Changed by Travel

Writing from our shoot in Italy, my thoughts are brief but wide, mostly about this big, beautiful world we live in. International travel captured me from a very young age, and not just the glamorous kind. Even traveling alone to places like Colombia or Rwanda has never given me pause, only excitement, because no matter the place or the prominence, I never return home the same.

It turns out that’s not just me, science now shows that something actually happens in our brains when we travel. And it doesn’t have to be across the world. Even taking a different way home from work or anywhere in your normal driving routine has been shown to impact neural plasticity. On this trip, (unexpectedly, because I’ve spent so much time in Italy), I actually called my husband and said, “I can’t believe how much this trip has already changed my view of various things.” Not least of which are creative views, ideas, and new inspiration.

Grateful for travel in all ways, but mostly for how infinitesimally small it makes me feel while simultaneously making me feel more connected to everything and everyone than anything else can.