May 26th, 2012. I disembarked the massive British Airways jetliner and set foot in a foreign country for the first time by myself as a single female solo traveler. Two years prior I blissfully soaked up seven days in Puerto Rico (still U.S. territory) with my significant other at the time, my excitement levels equivalent to obtaining a driver’s license at sixteen and going for a joyride in the family Jeep. (Not that I’ve done this.) Puerto Rico opened my eyes to wondrous travel possibilities and vivacious living.
But in London, I now felt like a small fish in a vast ocean, embarking on the first of many trips overseas. Listing all the lessons learned, wisdom gained, and educational opportunities while abroad would fill pages, just like my treasured travel journals filled with late night scribbles of the day’s escapades. Within the confines of a blog post however, a few highlights come to mind. Although challenges within my career, spirituality, physical body, or relationships consistently present tremendous opportunities to grow, stretch, and exercise faith, the act of globetrotting produces a unique set of life lessons learned… Only acquired through travel.
My first jaunt through an ethnically varied immigration line at Heathrow Airport opened my eyes to other cultures, religions, and customs. I gradually became accustomed to diversity, and in exchange, felt a new sense of poise and confidence as I gained experiential knowledge of different nationalities and emerged from my sheltered naïve shell. And personal conversations with acquaintances of differing religions opened my eyes to perspectives beyond what news channels could ever teach me back home.
Paddington Station, a massive metropolis-sized train station downtown London, introduced me to feeling like a small fish in a very big sea, the world at my fingertips and the sky being my limit. I started dreaming on a much bigger scale after this.
Taking subways the wrong direction, the right direction, too far, too long, or purchasing tickets for the wrong line taught me to press through confusion and fear. I learned perseverance, persistence, rather than melting into tears, emerging on the other side a much stronger woman.
Bungling my high school French revived lost language skills and eventually spared my neck while hopelessly lost (and sick with a gnarly sinus infection) in Paris. Booking a tour of Spain inspired me to enroll in Spanish lessons, begin utilizing my language skills in the workforce, diligently review flash cards, and to boldly practice speaking with my Latino friends.
Witnessing pick pockets on the subways of Madrid generated a new sense of awareness, watchfulness, and discretion. Losing my way in Playa del Carmen, Mexico and experiencing several men’s attempt to lure me (as well as my travel mate) down an alleyway educated me in the art of street smarts and diligently observing my surroundings.
Timidly asking strangers, hotel clerks, and transportation workers for directions instilled an ability to trust myself. Blundering into St. Germaine, France without a plan taught me to…Well, plan excursions and accommodations.
Journeying through Holland, Belgium, and Austria on a tour bus with trip mates from New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Canada, and the UK obligated me to figure out how to embrace social interactions outside my familiar shell of comfort while fearlessly fostering new friendships. Sharing a six-bed hostel room with other foreign travelers pushed me into brazenly figuring out how to quickly make new connections.
Exploring a twelfth century castle in St. Goar, Germany permanently instilled a greater thirst for adventure. Riding a bicycle (for the first time in twelve years) through the streets Munich with forty tour mates to a German beer festival (without a helmet, travel insurance, or experience with city cycling) infused my heart with a new level of desire for risk-taking quests in life. Not that this was the smartest way to go about it.
Gazing up at the Vatican produced a sense of awe, fueling my desire to seek out opportunities to stand in wonder, amazement, and reverence before marvelous works of art and architecture. Pausing before works of Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, and Rembrandt produced a new appreciation for art history, the value of art, and revved my creative engines.
History came alive while touring Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam, wandering through Winston Churchill’s “War Rooms,” and breathlessly laying eyes upon the Statue of Liberty, quietly imagining what it would have been like to be an immigrant in search of a country filled with freedom, opportunity, and hope.
Puerto Rico uncovered my passion for Latin dancing, and Barcelona’s rich culture inspired me to try Flamenco classes. On a “Dancing With the Stars” theme cruise sailing through the Cayman Islands, Bahamas, and Jamaica, my dormant dreams to perform with a dance team sparked to life after competing in the cruise’s dance competition, reviving those hopes and desires.
In Athens and Lisbon, I learned how to live a slower-paced life, eliminate unnecessary stressors, and simply how to breathe once again, how to relax. The trip uncovered my true heart’s desire for my art vision, radically altering the course of my creative destiny.
In Spain, I found myself on a deeper level. I discovered my color, red. I discovered a sense of coming home to a place I’d never been, a DNA test later revealing some Spanish ancestry. I unearthed my personal sense of fashion while perusing store after store filled with vibrant reds, black lace, and trendy unique outfits slightly above Colorado’s sometimes ubiquitous, more casual selection of clothing. I discovered the true Hannah.
Traveling to Paris pointed me towards my style of home décor, modeled after chic French countryside. Sailing to the Greek Islands, Hydra, Poros, Spetses, introduced me to my cooking niche. Simple recipes comprised of fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts, the tart taste of lemon, rich olive oils, creamy feta cheese, an assortment of fish, and of course red wine. I finally began enjoying cooking after discovering Greek cuisine.
Plunging into a bitterly cold ocean on the beaches of San Sebastian, Spain with two Australians and a Canadian in late September launched my thirst for spontaneity, not to mention spur-of-the-moment outings to dance discos, and some secretive late night skinny dipping.
Overseas romances plunged me into a plethora of life lessons: Go for the top, the best. You just might get it. Let him pursue you, yes…But go after what you want. Make it known, perhaps not blatantly, loudly, or obnoxiously, but with tact, subtlety, and discretion. But go for it. And when it doesn’t work out…Trust that you wouldn’t have wanted it to work out anyways! Not to mention, kissing a beautiful Spanish man in Seville on the dance floor makes for entrancingly juicy stories on your next Girl’s Night back home.
I learned long distance dating isn’t glamorous. I learned to seek romance rather than dry, dull, monotony. And if rich olive skin and dark eyes are your “type,” well then…Its okay to unashamedly know your preferences. God knows about it and He’s into the details for your future mate. Lastly, a fleeting fling “just while in Europe” will go with you and the rest of your baggage right back to the States. So count the cost for your heart and emotions’ sake.
Reaching the Swiss Alps after journeying across Europe ignited twinges of homesickness, creating a new appreciation for Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Not being able to drink tap water in Cancun, Mexico or even flush toilet paper in Athens produced a thankful spirit within me, realizing all I had taken for granted in America. At the finale of every trip, I find myself longing for home. I begin missing my family, friends.
Traversing thousands of miles offers life experiences capable of molding us to a truer version of ourselves, forming us into individuals with unique perspectives, causing us to find ourselves in the midst of strange territory and hopefully come back with much to offer the world in return. Many of my most educational experiences have occurred while overseas, travel being a wise teacher capable of revealing hidden treasures within. I encourage new international trekkers, it teaches you about life. Yourself. Other cultures. Book the trip. Just go! It’s the University of Travel.