Just Do It

Nike’s advertising campaign has become my travel advice for the timid.

Comfort zones really are meant to be challenged, but not to be trifled with. They are there to keep us safe and, well, comfortable. But, in order to grow we must stretch. To expand our horizons, literally and figuratively, we need to move beyond the familiar.

How better to do that than travel? So long as you exercise a bit of common sense, you’ll probably find that people are people all over the world. (Wait…wasn’t that a song?) Some are bad, most are good, and a few will stay in your memories forever. You’ll find that local life goes on much like it does at home, even for people who call paradise home. Nothing to be afraid of; lots of new things to learn and explore.

I know there are real fears and inhibitions that require time and patience to overcome but, generally, by the time someone asks me about a trip they’re considering, they’ve largely conquered their fears. The gap between their comfort zone and the challenge under consideration is not unbridgeable. All they really need is for someone they trust to say, “Just do it.”

If you travel, you owe it to travel-wary friends and family to give them the same encouragement! Share your stories, offer your advice. Help them discover that the world outside their comfort zone isn’t so bad if they’ll just go.