Travel gives insight, brings new perspective when coming home

Traveling has always held great importance to me. Although I haven’t traveled very far and hope to go many more new places in the future, it has given me insight into the kind of life I would like to someday live. Not only does one see all of the beautiful places that seem only to exist in the imagination, but also the places that make you grateful for the home that you are given.

Taking this last week to travel through Canada was a surprise and was filled with new experiences, beautiful weather, and an increased appreciation for the world. I saw national parks, hot springs, more than a few mountain goats, and lots and lots of open road.

As a student it was definitely a struggle to take a week off school towards the end, but in my opinion it is important to take the chances we get.

For many people traveling means going to some far away tropical paradise, but it really can be anything you want. What should have been a long road home was an exciting adventure exploring new places. Things can go right and things can really go wrong, but it is worth it in the end.

Through trips we often see much of the bad along with the good, but it only makes me appreciate the good that much more. It is difficult to travel through towns where the people who live there have so much less than what I have and what so many people around me have. From those experiences I can say that I have learned to appreciate what we have here in Whitefish and also to be more understanding of the situations and lifestyles of other people.

Seeing the hard stuff along with the beautiful is just a part of the journey that everyone should go through.

In my life, a break from the norm can be a lifesaver and I could see that it would be that way for many others. It is essential in this short life that we all live to take the opportunities we are given to see what we can of the world, even if that just means exploring what’s close to home. Those memories are what we will remember forever, not the test that we had to take fifth period last week.

Traveling gave me new experiences and the opportunity to also visit colleges that I normally would not have thought of going to. It was refreshing to see new things and get a possible glimpse of what the future might hold. Mark Twain once said “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.” I believe that whole heartedly and hope that everyone is given the opportunity to travel somewhere new in their life.

Annie Howeth is a senior at Whitefish High School.