Here at BeforeYouGo.com, we love to travel. We like to experience new places around our own town, our state, our country, and the whole world.
We love to expand ourselves by seeing places with our own eyes. No matter how many pictures or movies you've seen with the Grand Canyon, there is just no way to do it justice without standing on the rim yourself.
We love to see how other people in the world live. It is easy to get caught up in your own city, or even your own neighborhood, and lose touch with how different (and how similar) the rest of the world lives. Walking down the streets of another city can give you a real appreciation for how different lifestyles can change and shape ones perspectives on the world.
We also think it is priceless to get out there and travel, not just for fun, but to serve people. Often when someone goes on vacation it becomes about them and their time to have fun and take a break. But going and putting others first and serving people is more life changing than any leisure vacation.
We love how history can come alive through travel. Seeing where historical events took place, standing where the world was changed, and walking down streets that are thousands of years old makes history come alive.
We love how traveling can strengthen relationships. Spending time with people outside the normal distractions of daily life can really open up new ways to get to know someone create unique, shared experiences together.
Traveling isn't always cheap, but you can find good deals to most places sometime, and there are ways to stick to a budget once you get to your destination. If you prepare in advance and make sure you are wise with your money you can do a lot of great trips for much, much less than you'd expect. In Hawaii, for example, you could spend a week exploring, snorkeling, and hiking to waterfalls and not pay a penny for any guided tour, boat ride, or entrance fee.
Traveling isn't always easy, especially with small kids. But it is always worth it. Even if a trip felt like a hassle at times, or there were screaming kids or headaches along the way, there isn't a trip we've taken that we now regret. All of our trips have given us great memories.