How I learned to travel and experience all the joy that comes with it

In my childhood my parents took me on various vacations twice or even three times a year. In the summer we went camping in Italy, flew to turkey and spent one week in all inclusive hotels or spent a week bicycling at a lake in Austria. In the winter we always went skiing for one week in Tyrol. Even though we had great vacations I was missing all these cultural destinations that the world offers.

At school we planned our own trip to Copenhagen and from that time on I knew I can go places without my parents. I took every possible chance to go abroad. In 2013 I had to do a three months internship from school and there were no rules of where to go. While my school mates stayed in Austria I went to a town called Hasting in the south of England. It was a rough time because I was missing my family but I do not regret one day of my time there. My language skills got better, I had the opportunity to visit other cities like London, Eastbourne, Brighton, etc. and I learned how to cope with homesickness.

Due to all the experiences I made when I was 17 years old I was hungry to see more. With different friends of mine I planned various short trips to different places. For example, Istanbul was amazing to see because the culture is unique. I learned to respect the people and their way of living. One huge factor to get the most out of your vacation is to go out and interact with locals. Try the food that is known for the country and respect it. Furthermore show locals your interests, talk to them and ask questions because you probably do not have the chance to do so very soon. The fact that I could afford to travel so much was that I choose to travel in cheap ways. I was doing couch surfing or staying in hostels. Again that was my way to meet people and interact with them. Couch surfing is incredible because the people who host you enjoy to show you their city and to tell you everything about them.

For a couple of years I was only traveling in Europe because it was cheap and easy to take 5 days off to travel. Obviously I was desperate to see more when I planned my first oversea trip. Bangkok, New Zealand and Singapore were the stops during a four weeks' vacation. Such a long trip gives you the chance to soak in everything the country has to offer. Every destination is unique, there is no place like another. Lifestyles, believes and behaviors are unparalleled. For me this is the most exciting part to experience while traveling. Living and traveling in the United States was another whole new experience. It actually made me appreciate Europe. I am blessed to live in the center of many cultures.

Traveling to me means living. Every trip I learn something new about me, the country I am visiting, the people I travel with and I also have something to appreciate my home even more. Through traveling I became much more understanding for others. I do not take myself that important anymore because I am open minded and want to know more about other people. These things make me appear calm to others which makes it easy for me to get in touch with all different kind of people.