Those of us who have traveled overseas know there is nothing quite like the thrill of traveling to a new place. There are so many sights, sounds and smells just waiting to be discovered! As the title of this article suggests, I will be attempting to convince you to leave America as soon as you possibly can.
You may not have been able to experience a different country before. If you are one of these poor unfortunate souls, I urge you to save the money and venture off to a foreign land at least once in your life. Warning: Here are the reasons why you should travel now rather than later
1. I may start to sound grandmotherly, so forgive me—don’t rush into settling down. Travel while you’re young, single, or newly married without kids. When you’re young, childless and single, you have less responsibilities and more money to spend on just yourself. Nothing and nobody is holding you back from jumping on a plane to London (except for, you know, money).
2. Politics. The devastating reality for Democrats is that Donald Trump has a good chance of becoming the president. The horrendous reality for Republicans is that Hilary Clinton has a good chance at becoming president. If you identify with either of these parties, it’s probably best to start traveling as soon as possible before foreign relations or anything else go down the drain.
3. If you haven’t met that special someone yet, there’s always a chance you’ll meet him or her in Paris (how romantic!) or Tokyo. You’ll never know until you take the chance and go!
4. As a college student, you can take advantage of the “Study Abroad” programs that your college offers. There’s nothing quite like studying the Renaissance in Italy, or Christianity and Judaism in Israel, or archaeology in Egypt, or Zoology in Africa…. (Okay, I’m done now).
5. There will be food. Now, it may not be free, but food is a reason in and of itself—especially for us college students!
6. Your travel experience will help shape who you are. You will become more open-minded and understanding of people who are different from you. If you wait until you’re older, it may not have as much of an impact on your life as it would now.
7. You’ll be able to be adventurous without too many physical limitations. Trust me, you don’t want to wait until you’re a retired 71-year-old and (finally) have money to throw away. By that time you probably won’t be able to last more than five minutes on a hike in Peru without your back hurting.
8. There will never be a perfect time. So why not take advantage of your summers off of school? You may never have summers off again until you’re 71 years old, and we already talked about that.
9. Have you ever heard of the Great Commission? Jesus commanded His disciples and all future believers to “go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation…”
10. Procrastination is never really a good idea. Why do tomorrow what you can do today? Why do next year what you can do this year? Don’t wait before it’s too late. My great grandmother’s biggest regret in life was that she never traveled out of her home country. This remarkable woman lived to be 98 years old, but never once did she leave Sweden. Part of the reason was that she was extremely wary of airplanes; they were a fairly new phenomenon when she was young. However, if you happen to be afraid of airplanes, don’t let that stop you. Go on a cruise instead! When my great grandmother finally found a reason to go to America due to her granddaughter, my mom, living there, it was too late—she was too old. Don’t wait before it’s too late for you.