As a senior in college, people ask me all the time what I’m going to be doing upon graduation. Of course I have plenty of goals, plans and aspirations that automatically spew out of my mouth. But if I were to be honest, I would always respond, “I want to travel.”
I don’t want to travel just for the sake of it or to say I’ve done it. I want to learn and discover. I want to be able to tell others about what I saw, what I learned and what I did. I’ve traveled to plenty of places afar while Wofford. But of course that’s not doable all the time. This semester I’ve taken shorter trips to a lot of cool places.
One of my favorites was Nashville. Sadly, we were there for a memorial service, but I’m really glad I went. Getting to meet Martha’s family is something that I am very thankful for. I also spent a lot of time with good friends. Although I only spent about 20 hours in Nashville, I fell in love with the city. It just had a great vibe. It even inspired one of my art pieces.
I travel to Atlanta a lot. My girlfriend attends school there and that’s why I initially started coming to the capital of the South. But now that I’ve explored the city and have gotten to know it, I realize that there are so many reasons worth going there. I’ve met really cool and inspiring people, both celebrities and non-celebrities alike. I could see myself living there.
Traveling for concerts and shows is so awesome. Concerts are kind of like church in a way. I think the common factor is the notion that people like to commune around a shared experience. It’s really cool. Tonight I’m seeing Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar in concert. Last month I saw Drake in concert. Drake and Kanye are two of my favorite artists and influence a lot of my work.
I can’t wait to share my future travel experiences with y’all. Exploring the world is something everyone should do even if it’s just a few hours away from home. It’s not about going some place new just to say you did it. It’s about going some place with a purpose. It’s about learning something new. It’s about gaining an understanding about something greater than yourself. That’s what makes you a traveler.