Travel Is One of the Best Forms of Education

Some of the most important things I’ve learned were never taught in a classroom.

Travel has taught me about history, culture, food, language, politics, and people. More importantly, it has taught me to question assumptions, see the world from different perspectives, and recognize how much we share despite the things that make us different.

One of my earliest lessons was simply discovering how small and accessible the world really is.

Growing up, the idea of traveling to another country seemed far-fetched. International travel was something other people did. I certainly never imagined it becoming such an important part of my life.

That began to change when my first boyfriend, Humberto, suggested early in our relationship that we spend two weeks in Spain.

Two weeks? In Spain?

The idea seemed a little crazy to me. But we planned, saved, packed our bags, and went.

That trip changed the way I saw the world. Suddenly, places I had only encountered in books, movies, or photographs were real. I was walking their streets, tasting their food, hearing their languages, learning their histories, and meeting the people who called them home.

More importantly, Spain showed me that the world wasn't as distant as I had imagined.

From that moment forward, I wanted to see more.

That curiosity has taken me to places I once could never have imagined visiting. And every journey has reinforced something I first learned on that trip: travel is one of our greatest forms of education because it asks us to experience rather than simply observe.

Books can teach us about another culture. Documentaries can show us how other people live. But there is something different about sitting at someone's table, navigating an unfamiliar city, encountering a tradition you don't understand, or having a conversation with someone whose life looks very different from your own.

Those experiences challenge assumptions. They broaden perspective. And, at their best, they cultivate empathy.

Travel also taught me that seeing the world doesn't have to remain a distant dream. It requires resources, certainly, but it can also be a matter of planning, budgeting, and deciding what experiences we want to prioritize in our lives.

That first trip to Spain expanded my understanding of what was possible. Every journey since has expanded my understanding of the world and my place within it.

The world's greatest classroom has no walls. Sometimes, you just have to decide to go.

(I also learned the importnce of quiting smoking.)