This isn’t one of those posts where I get all spiritual and tell you that traveling has helped me find myself, although it has. This isn’t one of those spiritual posts where I tell you that if you travel, it can heal you, too. No, this is my post to tell you how travel heals me, how it helps ground me and how I use it as a way to recharge and start fresh. I’ll first start by telling you that I don’t use travel as a means to escape. I never use travel as a way to run away from something or escape from something bad. Although I’m totally not a confrontational person, I don’t believe in using travel as a way to run away from my problems.

Traveling has healed me in different ways. The act of traveling itself has healed me, has recharged me and has grounded me in who I am and who I strive to be. This type of travel doesn’t need to be abroad, it can be within my own state or within the United States. I’ve learned that traveling heals me more than any vacation on the beach or spa day.

Traveling Grounds Me

It’s weird to say that traveling grounds me, when the act of traveling is moving, exploring and adventuring. How can something that is rooted in moving, ground me as a person? It’s helped me to be confident and more sure of who I am. It helps me break down my own barriers and labels that I’ve set on myself. It helps me be comfortable in my own skin and embrace all of me. Traveling as an Asian American, as a Vietnamese American is very different than traveling as an African American, White American, or Mexican American. All of our cultures, identities and habits are different, which results in different experiences.

Traveling as a Vietnamese American has resulted in good and bad experiences! Each of these have grounded me in who I am as a person. It’s made me realize that I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin. I was always self-conscious, very aware of what other people thought of me and always tried to please other people. I always worried about their opinion of me. Traveling has broken down that frontier and made me feel more vulnerable than I knew possible! But, it’s also made me think a bit more about who I want to be and what I want to be known as. It’s grounded me in my beliefs, identity and my voice.

Traveling Recharges Me

There are definitely times when I need a break from traveling. Your body gets tired trying to get used to constant time zone changes, moving around, sleeping in odd areas and walking through different cities. But, traveling recharges me in a different way than a spa recharges me! When I’m feeling stuck and uninspired, when I’m feeling unsure of what I’m doing, traveling allows me to find inspiration in mundane things. It sounds cliché, doesn’t it? Traveling recharges my batteries and allows me to find inspiration to create and write! It recharges me when I’m struggling to come up with different ideas for blog posts and vlogs!

I never have to travel very far. It could be to a different city, visiting a new area of my town that I’ve never seen before, or just going out and changing my routine a bit. These little acts of “travel” help me to recharge, refresh and clear my mind. It allows me to enjoy the moment that I have outside of my routine. I’m able to draw inspiration from my surroundings and have moments to myself, which is the best cure for all my stresses and worries!

Traveling Strengthens Me

When I was a junior in college, I went through a rough break-up that made me feel alone and unsure of who I was. After the situation, I was told that I couldn’t be by myself and I always needed to be with someone to feel happy. I felt such a sting hearing those words. I promised that I would completely reinvent myself and show that I was an independent and strong woman. I told myself that I would show everyone how independent, strong and fierce I was; that I didn’t need anyone else to make me happy! I’ve followed this mantra for the past few years and traveling helps me remember this!

When I travel solo, I sometimes feel scared and definitely weird. I feel a bit “out of place” and self-conscious of who I am. I’m worried if people will think that I’m just a lonely person. Traveling reminds me that these limits are only things that I place on myself. I AM an independent, strong and fierce woman. What I told myself my junior year of college holds true.  I can be who I want to be! I choose to be strong, confident, fierce and independent! And you, yes you, can be, too!

There’s a reason I definitely enjoy spending most of my money on traveling. It’s a way for me to grow as a person. I can recharge and rejuvenate, find inspiration and remind myself that I am capable of more than I let myself believe! What activities inspire or heal, y’all? If it’s traveling, what does traveling do for you?