Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Wyoming

Traveling has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It started out with road trips around the midwest, then built up to road trips across the country, and eventually developed into international travel. Seeing other parts of the world with my own eyes has become something I CRAVE. I need to be able to breathe in the air that surrounds those mountains. I need MY hands to be the ones holding the handrails of that suspension bridge. I need to swim in that waterfall. Seeing pictures of other people experiencing these things doesn’t cut it for me; it simply magnifies the inclination that has developed within me to find a way to make it happen. I HAVE TO GO. Because of this, I have made a point to do as much traveling in my 20s as I can, and you should, too!

On top of the nature aspect of it all, I also have a deep desire to meet new people and try to understand the way THEY see the world. During my study abroad in Ecuador, one of my favorite things about the semester was getting to have deep conversations about life, the universe, how others see America, topics of religion, etc. There are so many different aspects to a person’s ideology and learning about them is so fascinating. Being able to compare and contrast their ideas with your own as well as with any others you may have conversed with previously.

Now there are many reasons why I think it’s important to travel in your 20s. 

You are only responsible for yourself.

When traveling in your 20s, it may be your first time traveling without your parents, or someone else who would generally pay for you. While it kinda sucks that you have to pay for yourself, if you think about it, this could be the last stage of your life that you ONLY have to pay for yourself. You don’t have to worry about making sure your partner can afford activities, or that you’re picking activities within your discussed budget. When you only have to worry about you, there is something so freeing in that. 

Rainbow Mountain, Peru

You can do whatever YOU want to do and go wherever YOU want to go.

This is another major reason you should do some traveling in your 20s. This kinda goes along with point 1 in that it can also be SO freeing. It’s so nice to not have to stress about what the other people in your travel party want to do. If you want to go do something, you do it. You don’t have to work around grumpy attitudes or butting personalities. In addition to this, you get to pick your travel destination. You get to be in charge of the entire thing and nobody can tell you no except yourself (or your bank account). 

Galapagos, Ecuador

You get to see how other cultures experience the world.

While the United States is a “salad bowl”, there definitely is assimilation of cultures when immigrants make their way here. That being said, it would seem silly to say that because I’ve been around Italian people in my hometown that I’ve “experienced Italian culture”. In order to do so in full capacity, I would need to travel to Italy. Experiencing other cultures helps shape (or reshape for that matter) the way you see the world. After going to the Amazon jungle, I know for a fact that I see the world differently than I did prior to that travel experience. I’m not saying everyone needs to go to a third world country to see how lucky they themselves are, but rather that no matter where you go, you will return changed in some way, no matter how small it may be. Experiencing other cultures can be especially beneficial if you plan to start a family in the future. You may be able to bring small aspects of other cultures you experience into your own family, such as how family oriented Latin cultures are or the importance of honor that is often seen in Middle Eastern cultures. 

Machu Picchu, Peru

You are (likely) not tied down to a strict career or location.

During the college years or few years thereafter I think are the easiest times to do traveling in your 20s. While summer break travel may be the most expensive, if you know when, where, and how to look, you can pick up some sweet travel deals & discounts. This is a time in your life when you don’t have to worry about having enough PTO or someone to watch your kids. If you want to go to Greece for a week, you can! If you want to pick up your life and move to Paris to be an au paire, YOU CAN! Recently, I quit my job as a nanny in central Florida and moved to Portland, Oregon simply because I’m young and I have the ability to do this. 9 times out of 10, the only thing stopping you from doing something you want to do is your own mind. If you have the brain power to stop telling yourself you can’t do something, you might just find that you can. You’ll be so grateful you tried (:

Swing at the Top of the World, Banos, Ecuador

So those are the 4 reasons I have for why it’s important to travel in your 20s. I love to travel and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. It’s a passion of mine and therefore isn’t going away. If you’re passionate about traveling too, go ahead & subscribe to my newsletter to be notified when I post! Thanks for reading friend (:

If you want some inspiration on WHERE to travel, check out my post about my favorite cities I visited in Europe here! You can also check out my Youtube channel for video content from my time spent in Europe and of course at Disney World!