Travel and Thankfulness Go Hand in Hand!
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11 Travel Writers Share what Makes Them a Thankful Traveler
We have so many things to be thankful for in our lives. Travelers, and travel writers, may be more keenly aware of that than non-travelers, because the experience of traveling, often puts an intense spotlight on all that we have, and all there is to appreciate. Travel and thankfulness do indeed go together. I have yet to meet a travel writer, who was not also a thankful traveler.
Being exposed to, and involved in, different cultures, customs and lifestyles, renders seeing all that we have to be grateful for becomes almost unavoidable. It is a rendition of the adage “you don’t realize what you have until it is gone.” That is not meant to imply that what “we” have is any better than what anyone else has. It only says that we have grown to value what we have, thus we should express gratitude for it.
There are so many other reasons that traveling nurtures gratitude. Entire studies could be done on the relationship between the two. But rather than go into all of those factors, there could be no better way to celebrate Thanksgiving on our site, than to share the perspective of travel writers from around the world, and what they are thankful for.
Thankful Traveler Mykee- Traveling With Monkeys
Thanksgiving is a fantastic time to reflect on what we sometimes take for granted the rest of the year. I’m grateful for many things, and as a travel blogger, traveling with my husband is at the top of my list. The opportunities I’ve had to travel with my kids ranks just above that. Not everyone enjoys traveling with their kids, but as a mother of four I love the unique adventures traveling provides my monkeys. They get to experience life beyond the small town we call home. Travel immerses them in the sights, sounds, and smells of other cultures. It exposes them to diversity and gives them a glimpse of the differences that make the world a beautiful place. Travel is shaping them into experienced, tolerant, well-rounded little humans and for that I am grateful.
Mykee is a founder and editor of Travelling With Monkeys, a site specializing in traveling with a family, and the unique situations that arise.
Thankful Traveler Talek- Travels With Talek
What I feel especially thankful for is something that people sometimes take for granted. I guess it depends on your experiences and background. My family is from Cuba, a country where everyday freedoms like travel and free speech are not necessarily available to the average citizen. The United States is, by comparison, an exceptionally free country. As a travel blogger, I appreciate that there is virtually nothing keeping me from getting on a plane and travelling to most of the countries in the world, with few exceptions.
As a child I witnessed a street demonstration of Cuban-Americans protesting a city’s proposed tax plan in a small New Jersey town. The protestors held placards stating the tax was unfair, they chanted protests against the local mayor and led the street demonstration direct to City Hall. Despite their connections to Cuba, a country where such demonstrations against a government would not be tolerated, in the States they felt comfortable enough to protest openly. Watching the demonstration I felt an overwhelming pride that the United States had managed to create an environment where people could protest without fear of retaliation.
I am thankful for the freedom I enjoy.
Talek is founder and owner of Travels with Talek, a site focusing on experiential travel for adults.
Thankful Traveler Chandan- Pirates Travel Logue
I’m grateful to my father who implanted the travel bug in me when I was a child. I traveled to so many places in India holding his hand. Got lost in the crowd also many times. I never thought traveling would become a passion one day but now I realize I’m simply following his footsteps. All the thanks to my vagabond old man.
I’m thankful for the ultimate family bonding that we share during our travels. Sometimes when we look back in time trying to find a happy moment, the first thing that comes to our mind is the old memories of our family trips. Every time we scroll through the old pictures we giggle and laugh at so many things that we surprisingly missed before.
I’m grateful for my financial freedom which is because of the one thing that is so hated in the travel blogging world. Yes! It’s my job. I am grateful to be in a job which is challenging and pays me enough to plan and save adequately for my travel without any bounds.
Lastly, I’m grateful for the whole travel writing thing as a whole. Writing my travelogues is the number one stress buster for me nowadays. A perfect antidote to my 9-5 grind. I feel so happy when I pen down a story about my sojourns.
Chandan is a founder and editor at Pirates Travel Logue, a site sharing the insights and experiences of traveling while maintaining a full-time job.
Thankful Traveler Seraina- Lost in Switzerland
A lot of what I’m thankful for is travel related. I’m thankful for all the amazing people I met while I was backpacking around the world, for all the sushi I got to eat in Japan, for all the animals I saw on the Galapagos islands, for every time I ended up in a hostel dorm without any snorers, for everyone who let me stay at their place while I was trying to travel as low-budget as possible, for having missed that awful earthquake in Ecuador by a day, for having walked away unharmed from a bungy jump in Colombia with a slightly too long rope and for never-ending up in a car crash in South America. When I’m on the road, I suddenly realise how much I have to be thankful for because I stop taking things for granted.
But most of all, I’m thankful for having the privilege to call Switzerland my home. I’ve travelled the world extensively but I’ve never come across a country I’d prefer over my own. The chocolate and cheese just aren’t as good anywhere in the world 🙂 I love where I live and I wouldn’t have it any other way. And that’s what I’m thankful for today.
Seraina is a founder and editor of from Lost in Switzerland, a travel blog about visiting Switzerland on a budget.
Thankful Traveler Trang- Travel With Trang
In the spirit of thanksgiving, I am grateful each and every year for my friends, family, and kind strangers who are scattered all over the world.
It all started when I decided to embark on a trip of a lifetime. I worked two jobs after college, putting aside whatever I could each week. The part no one knew of or witnessed was when I drove home most days, crying in my car from exhaustion of working back to back shifts. Was travel worth sacrificing my happiness right now?
What once looked like a daunting idea to travel as a solo female has led me down an unconventional yet amazing path. Every person I met, stranger or fellow traveler, helped me on the road including one who tipped me off on working abroad in Australia. That gap year in Australia allowed me to meet locals, create lifelong friends, and travel Asia for an entire year afterwards.
The people who helped me when I got lost, couldn’t understand the language, welcomed me into their homes, celebrated holidays with me when I couldn’t be with family, and just showered me with hospitality, were all strangers who decided to welcome me and touched me with their stories.
Because of the events that occurred and the people I encountered during my journey, I am happier, more thankful, and more kind (at least I think that’s what I hope my friends see)! I have a wider perspective and always remind myself that even in my darkest times, there must be a silver lining or a lesson that will come out of it. Even when things don’t go as planned, there is always a new path you can take or a new journey you can embark on. Take the good and the bad knowing you have so many amazing lessons and growth to take from it all.
I am also grateful for all the opportunities and sacrifices that has made me who am I. Only now am I able to look back and see how each event brought me to the next one, which brought to where I am today – creating a website to help others travel, in hopes of paying it forward from when others have helped me.
Trang is creator and owner of Travel With Trang, a travel blog and website showing how you can travel and create memorable experiences. With her experience of living abroad and visiting 40+ countries, Trang hopes to inspire and help you make your travel goals happen!
Thankful Traveler Lauren- Wanderlulu
There are so many things to be thankful for this year, but something that’s on my mind lately is how fortunate I feel to have found a partner that not only supports but encourages my solo travel ambitions. My travel blog is all about empowerment through solo travel, so a lot of people are surprised to find out that I’ve been in a relationship for 2.5 years, most of which has been long distance.
I’m thankful that we’ve integrated travel into our relationship and have met in locations across the world in order to be together, including Australia, Colombia, Mexico, and Boston over the years.
I’m thankful that we support each other’s goals and are constantly encouraging each other to follow our dreams, even if those dreams lead us across the world from one another! It can be tough, but there’s something to be said about a relationship that can withstand that kind of time and distance.
Overall, I’m just so thankful to have found a partner that loves to travel just as much as I do!
Lauren is the creator of Wanderluluu.com, a travel blog all about empowerment through solo travel. She is a Massachusetts native that has lived in Rome, Melbourne, and Bogotá over the past several years with a lust for all things travel and adventure.
Thankful Traveler Florencia- This Giant World
I am amazed as to how fast this year has flown by. It’s been a year of challenges as well as many happy moments. I continue to be humbled and inspired by the individuals in the community service club I am a part of. Each week we aim to do something for our communities and lend a hand to those who are most in need.
I am beyond thankful for the support of my family who despite all my crazy ideas, they always have my back. My boyfriend who pushes me to be better each day, and continue pursuing the things in life that make me happy. I am thankful for the friendly and online community I’ve recently joined thanks to my new blog, This Giant World.
I am also eternally thankful for my health and well-being. I am very happy with my day job and for giving me the ability to start this new project. This is something I feel very passionate about and I am happy I finally took the leap to finally start blogging. I don’t know where it will take me but I know that it makes me happy. We’re so lucky to be here, so I really want to wish everyone a great end of 2017 and an even better upcoming 2018.
Florencia is a founder and editor of the brand new website, This Giant World, a site dedicated to part-time travelers.
Thankful Traveler Aaron- Aaron Teoh
Aaron is the founder and owner of AaronTeoh.com, a site about exploring unique places just slightly off the beaten path!
Thankful Traveler Sarah- World Unlost
Did you know that the Eiffel Tower was scheduled for demolition in 1909? And multiple proposals for the razing of New York’s Grand Central Station were put forward throughout the mid-20th century?
When traveling and exploring famous icons and landmarks around the world, spanning from ancient history through to today, we often learn the names of the architect behind their initial creation. (Or even the commissioning king, emperor or politician!) But we so rarely give thought to these landmarks’ custodians in the decades, centuries or millennia since — those who maintained the buildings, fought for their conservation, or even secreted away their masterpieces for safety.
As a history lover in a world where myriad architectural, historical and cultural treasures are all too frequently at peril — from the destruction of Afghanistan’s ancient Buddhas of Bamiyan by the Taliban, to the millennia-old Indigenous rock art currently at threat in my own country, Australia — I’m grateful for what’s survived. The rich treasure trove of buildings, monuments, streetscapes, artworks and even artefacts that make up the culture of a place, remnants of its people and their past.
And, crucially, I’m thankful for the people who saved them: the famous Monuments Men who rescued Europe’s precious artworks from theft or destruction at Nazi hands; the creatives who breathed new life into long-disused spaces in innovative projects like the High Line in NYC, Seoullo 7017 in South Korea, or Sydney’s own Goods Line; and everyone around the world even today campaigning to safeguard their own local history gems for future generations to enjoy and explore. Without them, the world would be a far poorer place — for travelers and locals alike.
Sarah is the founder and owner of World Unlost, a website dedicated to explore historical places, and their stories, “deeply, thoughtfully and, well, nerdily. It’s a travel blog for history buffs, bookworms, nerds armed with wanderlust, a conscience, and a propensity to over-think.”
Thankful Traveler Keyauni- Gypsy With a Day Job
I am thankful for the people in my life. I am grateful for those who have provided inspiration to me, and challenged me, as I pursue my dreams and the things that make me happy.
I am also grateful to those who have taught me so many things through my experiences with them. I have learned patience, gratitude, faith, positivity, and to recognize my abundance. Whether the experiences were good or bad, I am thankful for what I have gained from them. These things have shaped my life, and the path that I walk. I pray that I am always receptive to the lessons that those around me have to teach.
Keyauni is partner and editor at Gypsy With a Day Job. She hosts a Facebook page, Be Elevated, to encourage positive thinking, and she is in the process of launching Elevated Revenue Social Media Marketing.
The Last Thankful Traveler, Me, FoxyRoxyK- Gypsy With a Day Job
First and foremost, I am thankful for my family. I do not get to spend nearly enough time with them, and I have let them down so many times , but they are always there for me, and always love me, with all of my weaknesses. Never am I more happy, or at peace, than when I am with them.
I am thankful for my friends, who are blessings in my life. Some are close to home, and some far around the world. Some have been with me for years, and others have come as I have embarked upon this new adventure in my life. There are so many things I could not do without their support.
I am thankful that no matter where I roam, I have a home to come back to. There is a great comfort in having a personal space, and sanctuary, after pursuing adventure.
Lastly, I am thankful that I have an opportunity to see and experience so many different places in the world. I love the incredible natural wonders, the history, the different cultures and lifestyles. When I am soaking these things in, it feels as if I am expanding, becoming more than what I was before. Sharing those experiences, encouraging others to pursue the passions that give them similar feelings, seems like what I was meant to do.
I am founder and owner of Gypsy With a Day Job, which encourages people to follow their passion for adventure, and not to let bothersome things such as budget, or full-time work, interfere with living life to the fullest.
Travel and Thankfulness- Things We Have in Common
As travel writers, we are all incredibly thankful for you, our readers and followers. Without you, everything we write is for nothing.
We thank you for sharing in our adventures, our accomplishments, and our falterings!
There you have it. Thankfulness from the perspectives of 11 different travel writers, from around the globe.
If you want to read what more travel writers think, you may be interested in our second story, Travelers with an Attitude of Gratitude.
We would love to know what you are thankful for, whether it is related to your travels or adventures, or not.
FoxyRoxyK also thanks Wikemedia Commons, and By D.H. Parks, for the awesome feature image for this article, taken at the Thanksgiving Chapel, in Dallas, Texas.
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