do you wish you did more?
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Yes! I was lucky enough to have a similar experience. My parents come from different countries (US and Netherlands, respectively) and met in China, of all places. So international travel was something I was incredibly blessed to take for granted as a child. Those experiences were vital to my upbringing, and as an adult, the only trouble is how to pay for it all! Luckily, we still have family and friends in many places across the globe, which makes it easier to afford. I’ve realized that travel is one of my core values, and as I look to having children in the not so distant future, something I want to instill in them.
I’ve been loving your Paris posts (and have been sharing them with a friend who’s moving there in August!). I would love to hear more about travel journaling with kids – we’re headed to Toronto later this summer and my son, who’s just a little older than Alex, would get a lot of out it, I think.
As for travel, I never got on a plane until I was 18, and my first trip abroad was living in London for three months in college, where I was bit with the travel bug too. Unfortunately my husband and I haven’t traveled abroad as often as we would like, but we’re trying to change that – we’ve made a pact to leave this country at least every two years, and so far, it’s worked! I’m excited to show my kids the different cultures and experiences that I was never able to see as a kid.
We love to travel but don’t do as much as we’d like! My husband & I both grew up road-tripping across the states with our families, and we’ve tried to give our kids a similar experience. Interestingly, our 12yo daughter loves adventuring as much as we do while our 9yo daughter seems to put up with traveling because she loves us. Safe travels back home, Karen!
Yep. Like you, it’s really the only thing we splurge on – that and quality food. :-)
Do you guys actually have a polaroid camera you use for journaling??!?! That is AWESOME.
I love traveling but don’t do it nearly as much as I would like to. Mostly because of financial constraints. (Flights from Hawaii to anywhere are really expensive!) I’ve told my husband that if money and time allow, I would love to travel with our daughters to lots different cities in the U.S. and to different countries. You can learn so much about people, food, other cultures, and yourself by traveling. Sure you can watch tons of travel shows on television, but there’s nothing like experiencing it first hand.
Oh I love love love traveling! I was bitten by the travel bug at 16 after going on exchange to Germany, have visited many many places since then. My last trip was traveling the trans-Mongolian railway.
I am really grateful that I am able to work and save up for these adventures, they are the best thing!
I dreamed of traveling my whole childhood. My parents, who grew up without that luxury and worked really hard to give us all the opportunities they could, were not particularly encouragin on this count. So I started saving money the moment I got my first job and took my first few trips the summer after freshman year in college. After that, I traveled more the rest of college and during grad school.
Now, three years after graduating and getting a corporate job, I don’t really go anywhere anymore. I always say it’s because I can no longer find the time, but I hope to get out there and do something this year.
I’m glad you guys enjoyed Paris so much!
I absolutely agree with you! My parents are from a little island in the Caribbean, and they instill the love of various cultures, travel and language in me, which in turn I’ve instilled in my adult children! It broadens your horizons on so many personal ways! Wishing you even more fun in your last days of vacation and safe travel home. :)
I can really relate to your post. I too grew up with a german mother who took us to Germany every summer from when I was a little girl and I also have the bug that has made travel a top priority for me. Fortunately, my husband had a similar childhood and have had some amazing trips together before we became parents. We live on a limited budget right now but both agree that a yearly vacay where we get on a plane and go somewhere is a top priority for our family. Cannot wait to visit Paris with my daughter when she is Alex’s age and show her some of my favorite spots.