A BLONDE VINTAGE

I’m about to get personal with you. Traveling means packing up and leaving your comfort zone, the familiar, your safe place, and experiencing unknown things. A new place, new people (who may or may not understand you), unfamiliar customs, different foods, a whole new culture.. I could go on and on. They always say that you learn a lot about a person when you travel with them….but what about what you learn about yourself? In today’s post, I’m sharing with you what I’ve learned about myself through travel, and maybe it will open you up to seeing what you’ve learned about yourself too!

I Love to Research

One thing I’ve definitely learned about myself over the years is how much I love to research destinations and travel. The abundance of knowledge available at my fingertips, drives me. I could spend hours and hours learning about a destination, figuring out travel hacks, finding the best travel related products, websites, booking engines, etc. etc. etc. I actually enjoy it, and I love how I generally feel prepared and educated when it comes to having to make any decision or travel-related purchase.

Experiences Are My Love Language

No matter where I go, it could be a quick day trip up the road to Portland, I need to have an experience. What do I mean? Well, I want to either go and have a one-a-kind-meal, or check out a place I’ve never been before, maybe a take in a view I’ve never seen. These experiences fuel me, they bring me to life. They excite me. I love gaining knowledge from my experiences so I can then pass that onto others, making sure you have the same experience, or better, and are totally set up for success where ever your travels may take you!

I Love Small Cities and Intimate Experiences

The first time I went to Paris I remember thinking to my 16 year old self, “this city is way too big!”. It felt overwhelming, and a few years later in my early twenties.. I still felt the exact same way. Although lovely and beautiful, it’s just too big for me enjoy navigating. Plunk me down in a small city, in which I can get to know the coffee shop owner, wave and smile at the same woman running the bakery every morning, or even transverse the city by foot in less than an hour, and you’ll find me happy as a clam. I love the intimacy of small cities, the night life which quiets before midnight, and the mornings in which you can hear locals exchanging familiar greetings. I love feeling like I’ve ‘become’ a part of the community in the short time I’ll be visiting, and it’s those rich experiences from the moment I wake up, till the moment I drift to sleep that I remember the best.

I’m a Bit of a Daredevil

At home, I’m seriously cautious and generally play it safe day to day. But for some reason, whenever on vacation, this little daredevil spirit comes out in me. I’m not sure where it harbors itself the other 355 days of the year. I wish I knew, because I love it! Whenever I travel, I’m usually the one suggesting experiences which can be a bit more risky. Four-wheeling in Curaçao, with no helmets and at speeds of 60 mph? Sounds awesome! Hitch-hiking in Hawaii with my senior citizen parents? Why not! Sharing a family room (which slept eight), with complete strangers from France at a Bed & Breakfast? Oui, oui! Snorkeling at night with Manta Ray’s? Sure! Jump off a dock into shark invested waters? You only live once! Maybe these things aren’t per se “daredevil-ish”, but they are for sure outside of my day-to-day “norm”. If you’ve been one to experience this side of me, congrats, it’s a rarity and on the other side, can we hang out more? Obviously, you bring out the best in me!

I Love Talking To Strangers

As a kid I was painfully shy. PAINFULLY. I remember being lost in a grocery store once. I was wearing this hot pink jacket with a full zip and no hood and I had pulled it all the way up over my head and zipped myself into it..to make myself ‘invisible’ so I didn’t have to talk to anyone. My mom eventually found me, two minutes later, but I often times think back to that experience as an adult and it’s all the motivation I need to push myself to talk with strangers and get out of my comfort zone. So, why do I LOVE talking to strangers now? Well, it’s for a few reasons….

1. You never know what you will learn from strangers, especially while you are traveling. For example, we were recently waiting in line at a restaurant in Italy and instead of keeping to ourselves we began chatting with the couple in front of us. Turns out they had been in the area for a few weeks and this had quickly become their “regular” restaurant to go to for dinner. As we stood chatting, the owner of the restaurant came out, recognized our new found friends and brought over glasses of wine to enjoy while they waited- the hubs and I automatically included in the gratis vino. We ended up coming back to the restaurant twice during our trip and each time the owner came over, gave us a big hug and welcomed us like family. The owner shared with us a few hidden gems of the area, things only locals would know and which you could never gauge from a guide book…We gained all of this, just from chatting with strangers waiting in line.

2. You never know if you will brighten their day. Recently, I was grocery shopping. There were several lines to choose from and I selected the one in which an older gentleman was in front of me. As I unloaded my cart, we struck up a conversation and I learned he had recently moved to the area and did not know many people. As I left, he made an extra effort to say “thank you for the conversation, it meant a lot to me”.. it was so powerful of a statement, I was happy I struck up a conversation with him.

3. Sometimes these strangers turn into friends and can be some of the biggest blessings in our lives. I have one particular friend that I met through my travels that every time we see one another, it’s like no time has slipped by. It’s now going on 17 years of friendship and I can say he is easily my best friend. Had I not pushed myself to get on an adventure bus, filled with complete strangers and be pushed totally outside of my comfort zone, I doubt our paths would’ve ever crossed. But it was that day that we struck up a conversation on the way back and we’ve been friends ever since.

I’d Rather Be The First One To an Event

Along with being painfully shy at times, I also have an extremely difficult time walking into an already “established” crowd of people. I figured this out about myself on a recent trip to Scottsdale. I had a meeting in which myself and some other bloggers were going to be attending a luncheon. My Uber arrived later than planned and it was going to set me up to arrive 25 minutes late. I stressed the entire way to the luncheon, and when I arrived I almost did not go in. That’s why now, anytime I’m traveling alone and attending some sort of conference, event or experience, I always like to be one of the first to arrive. I get there early, scope out my seat or where I’d like to position myself, drop my stuff, get a drink and then feel confident mingling. On the opposite end of the spectrum, my anxiety will talk myself out of going to any type of event if there is any chance I might arrive late, or would possibly interrupt the swing of things.

I’m Not Great at Solo Travel

Some people LIVE for traveling by themselves, but I’ve learned that unless I’m solely going for business or a self-care spa weekend, I am NOT a good solo traveler. On past trips that I have had the opportunity(?) to travel by myself, I’ve often found myself lonely by day two. The shininess of the trip has worn off and meals feel difficult – I’m often embarrassed to sit by myself, something that would never happen at home. I begin craving human interaction, and if in a country which does not speak English, this can be difficult to fulfill.

So, now I’m turning the tables on you- what have you learned about yourself through travel? You’ll be surprised, I’m sure, of what you’ll discover! I certainly was!

As an Amazon Associate, and associate of other similar programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. As always, opinions are all my own. Please see my Disclosure for more information. What I’ve Learned About Myself Through Travel What I’ve Learned About Myself Through Travel What I’ve Learned About Myself Through Travel What I’ve Learned About Myself Through Travel

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