South Africa

This year, I will celebrate a milestone birthday.  As it happens, I’ve also been doing a LOT of traveling this year, with much more planned for the next few months…some of it work related (for which I’m incredibly grateful!) and much of it just for fun.  Maybe it’s the anniversary of my arrival on this planet that’s spurring me on to new  travel adventures (though let’s face it, I never need much prompting), but I feel like this year is a perfect time to visit as many corners of our vast, fascinating world as I can and see all that I can possibly see.  So you could say that getting older is actually motivating me to travel!

However, I know it doesn’t work that way for everyone.  In fact, I’ve been noticing more and more of a trend among friends and family my age or older, and that’s why I decided to write this post.  (It’s going to be a long one, friends, so bear with me and settle in for a while).

The trend I’ve been noticing is that people, especially as they get older, get more and more set in their ways and fixed in a certain lifestyle.  They settle into a comfort zone, and often, they simply don’t want to leave it…even when extraordinary adventure (by which, of course, I mean world travel) beckons them.

But is that really okay?

Dead Sea, Israel

Many people would probably say it’s normal.  Maybe it is.  But I’m going to suggest that no, it’s not okay.  Not everyone can or will be a daredevil adventurer, trekking around the globe solo without a map, and that’s absolutely fine.  But, I think there’s a difference between that and a person who’s completely unwilling to try anything new, and won’t even consider a vacation anyplace outside of their usual routine because “it’s too much trouble,” “it’s so far,” “I have everything I’ll ever need right here,” etc etc.

Why is this so bad?  And why is it any of my business?  (Honestly, it’s probably not my business, but this is my blog so I’m going to write about it anyway).

Because there is an entire world out there to be seen, explored, and experienced.  And if you refuse to get out of your comfort zone even a little bit, to stretch your mind and broaden your horizons, you’re going to miss it completely.  And believe me when I tell you this is not to anyone’s benefit in the long run.

We all like to be comfortable.  I LOVE to be comfortable.  If you know me at all, you know that I am, essentially, two different people.  There’s the Melissa who loves, even thrives, on routine: my usual Saturday morning yoga class; my usual order at Starbucks; re-reading my favorite books until they fall to pieces.  I love an ordered, predictable universe.  If you only know this side of me, I’m probably the last person you’d ever expect to go out into the world deliberately seeking adventure.

But there’s another side to me too.  I’m also the girl who’s been fascinated by the world I live in ever since I watched the news with my mom and dad as a kid and spent hours poring over my parents’ world atlas and spinning my best friend’s globe around, wondering when I would be able to get to all the mysterious-sounding places I saw on it.  I’m the girl who left my home state to move to Washington, DC as soon as I graduated college, then uprooted myself again to live in Europe for two years.  I’m the girl who is currently at 32 countries and five continents visited and counting (no, it’s not about the numbers, but they’re a useful illustration of how much I love to wander and explore).

Why did I do all of this?  Why do I continue to travel every chance I get, as far and wide as I possibly can?

Because seeing the world is worth it.  It really, really is.  We live on an incredibly beautiful planet filled with diverse people and places that are just begging to be explored.  Maybe you love where you live and the life you have there (me too!) but it can only enrich your life to shake up your routine every now and then and go see somewhere new.  So what are you waiting for?

(Note: I fully realize that there are many people who would love to travel more but are unable to due to certain circumstances—lack of money, commitments at home, health issues, small children or elderly parents to take care of, and so on.  This post isn’t aimed at them.  It’s targeted at anyone who thinks it might be nice to travel and has the time and money to do so, but hasn’t quite been able to make the leap out of their usual routine to do so yet.  (It’s also aimed mostly at my fellow Americans, but I think the overall message is applicable to people around the world as well).  Hopefully, it will inspire people to realize that traveling far and wide is possible, valuable, and will yield them unbelievable benefits.  So, if you’re one of these people, read on for my reasons on why it’s worth stepping out of your comfort zone (and how and where to do it!)

Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

Why People Don’t Leave the Comfort Zone

The truth is, we live in a magical age of travel. It’s never been easier or less expensive to travel overseas.  So, with a whole vast planet to explore and money and freedom to do so, why don’t more people take advantage of the opportunity to get out and see the world?  Here are a few reasons/excuses I’ve heard over the years from family, friends, and acquaintances (and why you shouldn’t listen to them):

• “I Could Never Endure the Long Plane Ride.” I’m beginning with this because I hear it a lot, and I actually think this deters a lot of people from traveling to faraway places. I’m not going to lie; long-haul flights aren’t fun.  I recently flew 20 hours each way (and back!) to get to Cambodia.  South Africa was twelve hours; Europe is at least seven or eight.  Yes, it’s a long time to be in an airplane, and yes, I really wish scientists would hurry up and perfect some kind of instantaneous method of transport so we can just flip a switch and pop over to faraway lands in seconds.  But regardless, the plane journey doesn’t last forever.  You can pass the time by sleeping (which you’re likely to do at some point anyway), reading, watching movies or binge-watching a new TV show (the entertainment selection on long-haul flights tends to be pretty damn good).  And once you arrive and set foot in your new destination, I promise you all the hours en route will be well worth it.  Would I have passed up the chance to swim in the waters off of Thailand or stand atop Table Mountain in Cape Town because of the long-haul flights involved?  No way!  Don’t let travel logistics deter you.  Once you arrive, you’ll forget all about any discomforts of the flight and be so glad you made the effort.

• “I Only Speak English: What If No One Can Understand Me?” This is another concern I hear a lot. Honestly, out of all the reasons that might be holding you back from overseas travel, this should be the least of your worries.  English is today’s dominant global language, and if you’re going anywhere with a significant tourist industry, I promise you, people will speak at least enough English for you to be able to communicate at hotels, train stations, airports, and probably even restaurants (and if all else fails, just point to a photo on the menu!) True story: several years ago I was at a train station in Paris waiting to buy a ticket when I overheard a conversation between a German passenger at the next booth and the French ticket seller.  The German asked him, “Is it okay if we do this in English?”  “Sure!” replied the Frenchman.  Point being, people all over the world have gone to the trouble to learn our language and are now adept at communicating in it. So instead of using lack of foreign language ability as a reason not to travel abroad, take advantage of the fact that we live in a world where English is so common and widespread!

• “The World Outside My Country Is Scary and Dangerous!” This is something I think a lot of people (particularly Americans) have unfortunately internalized: the view that the world outside America’s borders is frightening and best avoided in the name of safety. Honestly, nothing could be more untrue.  Our planet is HUGE, and while there are certain places I wouldn’t recommend traveling to in the near future (Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen), those aren’t places any traveler looking for a first-time trip outside the US would consider.  Much of the world is incredibly safe, and may well be even safer than where you live.  The media does a terrible job of portraying the world to American audiences, mostly because the things that make the news are generally wars and terrorist attacks.  No real effort is made to convey the subtleties and nuances of life in foreign countries: instead, if it bleeds, it leads.  “News,” by definition, tends to highlight the bad.  Meanwhile, we live in an increasingly interconnected world that is making great strides against poverty, disease, and hunger, where life is better for billions of people today than it has ever been.  Despite the presence of a few hot spots of danger, there are dozens of countries you can visit with virtually no risk at all.  Just in case you were curious, according to the 2015 Global Peace Index, the safest countries in the world are Iceland, Denmark, Austria, New Zealand, Switzerland, Finland, Canada, Japan, Australia, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, and Slovenia.  The U.S. actually comes in at number 94 on this list (yikes!)  So if it’s safety you’re looking for, you might want to head to Scandinavia!

• “There’s So Much to See in America, There’s No Reason to Go Anywhere Else!” Honestly, this is my least favorite of all the reasons people give for not going overseas…the idea that they should see America first.  Why?  I don’t disagree at all that America is a beautiful country full of interesting places that people should make a point of seeing.  In fact, I have plenty of U.S. travel I need to do because I’ve been so focused on exploring the world outside our borders that I’ve missed a lot of my own country!  But the truth is, this isn’t a valid reason never to go overseas (once, at the very least!)  It’s just another excuse.  You could spend the rest of your life traveling through America without a break and you still wouldn’t see a fraction of all its wonders…so why use that as an artificial barrier to getting out and seeing some of the rest of the world?  Domestic travel and overseas adventures are apples and oranges: both great experiences you should have through the course of your life.  Don’t make the mistake of sacrificing one for the other.  It’s not necessary, and it’ll be a loss to you if you do.

• “What if Something Goes Wrong?” I’m going to make this easy for you: something will go wrong. It nearly always does. But that’s okay.  What’s life without a little adventure?  So you miss a bus or the museum you want to visit is closed the day you show up, or you get lost wandering the streets of Prague (been there, done it).  The world isn’t going to end.  If you’re smart and resourceful enough to deal with minor mishaps like this at home, you can do it overseas too (especially since you’ll more than likely be able to find someone who speaks English to help you—see above).  And a little research can go a long way to help too; like, know the bus departure times and museum hours before you show up!

Antigua, Guatemala

What You Gain by Leaving Your Comfort Zone

So, we’ve run through the reasons why you shouldn’t hesitate to get out of your usual routine and go see the world.  But what can you expect to gain from it, exactly?

Well, beginning with the obvious and easy: the world is an incredible place.  There are beautiful beaches, mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, parks and wilderness to explore.  There are man-made wonders, such as the Sistine Chapel, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Majal in India, the Aya Sofia in Istanbul.  There are museums which hold treasures beyond imagining: the British Museum in London; the Uffizi in Florence; the Hermitage in St. Petersburg (this one is still at the top of my own list); the Louvre in Paris.  There is SO. MUCH. TO. SEE.  This is why wanderlust is an addiction: because once you start seeing what the world has to offer, you realize how much more there is to discover, and that you could travel your whole life and never be able to take it all in.  The world is a fascinating place.  That’s reason enough to go see all you can see of it while you’re alive.

But there are other reasons too—and in many ways, at least in my opinion, the other reasons to get out of your comfort zone and explore our planet are the most important.

It’s only when you get out of the comfort zone of your home and your native country that you can truly begin to grasp what other parts of the world are like, what sort of lives people live in other countries, what’s happening across our vast planet and why it matters so much to all of us.  News can be helpful; books are great.  But reading is not the same as seeing.

At least once in everyone’s life, you should travel to a place where English is not the native language, and try your hand at speaking a few words in French or German or Arabic.  At least once in your life, you should visit a place where America is a foreign country and you are a foreigner, to learn how other people see your homeland.  You should meet, talk to, laugh with, get to know people who live lives that are very different from yours, by choice or circumstances or both.  What can you learn from them?  What can we all learn from each other?  The answer is, a lot.  But you’ll never be able to start learning about the world and the people who live in it if you don’t get out and meet them.

And I think this is really, really important for Americans in particular to do.  America is a very large, but very self-contained universe.  Until you step outside it—speaking from my own experience—you don’t realize just how much being American, living in the United States, affects your thinking, your frame of reference, your worldview.  It’s embarrassingly easy, living in America, to forget that the world outside our country even exists. We’re the last superpower on Earth, and however much pride many of us may take in that fact, the truth is I don’t think we pause to really think about it often enough.  America is a juggernaut on the world stage, and that means that decisions made in the corridors of power in our country have a ripple effect on the rest of the world.  From the Czech Republic to Cambodia, I’ve met people who have told me about how American foreign policy has impacted their lives deeply (in both good and bad ways). Our influence stretches across the planet like that of no nation in history, yet millions of Americans don’t own passports and have never been outside of their own country.  This is a very troubling disconnect, in my opinion.  It’s hard to fully understand the impact our choices make on people in other nations around the globe if we don’t get out and meet those people and visit those nations and get to know them firsthand.  I firmly believe, for this reason alone, that overseas travel is something every American who has the means and ability to do should embark on at least once in their lives.  The benefits are immeasurable:  for us, for our understanding of the world, and for the billions of other people who live in it.

So go on…step outside America’s shores and get to know your neighbors!

Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

So, Where To Go Next?

Well, I’m hoping by this point in my super-long post (if you’re still reading—and if you are, thank you!), I’ve convinced you that getting out of your comfort zone to see the world is well worth it.  And now for the next (and very fun) question: where should you go?

I figured I couldn’t write a 3,000+ word post on exploring the world without offering some suggestions for where to go to do it…so read on below!  All of these places have their own unique charms, but what they have in common is that they’re a bit outside the norm for many American travelers, but they’re accessible and safe, and can be traveled to without much difficulty (even solo–I know, I’ve traveled solo in every one!)  And each one of them can offer you a unique perspective on this dynamic and diverse world we live in (as well as some fantastic vacation memories).

• Cambodia—Cambodia is a beautiful, diverse country in a fascinating region of the world: it would make a great introduction to Southeast Asia, in my opinion. Since my recent visit, I’ve been recommending it to just about anyone. It has pretty much all you could want in a vacation spot–temples, beaches, cosmopolitan cities, traditional countryside–and in addition to all these attributes, it has a history that will make you pause and reflect and remarkably kind-hearted and welcoming people who will do their utmost to make your time in their country a wonderful experience.
• South Africa—South Africa is the perfect country to make anyone fall in love with the world. I only got to visit Cape Town and the surrounding wine region on my trip, but there’s so much more to see that I can’t wait to go back!  Beaches, mountains, beautiful rolling vineyards, dynamic and fascinating cities filled with culture: you could spend months here and not see it all.  It’s also a great destination because yes, everyone really will speak English, yet it feels adventurous for an American because you are literally traveling to the other side of the world!  Win-win.
• Czech Republic—I lived in Prague for a year, and I highly recommend visiting the city and checking out the rest of the Czech Republic while you’re there. When most Americans think of Europe, they often focus first on England, France, and Italy—all great countries that should absolutely be seen.  But the Czech Republic is fascinating too: a beautiful country with a fascinating history dating back centuries that’s still evident today in its architecture, streets, and museums.  Prague makes a great jumping off point for other parts of Central Europe (don’t miss Budapest while you’re so close!), and since in my opinion this is one of the world’s most fascinating regions, you shouldn’t miss it.  The Czech Republic is well-touristed and easy to navigate while still feeling foreign and as though you’re stepping into a different world.  It’s a place I believe everyone should visit.
• Turkey—When I think of East-meets-West cross-cultural destinations, I would probably think first of Turkey. This majestic country is an impressive place with a dazzling history (you can probably pick up on a theme here, I’m big on traveling to places with historical relevance), a cosmopolitan and easy-to-explore capital in Istanbul where you can see the Aya Sofia, the Blue Mosque, the Grand and Spice Bazaars, and plenty of other places that will make you feel you’ve left your familiar routine of home far behind.  And I didn’t even make it to Cappadocia, with its lunar landscape over which you can ride in a hot air balloon, or the gorgeous aquamarine waters of the coasts where you can take a small boat for leisurely days at sea exploring far-flung Turkish islands.  And yes, despite being located in a rather volatile neighborhood, Turkey is a very safe destination.  I traveled there solo a few years ago and had no safety problems (though being a solo, blond woman did draw some attention, so if you don’t feel like doing this trip alone it might be a good one to take with friends).  But be sure to go, regardless.
• Iceland—This last entry might seem a bit odd, since Iceland, to me, doesn’t really get one outside the comfort zone as much as the other places on this list will…but that’s just fine. Maybe this is your first trip outside the U.S., or your first solo trip, and you want to start a bit smaller.  If you’re not ready for Turkey or Cambodia yet, Iceland is perfect.  It’s easy to get around (though renting a car would help, but you can still do day-trips if you don’t have one); literally everyone speaks English; its capital of Reykjavik is charming and compact, feeling a little like Europe and a little like its own thing altogether; and the landscapes and nature here are stunning.  Seriously, waterfalls, geysers, glaciers, parks everywhere that pretty much redefined natural beauty for me on my recent trip.  Iceland is a great spot to begin your international travels, but it’s a place that I think should really be on everyone’s bucket list, from travel newbie to experienced vagabonder.  Iceland, quite simply, is the best.  I’m already looking forward to the day I can return.

Wine country, South Africa

Gulfoss waterfall, Iceland

Old Town Square, Prague, Czech Republic

Now, Get Out There—The World Is Waiting for You!

In conclusion: yes, you could spend every summer for the rest of your life going back to the same beach house you always rent on Cape Cod or the Jersey Shore.  And you’ll probably have a good time and be quite content.  But sometimes, that’s not enough.  We can only discover new things that will enrich our lives if we’re willing to step out of our box of routine—job, commute, bills, daily drama and worries—and make a conscious effort to go someplace new, try something different, get out there and explore.  Even if you can’t travel to Patagonia next week, you can still take some great steps in this direction: read a new book.  Take a language (or any other kind of) class.  Eat at a different restaurant and sample a new cuisine.  Shake it up. Try something you haven’t done before.

But, if you are fortunate enough to have the means to travel across the globe to seek out a new country, a new perspective, and a new adventure, I can’t recommend it highly enough.  It will change you, transform your life and the way you think about that life and your place in the world.

“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer,” as the famous saying goes.  The wealth you can gain from travel, from breaking out of your comfort zone and roaming far and wide, is immeasurable.  So don’t hesitate, don’t hold back, don’t make excuses.  Just do it!