Hello fellow adventurers! To kick off our travel guide series we thought it would be most important to start off with some thoughts on WHY TRAVEL IS SO NECESSARY.
I’ll start off by introducing myself…HELLO, Lindsay Dianne here! I was born and raised in Southern California, a place where most people ALWAYS ASK why I ever left. Since I was 13, I traveled with my family to all different places since my dad is a pastor and we visited some epic and also obscure destinations.
My first trip overseas was to England and then followed with all sorts of family adventures to Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Hungary, Norway, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Thailand 3 times (not to mention Mexico)!
Whenever I came back to California after a trip I saw it with new eyes. When I would hear people generalize a place or race it would rub be wrong when it hadn’t before. However, I had still only lived in California and it wasn’t until my first big adventure of my own did my world view really start to change.
I studied in York, England for 2 semesters and loved exploring the beautiful medieval walled city. I even had the opportunity to visit Finland and Croatia. However, I was still surrounded by other Americans and in a sort of protected school bubble. When I graduated from university and moved back to California, I had this unquenchable desire to move to Europe, “for real this time” I told myself, not having a clue how I would do it.
It was through that trip to Finland that I eventually met my Swedish husband, Jonas (but that’s another story for another time!) When I married my prince charming, my dream of true love and adventure was finally coming true when he wisked me away to Sweden.
After my first Swedish Christmas, the cold dark winter set in and so did the realization that I was so very far away from everyone and everything I was accustomed to. It was the first time I was the only American and although Swedes speak amazing English for the most part, I was still on “their territory” and not as a visitor but an Immigrant.
That changed the whole game! People started to expect me to speak their language and I started taking Swedish courses with other immigrants, but alas, was the only “English as a first language” speaker there and I was treated as a minority. I may have not been a refugee, but it truly opened my eyes that I was an immigrant just as much as anyone else from Syria or Somalia.
It wasn’t until I LIVED somewhere else did my world view truly change and my heart softened towards my fellow man. There are certain stigmas that we can get about countries, nationalities, religions and one has to wonder where they come from, especially when they can be hardly true! Does it come from movies, media, or its history giving a bad name? I couldn’t agree more with these quotes from Mark Twain:
So I say, DO YOUR RESEARCH and come to your OWN OPINION and most importantly, TRAVEL if you can! I realize that not everyone has the means to travel but don’t be afraid, step outside your bubble and explore this big wonderful world full of beauty and diversity! There is truly no better way to being a better citizen of this earth, to broaden your mind, and to learn how to love your fellow man than by traveling.
Do you agree? I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments! Bye For Now, until the next adventure,
-Lindsay Dianne
Comments
Hi! You should check in this Swedish travelling couple and read theirs story on Sunshine stories. They traveling much before they started their dream in Sri Lanka. http://sunshinestories.com/sri-lanka/our-story/
Author
Hej Bea! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing that link, their story is so inspiring!
This is amazing! Traveling is life
Author
So glad you agree, traveling paintbrush!!!