by Akua Hinds

Created on: May 21, 2011

One of my earliest memories is of me and my family traveling from Canada, where I was born and raised, to visit my parents’ family members living in the Caribbean, where they were born and raised.  I had not yet started kindergarten but I remember enjoying flying on an airplane and the joy that comes from being in a warm and tropical climate during the Christmas season.  The following year, my family and I traveled to the Caribbean again and I have continued to travel to the Caribbean and to other destinations throughout my life.  I have traveled to some parts of Canada but it is not my priority to explore much more of my huge and diverse home country at this stage of my life because I figure that I should explore as much of the world as possible while I am still young and before traveling costs get too expensive. 

Each country has different entry requirements for visitors and it makes sense to me to travel to other countries that welcome Canadian citizens and don’t give us a hassle to visit there.  Unlike in other countries, traveling across Canada does not require that I use a passport or that I meet certain health or financial standards to be allowed entry, so, my home country will always be there to explore more when I choose to.  For now, it is important to me to travel abroad and learn more about the world through real experiences rather than through textbook experiences.  But, enough about me!  Here are some reasons why YOU should travel abroad as often as you can:

Empathy and understanding

It is easy to become accustomed to your own lifestyle and forget that there are people living in other parts of the world who do not have the same luxuries that you have.  Traveling abroad will help you gain perspective and appreciation for your own lifestyle and the daily struggles and joys that other people face simply because of where they live.  Reading articles and watching news stories about other nations will not give you a true sense of what life is like in other places.  The only way to learn about a different country is to travel there and experience it for yourself. 

Discovering what you like

It might not even occur to people living in countries where there are four seasons; winter, spring, summer and autumn, that they have other options for how and where they want to live.  Cold winter weather is very unhealthy and more people are prone to getting sick during winter time because

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