Adventuring is something that my parents introduced me to when I was younger through family trips. Today, I have found that I have gained a better appreciation for going on adventures. There are many reasons why traveling and exploring the planet have become a passion and a hobby of mine over the years. As I continue to build my exploring resume and visit new places I begin to realize and discover what it is about exploring that captures me and gives me a desire to go to distant lands and into the wilderness.
The Best Kind of Experiences
One night my friend Bobby from Asharu and me were sitting down at a restaurant after a hockey game and were chatting about some of our past trips. Of course trips are not always cheap and we were talking about how some of the trips that both of us have gone on (Mexico, Ireland, Hawai’i, etc.) have cost us a pretty penny.
However, we came to the conclusion that the cost was all worth it because those trips provided us with some of the best experiences of our lives. Experiences and moments that we will have forever and will still be talking about them many years from now. As cliché as it is to say, that is truly priceless.
Not only do the good moments of trips present you with the best kind of experiences, but so do the unforeseen obstacles that can come about. At first, obstacles seem like a frustration and a down point of a trip, but often they simply add to the story of your journey.
For example, when I took a trip that took me across Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in 2017 with a study abroad group we had some plane trouble on the way back. As we waited in the Newark airport in New Jersey our flight kept getting delayed an hour and then finally at 10:00pm it got cancelled. So, there we were, 25 of us stuck in an airport with no knowing of when we would leave.
After spending the night in a food court, early the next morning we were finally able to get flights out, even though we would have to split up and half of the group be sent from Newark to Grand Rapids in Michigan, and the other group sent to Chicago and then Freeland MBS in Michigan. I was on the Chicago to Freeland flight and after almost 24 hours in the Newark airport we were finally on our way to Chicago and that flight went to smooth.
However, as we took off from Chicago the plane had to turn around because of a malfunction and we had to go back to Chicago and wait for a new plane, which, came quite quickly, and we finally made it home safely.
Despite the stress, frustration, and anxiety the situation hit us with, it added to the trips story and is often the first thing I talk about when people ask me about my trip to Ireland.
Aside from obstacles that come up in trips, adventures will often provide you with great moments of magic, some small like a campfire on a beach under the stars, and some big, like watching a solar eclipse or a sunset from 14,000 feet in the air. Moments that make you feel truly alive and infinite, moments where you would be okay if the Earth stopped spinning for a bit and time froze.
There was camping trip I took up to the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan and a big storm was coming in so me and my companions simply walked to the rocky beach our campsite was on and watched the lighting dance in the distance. Though it was something as simple and everyday as watching a storm roll in, it was still a moment that stuck out to me for I felt that we were all on top of the world in the short time. That is until, my friend Allie found a tick on her.
Feel Every Moment
Your experiences when you travel give you stories to tell for the ages, help you learn and gain new perspectives, grow, connect, and feel the wonder the of life and the universe. Not only is it the things you do in trips and the trip itself, but it is also who you travel and share each moment with. It is who you are with that makes the moments truly unique and allows you to connect with those people in a deep and amazing way.
These moments are one of the big factors that drive me to explore the planet and I hope that they do the same for you. Be sure that when you venture out in the great big world that we have, as in life in general, you notice everything and truly feel each and every moment. If you do, you will soon realize that life is full of moments like the movies.
Whether it be chilling in a hammock, watching the sunset on a beach, or huddling in a tent with your friends during a rainfall of Biblical proportions, take it all in and look at each moment for what it is. Let yourself draw closer to those you are with and Life itself.
Song for thought: “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” by U2
Got any special adventure moments? Feel free to share in the comments below!
Travel with Love
– Dustin
ahockey657198193.wordpress.com 
I like it, it is a good idea to journal your trips. I wish I did. There were many of trips but as you get older you forget about the magical moments. Thanks for sharing yours.
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