I have made it a point to travel a lot in the past year. This has caused many people to ask me, “Why do you travel so much?” Well, for me, one of the benefits of traveling around the country is meeting new people and it has become my life. I’ve written about how I made the decision at the end of 2013 that I was going to travel somewhere at least once a month. Now in 2014, I’ve made good on that promise to myself. I have even doubled up on trips some months!

These trips have allowed me to explore different parts of the country while also allowing me to grow some great friendships. Something that may come as a shock to most people who’ve known me for years is that every person I’ve visited on my trips I’ve come to know through social media.

Growing up I was always the shy one. The one who sat back and just observed. So for me, being shy in my own surroundings, to venture out into the world and interact with people I’ve only ever met online is a big thing. It has also been a life changing thing for me.

These interactions have allowed me to make some of the best friends that I have ever had in my life. At this point I now have amazing friends all over the country and even in Canada and Australia.

People who don’t travel cannot have a global view, all they see is what’s in front of them. Those people cannot accept new things because all they know is where they live.  –Martin Yan

My traveling has also allowed me to have an improved global perspective of humanity and what makes each one of us happy, how each of us makes a difference. Without living life through the eyes of others, it’s easy to live through life with a one world view. A view that is limited and ultimately detrimental to society.

So “why do I travel?” Simply put, traveling is what makes me happy. It’s what makes me feel alive. The thrill of meeting new people and seeing new places in this great big world of ours is something that can’t really be described until you go out and DO IT.