Introduction - Experience

Experiences have been shown to make people happier than possessions. Traveling experiences create memories, revitalize, and teach. Think back to your childhood -- do you remember what gifts/possessions you got for your fifth birthday? Do you remember the first time you went to Disneyland? Which of those impressions is stronger? Most likely the experience that created emotion, excitement, and closeness to others. Those experiences remain strong memories, but the desire for certain possessions fade, as does the newness of those items.

Traveling can also teach us -- it can teach us about others and about ourselves. Traveling subjects us to new people and places, new experiences and activities, new surroundings and environments, new cultures and ideals. Experiencing other foods, customs, architecture, or celebrations can reaffirm the importance of our own traditions and values, or it can build them.

What do you want to experience when traveling? Here is a small list of potential traveling interests or goals:

• Architecture
• Art
• Customs and Celebrations
• Engineering Wonders
• Food and Drink
• Geography - see indigenous animal species, rare geologic formations, etc...
• History
• Industry
• Music
• Natural Wonders
• Outdoors - hiking, sports, boating, surfing, skiing, etc...

Do you want to go everywhere and see everything, or do you want to get away from it all and relax? After establishing your vision for traveling, you could make a lifelong plan including feasibility of when and how.

When it comes to planning your trip you may want to research each of your areas of interest, determine the locations you would like to go to, look at almanac information, understand the accepted etiquette and customs, be prepared to barter, know how to travel safely, look into health concerns, and know what to do in case of an emergency.
The next entry will begin to address some of these areas.