Hello! My name is Ella and I am 13 years old. I want to take a stab at answering the question “What is travel?”
Now there are so many ways to answer this question and no answer is wrong. The question is, what does it mean to YOU? Travel is such a personal thing. To me traveling means spending time exploring instead of sitting at home binge watching Netflix! Come on, you have to admit that’s what you do! To travel means it’s a privilege to be in the moment, to reflect on how far you’ve come and had the opportunity to experience so much of the world.
Why I love to travel
So “What is Travel?” according to this 13-year-old? Travel is not just buying a ticket, getting on a plane, arriving at your destination. Travel is about the journey. The good and the bad. Or as Ralph Emerson says, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” It doesn’t matter where we go as a family, it’s an outlook that adventure is always waiting to happen! Teaching us all sorts of life lessons. It makes me feel so excited!
Let’s shake things up
Another thing we should note about travel is, it’s a way of transformation, even for us kids. You can live in Minnesota, living a plain vanilla ice cream life. Yet when you travel it’s exciting to explore a new culture or a different environment, that feeling, the feeling of warmness in your soul starts to kick in! You transform and unite with new feelings or friends, family and nature. Travel opens you to new possibilities! Such as, making you question your daily lifestyle or challenges your worldviews! I promise it will stir your soul! Take it from this 13-year-old! 😉
A special experience
My family and I recently took a trip to Kenya, Africa. And boy all tell ya! That experience really blew me away! One example is, I met these amazing and inspiring 6 brothers who all fought through the toughest times! Yet they all recognized how they all can change their destiny by creating a new lifestyle and making better decisions. Secondly, I learned so much about the Samburu and Masai Tribes in Kenya. How do you ask? Well, we visited many villages where they welcomed us into their homes. We drank tea and sat around the fire as they told us about their lives. They all stand out in amazing ways. Enlightening would be an understatement! Through the generations, they unite in such beautiful ways such as captivating dance or how they all jump so high! Yah! I mean really high! And, their singing! That delightful sound that just makes you want to close your eyes and sing along. It reminded me of the importance of family, community, and tradition. Also, joy. This is what travel means to me.
In conclusion
Overall, we can say that travel is a way of changing or transforming into a new and exciting version of yourself. To me, travel can also mean being surrounded by the unknown of the world, or breaking up a normal life with new experiences – building confidence and new skills. This is how I would answer “What is Travel?”. So I guess you choose what travel means to you…
Thank You!
Need more inspiration, read 4 Reasons Why Traveling is Healthy For Kids.
Happy #wildbumming!
