Why do I travel?

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel within and outside of our country over the past few months and the experience has been eye-opening to say the least. I always hear people express their desire to travel just so they can see the wonders of other countries or enjoy the unexplored islands of our archipelago yet from my experience, traveling is so much more than just the sights.

To me, traveling takes me out of my comfort zone and I think that’s a good thing! I’m so accustomed to being familiar with my surroundings when I’m in Manila that waking up in a completely foreign place is actually quite shocking. Suddenly not knowing where I want to go or where I should go may seem scary but I eventually learned to love it. When I travel I’m forced to grow and expand my view of the world by discovering new things. Unless I find satisfaction in being holed up in my hotel room during the trip, which I don’t, I have to be willing to explore the unknown.

This is where traveling becomes awesome. Our views and standards are forced to bend because we have to adjust and adapt to the foreign place around us. It will never happen the other way around. Even the simplest things can be jarring. For example, if you take the escalator in Japan, there’s an unwritten rule to stay on one side if you are in a rush while the other side is reserved for those who will ride it until the top. Imagine not even knowing about that while bringing two huge luggage and standing in the middle of the escalator. It’s embarrassing and it took me a few moments to realize I was doing something out of the ordinary.

Another example is in Shanghai, China. When it comes to crossing the road there, you should beware. It seems that pedestrians are not a priority because most cars don’t slow down even if you are in the middle of the road. In Manila, I can easily say that vehicles are more forgiving to pedestrians. I would complain to my friends that cars in Shanghai should be more careful but then I realized, it was not my place changing how they did things over there. As a visitor, I had to adjust and accept.

My last example would be about the western part of the world. People there love striking up conservations with anyone and everyone yet, as a Filipino, we tend to be more conservative when it comes to these random engagements. At first, I would shy away from talking to strangers but eventually, I learned to speak up. I didn’t think I would be the type to do that sort of thing but that’s what traveling does — it shows me a different side of myself because I’m in a different environment.

For me, those are just some of the many moments that add up to a great travel experience. I like noticing how I adjust to these situations. When I finally get back home, I have a bigger sense of the world. There’s so much more room to appreciate the little things that normally go unnoticed. I know some travelers tend to compare and criticize what their home country lacks but I see my travel experiences as a way to appreciate what we already have! It all depends on your perspective of things.

Aside from the adjustments I make during my travels, the people I meet are also a huge part of the experience. During one trip, I met someone who decided to take a short leave from her country after she graduated. She went to Africa to do some charity work for a couple of weeks and in the end, she found herself moving around that continent for over a year. She would pleasantly be surprised that the families whom she would help, would offer her a place to stay. She decided she wanted to continue traveling and thus the path of her life changed forever.

I know another person who didn’t care much for money. He made enough to buy some tickets to fly to Asia and he’s been here for a couple of years now. He works odd jobs and bounces from place to place but whenever we talk, he never regrets any of his choices. His experiences have left him with a refreshingly expansive view of the world. He has friends everywhere and anywhere and a life that he genuinely enjoys because it is not dictated by the amount of money he makes.

My last example would be my brother and his wife. They have their businesses set up here in Manila yet they are about to embark on a three-month adventure around Europe. I completely support them and said that they should take it all in, learn and experience as much as they can. At the end of the day, they’ll have a life story that they can call their own and they would have learned lessons they might not have had if they didn’t take that trip.

Meeting people who live their lives in such a unique way is such a blessing. I’d like to think it opens me up and makes me less quick to judge others. The thing is, when you stay in just one place with an unchanging set of rules, it becomes easier to judge those who live outside those rules. But if I constantly expose myself to new personalities, cultures and practices, I keep myself grounded and open to so many new things. The world becomes so much lighter because your mind isn’t molded by one set of limits

These are the effects that travel has and I love how it has changed me. Our world is enormous and filled with beautiful sights, unique people and different cultures that are definitely worth my time. I’m proud to be pure Filipino but it’s also interesting to explore what it means to be a citizen of the world.

For any comments, suggestions or just good conversation, e-mail me at [email protected]. To see where I’ve been, I’m on Instagram @mikaeldaez.