Spring break is now behind us, and as sad as we may be about this fact, I hope many of you reading this have special memories that you are able to take with you. Even though I haven’t been to many areas of the world like some students my age, I do believe in the power of travel.
Every year my spring breaks consist of visiting my grandma in Florida, which is such a special time for me, but I was able to talk to some students that were in different states and countries.
Traveling has always been something that I believe you should spend time and money on, especially when you’re young. It is something that is totally worth it. Coming from a small town myself, I believe that sometimes people feel trapped in the place they came from and even going to school two hours away has taught me that there is much more to the world than where you were born.
West Chester freshman Marikate Bryan gave me some insight on what her spring break was like. She explained that she had traveled to Colorado and said, “I’ve never seen the West, and it was the first time I’ve traveled without my parents so that gave me a lot of independence.”
Independence is huge with traveling because you learn more about yourself than you can in the place you grew up in.
Another good point was brought up by another student, Rebecca Mohr, who traveled to Mexico over break: “You have to travel young because you have to see the world.”
This is important because when we are young, we have the world at our fingertips and nothing holding us back from traveling. This is what inspires me to travel. Traveling can give us peace, understanding and love for the place we travel to and the people we travel with.
Some people are afraid to leave the comfort of where they live, but it’s so important to realize the benefits that traveling can bring. It can bring joy to us that we didn’t even know we needed; it can help better a person overall, and it can even educate us.
Marryn Hilliker, who got the chance to travel to Italy this break, stated, “ You will never leave a place the same person as when you came, and I think that’s how people grow.”
This quote really drew me into the idea of growing as a traveler. You get to see the culture and be completely immersed in it, and this can make you really understand the world a little better.
In a world where many individuals are concerned with material things, we should really step back and think about what these items are bringing to our life. Why spend money on items when we could spend money on experiences?
It might seem hard to put something like taking a trip into action, but it is definitely something worth thinking about. As college students, we feel stressed about school, getting jobs and the future; we need to take a step back and really think about what amazing experiences we are gaining.
Whether it be a different state, country or even a new town for the weekend, experiencing different places that we never have before is something we all need to do. No matter what your age, occupation or status in life is, it can always be your time to travel. It is never the wrong time to expose yourself to the beautiful world surrounding us.
Breanna Connell is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at BC810217@wcupa.edu.