Fernweh (n.) a crave for travel; being homesick for a place you’ve never been
After traveling abroad, I can promise you this word will work its way into your daily vernacular. This past summer I hopped on a plane to Europe with a modest image in my head of what was to come. Yes, I knew I had some great experiences ahead of me, but I never would have guessed that I would be coming back a completely different person. My desire for adventure grew larger, my curiosity grew wider and my zest and passion for life grew deeper than I ever could have imagined.
If it weren’t for my experiences abroad, I would have a difficult time picturing anything outside of the comfort zone I’d grown so fond of. As young people, we tend to cling to familiarity and run from anything that makes us feel uncomfortable. What we don’t realize is that growth cultivates outside of our comfort zone. I learned more from listening to the stories of my European hostel-mates than I ever thought possible. I never would have thought I would spontaneously hop on a 5 a.m. train to Paris for the day. But I did. Or navigate my way around Ireland with a map taller than me. But I did. Or hike up a mountain in Wales. But I did. Once we start viewing discomfort as a good thing, I promise it will start to feel like one.
Traveling helps us to adjust our view of the world and get a better picture of what life is all about. If we come to this realization at a young age, our entire lives will become enriched with so much more possibility and open-mindedness. It makes us realize that we actually don’t know it all (like we tend to think we do), and how much we can learn from those who don’t look or act just like us. We become aware of how short and precious life really is. We have no idea what could happen in the next hour, day, month or year. We realize that “YOLO” actually has a much deeper meaning than something we just whisper to ourselves before grabbing yet another slice of pizza. It makes all of our petty problems seem so small and the opportunity for adventure so large.
When we’re old and gray and looking back on our lives, we won’t remember the nights we got enough sleep or stayed in to study for a test. We’ll remember the nights of running through the streets of Amsterdam with our best friends, singing along at the top of our lungs at our favorite pub in Dublin and strolling by Buckingham Palace for the 10th time to try to catch a glimpse of the Queen. These are the stories we’ll tell our children and grandchildren. These are the moments that define our lives and the moments we will continually long for.
You often hear people saying things like, “I want to travel to escape from life.” For me, I want to travel so that life doesn’t escape me.
Courtesy: Cottage in the Oaks