I took a walk down memory lane to the beginning of this site and I was reacquainted with who I was in the recent past. Many of the details that made up my first foray into traveling are still fresh in my mind because of how my memory works.

The odd thing is that these memories feel like someone else’s. I feel detached from them as though I was observing it all, but I can recall entirely too much for that to be the case.

Who was that?

The many photos I have from an old phone tell me that it was definitely me. But the photos that had me as a subject in any capacity look like a complete stranger. It has been over 7 years since this humble travel blog began, and I have grown in every conceivable way.

One of the most important steps forward has been finding the courage to share my stories with the world. Instead of just recreating them so I can recall all of the feelings I have from the trips, I intend to convey the essence of these feelings to others so they can go and chase their own dreams of adventure.

Looking back I see how important it was to have this place and to foster this lifelong passion. I have spent the seven years since exploring as much of the world as I can and in doing so, have made great strides discovering more about who I am.

Travel has the power to show you the world beyond what you have known and provides a glimpse at the universe within. It demands your presence in a way that your daily life can’t, and it affords you the opportunity to learn to be present more often. You won’t just see new and exciting things. You will embody the boundless spirit of our curiosity as a species. In doing so, you connect to one of the fundamental truths of our existence.

All of this is temporary. The fleeting nature of the average human life suggests that our time would be best spent reveling in experience and giving it our fullest attention. When you travel you become a natural at allowing in these experiences and every time you do, you improve the chances you will be able to do so when you get back home.

Travel light and you’ll leave plenty of room for souvenirs of sentiment, and those cost nothing.