In Conclusion...

As the new year begins and my time in Spain has passed. I want to take a moment to reflect on the top five things I learned, both about myself and traveling.

Traveling Lessons:

1. Traveling is fun, but traveling too much in a short period of time will leave you extremely exhausted.

2. Talk to new people! It's not as scary as you think it is, and most people will respond kindly.

3. Go to new countries, there will be someone there who speaks your language or you can google everything.

4. Traveling is not as expensive as it seems!! Yes it's pricey, but if you plan ahead flights could be your shoe money for a couple months rather than a down payment for a house.

5. Travel with friends! It's worth it and makes the experience so much better. However, don't be afraid to travel by yourself. It's not as scary as it seems and there is an entire community of people doing the same thing.

Life Lessons:

1. I love thinking up new ideas, even if I don't have the skills yet to make them reality.

2. The only reason I can't do things is because I tell myself I can't do it.

3. Advance planning is not as hard as it seems and using it makes life easier.

4. Traveling for short periods of time is better for me than months at a time.

5. I have serious FOMO. (My nephew was born a week after I left and I wanted to see him every day since!)

Last and especially not least:

Things will go wrong. Don't try to avoid problems, just try to make them problems you want to face.

Well, my traveling is complete and I'm happy to be home. There were ups and downs, but I challenge you to do something new and scary this year, and see how your perspectives on life change.

Happy New Year and may you grow beyond your wildest dreams!

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Fingers Crossed. Prayers Sent.