My favorite travel quote

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~Mark Twain

I saw this quote on a cruise website one day, and it's stuck with me ever since. I think it echoes all my sentiments about travel and living.

I've always been a bit of a dreamer. I married my high school sweetheart, and while we dated, we always talked about how much we wanted to travel once we got married. We would gather magazine clippings of various destinations, as well as bookmark websites and peruse the travel sections at bookstores.


Our first trip together was our honeymoon. We sailed an NCL ship to Bermuda. I was totally amazed at how people live so differently from us. In the Northeast US where I live, people are always in a hurry, always trying to earn more money or prestige, trying to get more of everything. I noticed that, in Bermuda, life had a relaxed pace. The whole goal of earning a living was to provide for your family and create a safe, comfortable life for them. I noticed how relaxed and happy everyone was, everywhere we went. They were content, they lived in harmony with the world around them. And there was so much incredible beauty they were able to see every single day. The ocean and pink sands, in stark and beautiful contrast to the rocky cliffs....just incredible! We get glimpses of this type of beauty in the Northeast when walking in a nice park, or going hiking or skiing, but there's nothing like standing on the shore of a vast ocean to give you a great perspective on the grand scheme of things. I would love to have that view daily!


That's when I caught the travel bug, and I think that's when my husband caught it too. Travel reminds us to slow down, and to know that the things people value in our fast paced, commercialized world aren't necessarily the most important things. It also reminds us of how big the world is that God created, and how much diversity there is on the planet. We try to bring as many people around us along for the ride, so they can see the same thing. There's something amazing that happens when people see other parts of the world.


My husband and I live simply in many other areas of our lives, share whenever possible, and save to explore the world. I wouldn't have it any other way.