行走的力量：趁年轻多去旅行吧！

I have been very fortunate to travel extensively throughout the world while still young. I have visited most of the continental United States, plus many cities in Alaska and Hawaii. I also traveled abroad to Africa, Switzerland, Ireland, Great Britain, Scotland, France, Mexico, and Bonaire. I then lived for several years in Grenada, West Indies. I wouldn’t trade my experiences for the world, and I still have so many countries yet to visit. Based on my experience, I recommend every young person get out of their hometown and see what’s out there. Here are seven ways traveling changed me forever.

我很幸运，依然年轻的我已到过世界的很多地方。我曾游历过美国的大部分内陆地区和阿拉斯加、夏威夷的许多城市，也曾行走在非洲、瑞士、爱尔兰、英国、苏格兰、法国、墨西哥和博内尔岛的土地上。我在西印度群岛的格林纳达度过了几年时光。我不想说走遍了世界，因为前面还有许多国家在向我招手。基于个人经验，我建议年轻人走出家门，去看看外面的世界。下面是旅行使我永久改变的七个方面:

1. Traveling changes the way you relate to the world.

旅行改变你与世界的联系方式

I grew up in a tiny rural town. If I hadn’t had the opportunity to travel when I was younger, I would have a difficult time envisioning much else outside my comfortable country bubble. When you travel to other countries and see the amazing beauty of sunsets over seas, eagles riding mountain currents, monkeys swinging through rain forests, grizzlies catching salmon in the rapids, majestic waterfalls spilling off vertical drops, and volcanoes smoking under their fiery breath, you realize the world is full of more beauty that you are capable of seeing in a lifetime. But, you still have the intense passion to try.

我长在一个乡村小镇。如果年轻时没有机会旅行，我会满足于自认为舒适的乡村生活。当你领略异域风情，看到海上日落、山鹰盘旋、猴子穿梭雨林，灰熊激流抓鲑鱼，高涯飞瀑，火山喷发后烟雾迷离的惊世之美时，你知道世上有着你一生览不尽的美景，但是，你仍然充满激情。

If you don’t see this when you are younger, you have less desire to venture out when you are older and have job and family constraints in play. If I didn’t know what I was missing, I would have less of a desire to put the effort into taking the time to travel. You also develop a deeper sense of obligation to save our planet’s beauty for the coming generations. After all, you’ve seen it firsthand, and it’s worth saving!

如果年轻时不出去看看，等年龄大一些，有了工作，再加上家庭的约束，就更没有冒险的渴望了。如果不知道我在错过什么，我就不会有想方设法抽出时间去旅行的强烈渴望。与此同时，为子孙后代保护地球之美的更深切的责任感油然而生。你亲眼见证了地球之美，子孙后代也应该享受到这种盛景。

2. Traveling changes the way you relate to others.

旅行改变你与他人的联系方式

Unfortunately, the area I grew up in didn’t have much diversity. Everyone looked and acted basically the same. When I traveled, I learned about other cultures. I realized that my life could be enriched by developing friendships with people who didn’t look or act like me.

很遗憾，我生长的地方缺乏多样性，每个人的长相以及他们的行为方式基本相同。旅行时，我知道其他文化的存在。我意识到，与那些长相或行为方式和我的不同的人发展友谊，可以丰富我的人生。

Far from my hometown, I developed friendships with people who were nothing like me, but were exactly what I needed. This taught me to embrace, not fear, experiences and relationships that were outside my comfort zone. It also taught me the importance of communication skills. Let’s just say I paid a lot better attention during college Spanish class after visiting Mexico, and perked up in French class after my time in France and Africa.

在远方，和与我完全不同却正是我需要的人成了朋友。我从中学会了拥抱而不是惧怕舒适区以外的体验与友情，我还懂得了沟通能力的重要性。我想说的是，墨西哥归来的我在大学里更努力地学习西班牙语，法国和非洲归来的我投入更大的热情学习法语。

3. Traveling humbles you enough to realize it’s not all about you.

旅行让你谦卑、关注他人

the older I become, the more I realize I actually know very little about life. It seems the confidence of knowing it all is usually graced upon the young. However, the sooner that bubble bursts, the better; at least in my case. Traveling sometimes puts you in tough situations. You see that the world is so much bigger than your perspective on it. You soon realize the world doesn’t revolve around you. You learn that you really weren’t the big fish in the ocean, but just a tiny minnow in a pothole.

随着年龄的增长，我越发意识到我对生活知之甚少。似乎年轻人有着无所不知的自信，而这种自信越早打破越好，至少在我如此。旅行时而将你带入困境。你知道，世界比你的想像要广阔得多。你很快会意识到世界不是以你为中心，你不过是水坑里的一条小米诺鱼，而不是大海里的一条大鱼。

Now, that doesn’t mean you aren’t still important, but it does change your perspective to be more open to learning from other people and situations vs lecturing and bestowing your vast wisdom to those lucky enough to be in earshot. Traveling teaches you to let go of the perceived concept of control. You learn that it’s a big enough challenge to just control yourself, and learn to give up trying to do so for the rest of the planet.

并不是说你不重要，而是旅行的确开阔视野，让你乐于从他人或身外的环境中获取知识，而不是向那些有幸倾听你的人讲述你的无穷智慧并赐予他们知识。旅行教你不固守已感知到的控制理念。控制自己就已是巨大的挑战，不要为试图控制周围的事物作徒劳努力。

4. Traveling empowers you to take on new challenges.

旅行让你充满激情地迎接新挑战

Just as traveling is humbling, it is also empowering. You realize you can do things you never thought possible. For example, I have lived for the past two years in Grenada, West Indies. I have always enjoyed driving on the right side of nicely paved and open roads of the U.S. Here, I was thrown into driving on the left side of the road on twisty mountain passes down broken roads that aren’t much bigger than a one-lane driveway, yet they expect two-way traffic to freely meet around the blind corners. Add to the lovely mix the fact that there are drop-offs with no guard rail along most of the drive, and far below the sheer free fall you see the rooftops of homes.

正如旅行让你谦卑，旅行赋予你力量。你会意识到，你能做你以前认为不可能的事情。例如，在过去的两年里我一直住在西印度群岛的格林纳达。我很享受在美国平坦空旷的公路上靠右行驶的感觉。想想我曾经沿着不比单行道宽多少的崎岖山路靠左行驶，希冀着在看不到对面来车的拐角处有条双行道来避免撞车。更可怕的是，沿途几乎看不到护栏的公路上还有陡坡，而下面是可以自由落体的悬崖，悬崖下还住着人家。

So, if I lose control, I not only kill myself, but I land on a house and kill a nice family having dinner. No pressure! Yet, after more than a few white-knuckled moments, I can now drive comfortably with the locals and don’t bat an eye at the drop offs, the livestock in the road, the pot holes, or the fact that there is no way I should have made it through that tight squeeze with that oncoming car without losing a mirror. Conquering this fear helped me learn that I could adapt to more than I felt I was capable of conquering. I think that’s a good thing to learn at any age, but you can apply it longer throughout your lifetime if you start early.

所以，如果失控了，杀死的不只我自己，车子砸向屋顶，还要殃及正在吃饭一个幸福家庭。现在轻松了！经历多次紧张时刻后，我可以舒服地与当地人一起驾车，不必为陡坡、路上的家畜或坑槽而汗涔涔，也不必担心对面来车无路可逃而挂掉倒车镜。对这种恐惧的征服让我知道，我应对恐惧的能力出乎我的意料。我觉得这种经历对任何年龄的人都是件好事情，如果早体验，那么你一生中会受益更多。

5. Traveling gives you empathy for global suffering.

旅行让你与世界同甘苦

When you travel, you learn how much you truly have that you take for granted. Many people live in poverty that is unfathomable to those who have never walked their streets and heard their stories. Watching the wars and famines on the news takes on a whole new meaning when you have a personal connection with the people there. You lose the callousness and egotistic attitude that can sometimes develop when you can’t relate to that region of the world. And, it compels you to help others and give back.

旅行时，你会重新审视你认为理应拥有的东西。许多人生活在贫穷中，那种未走近他们、不知道他们故事的人无法理解的贫穷。亲眼目睹人们饱受战争与饥饿之苦时，资讯中播放的战争与饥饿会在你眼前呈现出全新的概念。在你不知道人们遭受苦难时，无情与自私悄然滋长，但接触过遭受苦难的人之后，这样的态度就会消失，你将伸出援手帮助他人。

6. Traveling pushes your educational horizons.

旅行增长见识

Sadly, I never liked history in school. Just reading the stories in books seemed so boring to me. However, when I visited the palace of Versailles in France, marveled at the architecture of basilicas in Africa, climbed the ruins of castles in Ireland, visited the White House, and walked the halls of the Louvre, I couldn’t help but get a new appreciation for history. Traveling makes history come alive. The stories are no longer pictures in a book, but tangible memories you remember much longer than anything you could study in school.

令人难过的是，我在学校从不喜欢历史。读书本上那些故事似乎无聊至极。但在我参观法国凡尔赛宫时、赞叹非洲大教堂的建筑风格时、登上爱尔兰城堡废墟时、踏入白宫时、徜徉在卢浮宫的殿堂时，我情不自禁地对历史产生了鉴赏之情。旅行赋予历史生命。书中的故事不再是图片，而是有形的记忆，它比书本上学到的任何东西都留存更久远。

7. We are never guaranteed old age, so enjoy life’s experiences now!

我们不能决定自己的寿命，所以现在就开始享受生活体验吧！

I think a lot of young people put off traveling because they want to be responsible, work hard, get married, have kids, and build up a life. However, I think it’s a mistake to put off traveling in exchange for the belief that you can do it when you retire and have more time. While I certainly plan to continue to travel after I retire, I also realize I am not guaranteed old age. If something happens and I don’t live to see my forties, fifties, or sixties, I will have no regrets. I have experienced the world to the best of my ability by taking every opportunity presented to me to see all of this gorgeous planet that I can. Traveling has made me the person that I am, and I’m so grateful that I have plenty of years left with this version of me to continue the adventure.

我想许多年轻人因为担负责任、努力工作、结婚生子、开创美好生活，所以推迟着旅行计划。但我觉得退休后或时间富余时再旅行的想法是错误的。我有退休后继续旅行的计划，但同时也知道生命可能随时终止。如果事情发生了，没活到40岁、50岁或60岁，我不后悔。因为我珍惜呈现在面前的每一次机会，尽我所能地溶入这个世界，尽情饱览地球的美丽。旅行成就了现在的我，这版本的我还有充足的余年继续冒险使我心怀感激。