Something I have learned lately is that not all people travel the same. I have heard people say there are two types of vacation, the one where you do everything and the one where you do nothing. I’d like to add there are two types of travelers, the one who packs everything in and the one who goes at their everyday pace. I am an everyday pace traveler. 

Truth is, vacations can be stressful for me. A packed itinerary and the fast pace of a city sucks the fun out of it for me. I think there is a time, place and person for that type of travel but it's not for me. Now, at a beach or a mountain top, drinking my coffee slowly and taking a leisurely walk. Going on a wildlife tour or visiting the local towns, that is where I thrive. I am not a slow moving person but I enjoy a slower environment. 

This extends to my general dislike of large crowds. Can I stomach it for the Mona Lisa or the Trevi Fountain? Definitely, just in small doses. A day here and a day there, strategically placed to get the maximum amount of fun and rest out of my vacation. 

This is all to say, my most recent lesson has been traveling my way is what is going to make me the happiest and I am fortunate to have picked a person to share my life with that feels the same. Our future vacations will be all over the world but at our pace and based on our interests. Karen and I joked about how you would more likely find me in the Italian countryside than in Rome. 

I have had the privilege of learning this through travel itself but not worldly travel. Local and interstate travel has taught me a lot. Even going to the next town over for two days, you cannot see it all. I had to learn and be okay with the fact that I couldn’t experience it all and enjoy myself but I learned it, and I did it locally. If you haven’t travelled the world and you want to, I highly suggest starting off closer to home. Try the biggest city near you, visit a friendly living in another state or take a road trip across your own state.

Most importantly, ask yourself what YOU want out of a trip. Is it to see as much as possible or to feel relaxed? In the end, this is your vacation and your travel experience and you can do it the way you like even if you come home and people bombard you with the “But you didn’t see the Mona Lisa? Why even go to Italy?” commentary. They weren’t on your vacation and if they want to see it they can go themselves. Travel is one of the best ways to learn, not just other cultures and countries but yourself too. Travel isn’t just international, it’s big and small and full and relaxed. Travel is everything you make it to be.