As a college student, it can become easy to forget what lies beyond my home state of New York.
At this age, I’ve spent most of my life on two sides of it: Buffalo and Westchester. Bouncing between these two regions over the past four years has sometimes given me a false sense of having “seen it all.”
But then I look at a map of our country.
And I cannot believe my eyes.
I am reminded that despite the fame our titular city holds, New York is such a miniscule portion of the U.S. and I have barely even scratched its surface.
That was true at least until last summer, when a friend of mine announced he was moving to New Orleans for a year.
Like an epiphany in the night, I knew one thing for sure: I would likely never have the opportunity to attend the famed Mardi Gras festival without the worry of a hotel or navigating the vast city again.
I just had to take advantage of it.
Now of course, this was not the first time a group of friends and I have pulled out ambitious plans for a vacation. And I worried, like most of those other times, that we would fail to formulate a plan.
But this could not be like those other times, I told myself. It would not. We had a perfect setup, and my friends and I knew we had to take this trip or lose the opportunity forever.
I’m so glad we embraced that opportunity.
Yes the festival itself was great, along with loud music, millions of beads and $25 gallon daiquiris.
But that was not the highlight. As soon as I got there, I realized that nothing had me more excited than simply seeing a different part of the world. I hadn’t traveled past Pennsylvania since 2017, and the feeling of the unfamiliarly warm air alone felt like I had been freed from the confines of daily life.
Walking through the neighborhood to see trees far different from my own, reunite with friends I hadn’t seen in oh-so long and enjoy some of the best meals of my life, I felt like I was home, despite it being my first time in a city I’ll likely never return to.
That’s not to say I didn’t like the city. I loved it. But being somewhere different made me realize how fast time really flies, and just how little time we have left to see all the world has to offer.
I do not want to spend my whole life in the comfort of my home. I never did. But not until I took the first step forward to see this particular city was I able to unlock the motivation to pursue this goal. I got a taste of the world beyond New York, and I knew I wanted more. I needed to do whatever I could to get more.
That’s because sometimes it takes more than an idea to get a ball rolling. Sometimes it takes a little push.
So I say to you dear reader, quit thinking about how life could be. Quit living with regrets about what you have done in the past.
Go give yourself that push, and open your mind up to a whole new world of excitement.
It doesn’t have to be a famous city. Hell, there doesn’t even have to be a special occasion. Whether it be a bustling Friday in Tokyo, or a cornfield-filled Tuesday in Iowa, get out of your comfort zone. With the right people, and the perfect blend of plans and flexibility in your adventure, you’ll find yourself more comfortable than you ever were in your bed at home.
Better yet, you’ll soon find yourself hankering for another adventure after the previous has ended, sparking an awesomely insatiable desire to see the world and the different experiences that inhabit its many different cultures and peoples.
But you must go now. As we grow older, responsibilities will stack on top of each other. We will not be free to do whatever we want, when we want to. Even the times we do travel, we may have more things to worry about while still trying to have fun.
This is why you must travel now. Do not wait, or the regrets you have now will only be tenfold in the decades to come. Enjoy the world while you’re young, and enjoy it as much as you possibly can.
Alex Falter is the senior arts editor and can be reached at alex.falter@ubspectrum.com
Alex Falter is a senior arts editor at The Spectrum.
