Guest Post: Travels with Ashley

Ashley is one of my best friends and currently lives in Japan. She has a fun travel blog called the Bohemian Sassenach, which I hope you stop by and discover. She kindly wrote this blog post for me while I am, in fact, over in Japan visiting her. 

Hi everyone! I’m Ashley from The Bohemian Sassenach! I’m so excited to be guest blogging for Julie today! I mulled over what topics I could possible blog about, even considered a random geek out post, but finally decided on something I love: Travel!!

I know, I know… tons of people write about travel. I swear I see a new ‘top 10’ list every day! However, I find that a lot of those read like facts collected from Google. So I decided to give you my top 3 reasons why I love to travel & why I hope you’ll jump if opportunity knocks.

#1 – The Experience!

I’m not talking about the hours of airport lines, long flights, and jet lag. I’m talking about stepping outside your comfort zone & diving headfirst into the local environment. Some of my best memories come from wandering around, getting lost, and experiencing life first hand. When we were living in Turkey, we had the chance to get a hands on look at some of the most amazing pieces of history! We spent time climbing around in the ruins of castles, some dating back to the Byzantine Empire! We also visited old amphitheaters, basilica ruins, church caves, and ruins of an early Christian church! Unlike the United States, there are no “hands off!” or “don’t touch!” signs. You can climb castle walls and explore to your hearts content!

#2 – The Food!

This is a no brainer for me, as I am adventurous in my palate. I absolutely advise eating like the locals when given the opportunity! Bonus points if you end up having to order based on photos! This does have the occasional risk… I’ve eaten some weird gelatinous cold seafood soup, fried octopus balls with fermented fish flakes, and a mystery meat that I’m pretty sure was rat… or horse… or dog. However, even with the questionable items, I find myself craving more amazing food experiences. I’ve even found myself falling in love with some of the odd items I come across… such as cheese on sushi! I know, I know… it sounds horrible! I even questioned the sanity of the Japanese culture when I saw this on the local sushi-go-round menu! This turned out to be one of those “tastes better than it sounds” things. So when you find yourself facing a new and unusual food, I hope you’ll give it a try!

#3 – The Friendships!

It is amazing, to me, the beautiful friendships that can be formed as you travel the world. Whether it’s making friends through common interests or a local who wants to teach you about their culture & practice their English. I’ve even found that my personal views of certain people & ideals have broadened as I experience life through their eyes. Along the way, I’ve even been blessed with some lifelong friends who have and continue to enrich my daily life.

So there are my top 3 reasons why I think everyone should travel. Whether it’s international or even just a state or two away, the possibilities are endless! I, personally, have beignets in a New Orleans café on my bucket list! Where have you traveled? What’s on your travel bucket list?