If I’m being honest, I just love new adventures and seeing the world and all its beauty. People fascinate me, and visiting other cultures is a great way to experience the differences we all have, yet the similarities that are innate in humankind. I wonder on a daily basis what is going on in the world around me outside of Athens, Georgia. So, one reason we travel is to explore and live outside our bubble.
I think turning 40 also made me realize, this life is short. I want to live each day to the fullest and don’t want to wait until “retirement”, whatever that is, to travel extensively. Since our first trip to Italy, Mitch and I said we’d open a B&B there when we retired. But, why wait until then to live abroad? Only God knows how long we will be on this earth, and I want to take advantage of every day with no regrets.
On a deeper level, our family loves to give back and serve others. Although most of our travel has been for pleasure, I realize that as much as I love sightseeing and eating my way through a new country, we can connect with people in a more meaningful way and build relationships if we volunteer where we visit. This isn’t a new concept (just Google “voluntourism” and thousands of results pop up), but I think it has to be a focal point of our round the world travel to make it worthwhile. Slowing down and staying somewhere to get to know people over weeks rather than days seems like the right thing to do. – Suzanne
