26 Dec 2017

I grew up all over the world, moving every two years before finally settling down in Australia at the ripe age of thirteen. I’m now eighteen, and I’ve heard too many people around me say things like, ‘But why would you leave Australia?’ or, ‘Travelling’s too hard, I can’t understand the language’ or, ‘I could never do an exchange programme overseas’.

Granted, not everyone has the opportunity to book a flight halfway across the world spontaneously like every Tumblr quote tells you to do. But tbh, I guarantee you that saving up, booking those flights, staying in shitty hostels and living off street food is the type of experience that makes you savour life, and do more than just see the world through a touristy, glamourised version of cities already rich enough in culture and tradition without the superficial lens of tour companies looking to make a profit.

One of my fondest memories is being twelve years old, running through the streets of Bangkok with three friends, three water guns and three buckets of ice water. Think about the childhood water fights you had in sweltering forty degree days in your local neighbourhood, but imagine it with an entire city. The Songkran Festival is the Thai New Years Festival which occurs every April, where roads are blocked off and every person in the city takes part in a massive water fight. Just for two days, every person is united, and you made friends with complete strangers. For two days, you’re a part of something special, something important, something bigger than yourself and the life you’re used to.

Language barriers strong, we ran through the city, watching our backs but secretly hoping to feel the hit of icy water, giving us another opportunity to introduce ourselves to someone, to allow our paths to cross even if it was only for a minute. It didn’t matter that I didn’t speak the language, it didn’t matter that I was twelve. You see a person, you spray, you laugh, you move on to the next one. Another common tradition is for strangers to come up to you and rub talcum powder on your face. Imagine that. Running up to someone and getting your hands all up on their face. But hey, it’s tradition.

It was this day that I realised that being ‘comfortable’ in a city just because you’ve lived there your whole life is not a good enough reason to not want to travel. F*ck comfortable, the world is too big for us to stay in one place, to not experience what life is like on the other side, to not taste food, learn languages, and experience cultures from across our globe. Nothing in this world is more beautiful than hearing other people’s stories, watching the way they live, sharing a meal together despite not speaking one word of the other’s language. You end up forging a genuine connection with someone who wants to share their culture with you, and not ask for a single thing in return. Nothing is more fulfilling than knowing you got on that plane, alone or with friends, and did something you never thought you would in a million years. You grow, become independent, and you’re just that much more in touch with the world.

I watch my overseas friends live completely different lives. Some graduated and threw their caps in the air in front of the Pyramids of Giza, some hit the club in historic churches in Milan, others swam with dolphins in the Red Sea on the weekends. None of which you can do in Australia. Yes, there will always be home, and Australia will always be here for you to return to. But your teenage years are the most crucial in finding yourself, falling completely and utterly in love with life, and pushing yourself to take risks and experience what the world has to offer. The adventure that awaits you will be priceless. So if you have the chance to travel, take it and don’t ever look back.