dreaming of travel

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been dreaming of traveling the world — immersing myself in new cultures, experiencing how people live in places far from my own. I specifically remember being eighteen, sitting in my Houston apartment, watching YouTube videos of destinations I longed to explore. I watched other people live my dreams and clung to the hope that one day, it would be me. I spent hours scrolling through Google Flights, hunting for cheap tickets to far-off places. At that age, nothing else mattered. Just traveling.

When I was nineteen, I went to a lantern festival in Texas. My friends and I wrote our biggest dreams on our lanterns, lit them, and sent them soaring into the sky. Mine read: “Travel Europe for 90 days.” Ninety days, of course, because at nineteen, I wasn’t worried about visas or logistics—I just wanted to go, right then and there.

But “right then” wasn’t meant to be. My dream had to wait—seven years, to be exact. Seven years! At the time, waiting felt impossible. Who wants to wait seven years for a dream they’ve carried in their heart since they were a teenager? Not me. And yet, looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. Those years taught me patience, self-trust, and confidence — three essential things not just for traveling, but for life.

This past summer, that dream finally came true. I traveled across Western Europe, made incredible friends, created memories that will last a lifetime, and planted new dreams in my heart. I’ve heard people say they travel when they’re young just to “get it out of their system” before settling down and “living their life.” I’ve realized, though, that travel is never something I will truly get out of my system. It’s a part of who I am, and I am so grateful for that. We are meant to explore, and that will never change for me.

Now, when I dream about traveling, it’s different. It’s no longer a distant hope—I know it’s happening, and I trust it will continue. Travel has shaped me into who I am, and it fuels the way I dream, live, and see the world.

I am dreaming with my eyes wide open.