I love to travel. It started for me early in my career when I had to spend a week in Thailand to help a client upgrade their IT systems. The week was very hectic, 13 hour days at work, social business invitations after, I didn’t have a lot of time to myself at all. I ended up taking a day of annual leave though and staying in Bangkok for the weekend and the following Monday. Those three days opened my eyes. Thailand was such a different world to what I had in Melbourne, Australia. I was hooked, I needed to see what else the world had to offer. I’d officially caught the travel bug.
Since then I have been lucky enough to travel a lot. Africa, Europe, Asia, I’ve spent significant amounts of time in all continents. The Americas are still on my list, but the more I travel, the longer my list gets. We have such a short life, there is so much to see.
Pretty early in the piece I realised that travel meant memories. When I understood this, I realised there were three things you needed to pack, to ensure you kept your memories for ever. So a camera, a travel diary and a pen were always the first three things I packed. I have been rewarded for my foresight. My walls are now adorned with my favorite photos of places I’ve been, people I’ve met and all those special moments. And whenever I am in the mood to reminisce, I pick up one of my journals and read. The prose isn’t 100% refined, but ahhh, the memories.
I’ve changed as a person from my journeys. My mind has been opened to the wondrous array of diversity, which the world has to offer. I am now a more accepting, calm, tolerant person. I understand different is nothing to fear, or be suspicious of, its just different. It is there to be learned about, understood and enjoyed.
I also see that in being accepting of the people who shared their lives with me, my heart has been opened as much as my mind. In accepting these people for their differences, embracing their differences and enjoying what they had to offer me, I have a greater capacity for love, tolerance and life.
In recognizing how blessed I have been with my opportunities to travel and how much personal growth I have enjoyed from those experiences, I also acknowledge not everyone is as fortunate as I. Not everyone has the opportunity to witness and experience the diversity the world has to offer. Not everyone can afford to travel and meet people of remarkably different background to their own. This is why I write about my experiences. In sharing the things I have seen, experienced and learned, perhaps I can help other people open their minds and hearts also.
If you are traveler too, why don’t you share your experiences. We can all learn from each other. I am sure the world will be a better place if you share the things you have picked up along the way.
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