I grew up in Iowa…

If you’ve never lived in a sleepy, Midwest suburb, let me help you envision it by borrowing the words of a friend who said it best – “it’s like living in beige.” Compounding the boredom, my family didn’t have cable TV, and the “information super highway” was yet a distant fantasy in my formative years. With no in-home entertainment, life demanded that I get out and explore. For me, travel was not optional.

In the early years, my travel was limited to nearby small towns, seeking out the best pork tenderloin in the region or visiting an obscure historical site. Then, travel led me across the border. Then across the Pacific. The desire to escape Iowa slowly morphed into a desire simply to see more, as each new adventure sparked a new curiosity.

Now, living in LA, I realize that not everyone grows up with this same motivation to leave home. Regardless, even those living in diverse, exciting, expansive metropolitan areas should pack up and leave sometimes. What motivated me, fleeing monotony, is certainly a reason that even urbanites travel. They travel to escape. They put their “real lives” on hold for a bit (if they have the willpower to ignore their emails), and go somewhere exotic to forget the daily grind. Unfortunately, on return, they sigh, swap the backpack for the briefcase, and begrudgingly re-enter the grind.

Escape is not the most compelling reason to travel. Because, unless you’re in the witness protection program, you’re probably escaping only to return. Travel doesn’t guarantee you’ll “find yourself” (more on that later). Travel doesn’t free your mind. You have to free your own mind of your own concerns of your own daily life in order to even buy the ticket. And this freed mind, is why you should travel.

Travel is essential to a life well lived. It is an integral part of real life, not just a daydream, experienced then forgotten. It inspires, awakens, refreshes and renews. Travel reminds us that our lives and routines are a very small part of a very huge world. It opens our eyes to new perspectives. It allows us to relate to a broader spectrum of people and experiences. It gives us gratitude for the things that we take for granted.

Today, I’m starting to look for flights back to Iowa. It’s that time of year, with the holidays starting to creep over the horizon. I will soon be returning to the land of beige. Late November can be particularly drab, after the jewel-toned leaves have fallen, but before any real accumulation of snow. However, with the eyes of a traveler, I now see the lifeless landscape differently. The beauty of travel is that through the lens of new experiences, even the mundane can appear tantalizing and new. Until I left, I never knew that Iowa has some of the most spectacular sunsets in the world. Soon I will see them, more vividly than ever.

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