travel inspiration

Once in a while I read things in magazines that get me all jazzed up. Yesterday I came upon this little tidbit in Conde Nast Travel (FABULOUSNESS), in an opening letter from the editor-in-chief. I hope it excites you as much as it excited me!

"There's a new kind of energy shaping the world, we sense, and this issue is a testament to that. We call it the power of travel. In ways large and small, from the hinterlands of Africa to the surprisingly green bowers of Berlin, from Sydney Harbor to the Holy Land, travel inspires and transforms and is, increasingly, an enormous force for change - both personal (what it does for you) and planetary (how if affects the people and places you visit)."

Thinking back on the places Jeff and I have traveled to, we have been so affected by all of the wonderful people we have met, as well as by all of the diverse experiences. So many memories are bold in my mind. Chatting with a wine shop owner in a tiny village in Italy...seeing poor villages flooding in Costa Rica...getting to see wild animals we've never seen before...taking a tour with a local guide through the jungle...trying to figure out what we're ordering when the menu is not in English...hearing the rumbles of an active volcano...getting completely lost in an unfamiliar city...viewing artwork in person that we've only heard about in history books...learning bits of a new language in every place we've been...being hosted by some of the most warm and welcoming people...for me, it has all been a delight, and a learning experience. I only hope we have left positive traces in the places we have visited in the same positive way that they have affected us.

These things have helped shape who I am - as cheesy as it sounds - it's true! Learning more about and immersing ourselves in different countries has been so important in growing our appreciation of what is really out there, no matter how far away it is. Fortunately now too, travel doesn't have to be expensive - not everyone can travel the world whenever they want to (including me). Travel deals are in great abundance, as more and more people are getting the travel itch.

There is so much world to see...I am constantly in awe, and I hope you are too.