Adventure is in your hands

Millennials love to travel. I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of them on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, exploring the world and all it has to offer. One week they’re in Brazil, and the next week they’re in India, or so it seems.

Gosh, I wish I could do that. You may think, But how can I possibly afford to travel the world?

If you’re like me (20-something, working to make your way through school, broke, struggling in general), then you can’t. I hate to be blunt, but it’s true. You do not have the time or the income to travel to different countries, but that doesn’t mean you can’t explore the world.

I know, that doesn’t make sense, but bear with me.

Last spring semester, I was struggling. The semester was dragging, and I was stuck in a school-work routine; life was becoming too predictable. I was bored, and the cold and snow weren’t much help. However, spring break was right around the corner, and I was eager to break from my routine.

Too bad I didn’t have plans to go to Florida for spring break like the rest of the college-aged population.

Frustrated, I vented to my boyfriend, per usual. And his response? “Let’s go to Canada.”

My response? “Who goes to Canada in the middle of winter???”

He did have a point, though. We already had our passports, I could arrange my work schedule so we could go, neither of us had been to Niagara Falls since we were little, and we both needed a break from reality.

“Fine, let’s do it.”

We blocked out three days, booked a hotel, gathered our things, bought a selfie stick (because we didn’t want to ask strangers to take 1,000 pictures of us), and went to Canada.

We had the best time driving up there, walking along the falls, and visiting the surrounding area. We went out and explored the world on a whim, and so can you.

You don’t have to fly across the world to experience what it has to offer. Heck, you don’t even have to drive more than an hour. According to good old Merriam-Webster, explore, by definition, means “to travel over (new territory) for adventure or discovery.”

“New territory” can literally be anywhere you haven’t been to before. You can go to the new restaurant down the street or drive an hour to a new city or fly to Cancun. Adventure is what and where you make it.

So, don’t stress over trying to travel to different countries. One day, when you have the time and money to, then yes, if you want to go to different countries around the world, then do it, but don’t force it upon yourself.

Plus, you know the old saying “It was right under your nose”? Well, if you’re busy trying to explore different countries, you may miss something truly remarkable that is “right under your nose.”