Europe Changed My Perspective

Traveling to Europe is on plenty of people’s bucket lists. I was lucky enough to be able to take time off work and spend 30 days there. Check out my 30-day adventure! Yes, I traveled solo and yes, I loved it. No, I didn’t get lonely and yes, I had an absolutely wonderful time. If you have any questions on solo travel, check out my article!

Things are a bit different in Europe. Everyone knows that air conditioning is more scarce and ice isn’t offered with your water. While I do appreciate these things much more after spending a month in Europe, the feeling you get while being there is much more relaxing and not as fast-paced, even in big cities. When you’re at restaurants, you aren’t checked on every five seconds and expected to be up and out within an hour. You can enjoy your meal with minimal interruptions. Take your time, relax, and enjoy the moments you have to yourself or with your loved ones.

In America, it’s very common to strike up a conversation out of the blue with someone in line behind you or standing next to you at a store. Europeans don’t normally chat you up and give you compliments. They keep to themselves and enjoy their peace while shopping or taking a stroll. Live in the moment and embrace a slightly different way of life.

Around every corner is a building that has been around for hundreds of years. Stunning architecture, outstanding colors, crazy designs, and a new story around every corner. The stories attached to the places you go and the things you see are never-ending. Take in the value of experiences over things.

Traveling to seven different countries over the course of a month showed me how unimportant some things are that I have been making a priority the entirety of my life. Americans make money such a top-tier priority. Yes, you obviously need money to survive, but people push themselves to the brink of exhaustion to make it and give no time for themselves. You need to take that time for yourself, you need to take breaks and mental holidays to keep yourself going. Put yourself first - make things like family or travel a priority instead of material things.

The more you travel, the more you learn. Learn about people, culture, food, and history. You become more open-minded and more willing to broaden your perspective. All of these attributes easily translate to life at home. Most people don't like change; things staying the same is easy. I don't love change, but I am way more open to it now than I was before I started to travel. I try new foods, I talk to new people, I'm willing to go do something different than what's a part of my normal routine.

Food is so different, and it makes you wonder how much healthier you can be living over in Europe. GMOs are banned in most of Europe. There's no High Fructose Corn Syrup in just about everything you eat. No tons of herbicides or pesticides. No preservatives in most of the foods. Food made you feel good and energized. I didn't want to lose that feeling, so I'm doing what I can to make sure that I'm eating clean. I'm not taking in harmful red and blue dyes or any excess ingredients that I can't pronounce.

Money almost always returns. In my opinion, it’s way better to spend it on experiences than things. Enjoy the time you are living in now; if you’re so focused on the future, what’s ahead and the money you can earn, you’ll miss the present moment you’ve been working so hard to get to. Sit back and take some time to relax and enjoy your life. Do what's best for you sometimes, make sure you are taken care of.

Growing up you're taught a specific way of life, and you get used to that way of life. Traveling to Europe showed me that the way of life you're used to isn't always the way of life you need to follow. Open your mind to new things, and maybe you can make some changes that better yourself.