Hi Friends!
In continuation with my blog series on: “How travel has made me/my life blissful!” which features articles from my fellow blogger friends from around the world, it gives me immense pleasure to present to you the wonderful Jason G. Gotuato who runs the travel blog called: Where’s Jason?
Let us find out how Travel has made Jason’s life blissful!
What’s up guys?! I’m Jason from the Philippines. I created Where’s Jason? – an adventure blog, which aims to inform and inspire people about the joy of travel and outdoor activities. My quest is to conquer the world and bring out the adventurer in YOU! Follow my awesome adventures @wheresjason_ig on Instagram and @wheresjasong on Facebook.
I started traveling at an early age. Thanks to my parents! But, I hated planes as a child. It felt exhausting. It was like my ears and brain would explode every time I travel by air… how horrible. I get nothing through traveling, I thought. It was better to stay home and play basketball with friends. I even declined an invite from my mom to spend the holidays in Italy back during my high school days.
However, things changed as I entered my college life. My brother and sister were traveling to a lot of countries. They seemed extra happy sharing their stories. Browsing through their pictures made me curious on what it feels like to travel to different places. My feet got itchy. Good thing opportunities came. I was able to join field trips to Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and India. My family also went to Hong Kong for a short vacation. With these experiences, I started to fall in love with traveling.
Suddenly, the aroma of the air from a foreign land became ADDICTING, hearing foreigners speak… AMUSING, getting lost on the road… INTERESTING and tasting different dishes… EXCITING.
I got bitten by a HUGE travel bug. Thirty countries were scratched out from my map. So far my favorites are Iceland, Greece, and Maldives.
You know that feeling when you explored a country for the first time? I love that feeling. I crave for it. I feel like I live for that. The only problem you have to solve is to figure out how to maximize your time in that country. No worries, just fun! Wouldn’t it be awesome to spend a vacation for longer days, months, or even years?
Traveling became my thing – the thing that made me happier in life. I would prefer plane tickets over signature shoes, hostel accommodations over branded clothes, and extreme activities over the latest gadgets. Memories are far more important than material things. Experiences will remain forever. That’s why I always choose to travel whenever the window and door opens.
Through traveling I was able to overcome a number of fears – the fear of being alone, of being exposed to strangers, of heights, of falling, and many others. I became a better me. I went out of my comfort zone and did a lot of crazy stuff like jumping out of a plane and diving between the North American and Eurasian plates. My adventures were the best things that happened to me! And doing those adventures in a different country added some “spice” to it. It’s pretty cool to venture into the unknown. I became hungrier for the thrill and excitement. It gave more colors to my life. The feeling of being able to do stuff you thought you could never do was awesome. I’m livin’ the life! And it’s awesome AF.
Being exposed to different kinds of environment and people entailed a lot of life lessons. My mind has opened up. I gained new insights and different perspectives. I began to understand different cultures and how our geographic location paved the way on how we think. An example would be how the Western mindset differs from the East on a number of aspects in life: raising a child, managing money, relationships, religion, etc. These are things which you could get a better grasp outside the four corners of a room. Travel and see it in the flesh. You’d appreciate your life more.
Another thing to take note is that traveling is not defined by taking selfies, and posting it on social media. It is deeper than that. Making a sweet bond between people is better than a mere snapshot. You’d gain friends around the globe, share stories and be inspired with each other. You’d create a special moment – an irreplaceable one, which you will add to your travel memoirs. Each one of us is a tiny speck on this big @ss world. Wouldn’t it be awesome to share memories with one another?
To sum it up, there are basically three things that travel made my life blissful: OVERCOMING FEARS BY DOING AWESOME ADVENTURES, LEARNING THROUGH EXPERIENCE, and MAKING FRIENDS. And as cliché as it may sound, I just wanted to say that life is short. I realized how true this statement was when cancer took my mom away last 2012. It sucked. But that’s life and I have to accept it. We will leave this world someday. It is inevitable. So wherever you are, do what makes your life blissful. Follow your bliss.