Views on Traveling in Today's World

I take back what I said in my first blog post.  Terrorism does concern me.  By now, everyone has heard about the attacks that occurred in Brussels, and it’s fair to say that we are scared.  A few months ago, despite growing up in a post 9/11 northern New Jersey culture, I didn’t realize that an attack can happen anywhere at any time.  I was naive and I regret that I thought I was immune to this type of danger.  When an attack isn’t a world away, it makes you think.  Truthfully, I debated canceling my travel plans because I was scared.  But then I read that President Obama went to a baseball game a few hours after learning about the attacks.

President Obama reaffirmed my belief that we can’t let our lives stop because of the bad things in this world.  He said that the terrorists want us to change our plans out of fear.  By refusing to change our plans, we are showing them that we are stronger and will win.  There is a difference between living in fear and being vigilant.  I choose to be vigilant because if I refuse to go out and do things I want to do out of fear, life will not be enjoyable.  Yes, this world is dangerous, but there are ways to protect yourself.  And honestly, if we dwell on the bad “what ifs” we will never truly enjoy life.

So this spring break when I travel to Spain and Portugal, I will enjoy the experience, but I will also be careful, vigilant, and smart about my travels.  There are ways to enjoy traveling and experiencing new cultures while staying safe.  The alternative, staying home, isn’t nearly as rewarding and has its own dangers.  I don’t regret studying abroad because of my new realization of the reality of terrorism.  If anything, it is a sobering experience that has made me more alert.  I am not letting the reality of our current world stop me from enjoying all that life has to offer, so neither should you.