Deciding to begin solo traveling, or exploring as I like to call it, has been the best decision I have made so far. I can't count the number of times I had a burning desire to check a place out or just make a pit stop somewhere that looked awesome and was on the way, only to have it shut down completely by the person or people I was with. Somebody always had a different item in the agenda, or a different schedule to abide by, and I ended up not being able to explore that spot, or worse, have them try to negotiate skipping or canceling the spot with the promise that "We can check it out next time we come.." because of course, we will return to this specific location, instead of checking out somewhere new, next time we will have more time than now, and perhaps most importantly, I will still have the desire to check out that one specific spot..
Not. Likely. At. All.
I was always that kid that, during school field trips to museums, would spend an hour at one spot while all the kids ran like crazy to "see everything." To this day, I like to observe, I like to submerge myself in the places I go to, the sights I take in, everything. I can't speed enjoy things, just, quick pictures here and there, click-click and done. I refuse to be a tourist of life, I want to live life. I know, how so very cliche, like the word cliche itself, but it's true. When I go to a place.. I like to take in the colors, the energy, the smells, the food, the feeling of the location; I like to look at the architecture of places, the nature around it, the art, the people, the things to do there, there is just so much to enjoy. I am a firm believer that you do not have to travel far or spend a lot of money to discover new places and spaces (yes, there is a difference) and that we get so caught up in the tourist mentality that we ignore so many beautiful experiences and locations close to home because they feel boring and bland just because of the simple fact that they didn't take a lot of time to get to, or a lot of money. The sad part is that, we end up skipping them! People from across the country or world might travel here to see the same places we have lived next to, places we ourselves don't even know yet, they travel to see them, and we SKIP them! It is is so insane.
I was lucky enough to be born and be living still in "the land of milk and honey" and yet I have not explored a 100th of what this beautiful state has to offer, again, mostly do to the afore mentioned reasons. This year, I will be rediscovering this beautiful state for what I know it to be and what I've yet to discover.
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