When I was younger, a camping trip with my Girl Scout troop, a car ride to visit family in Las Vegas, or one of the road trips to see relatives in Denver felt like seeing the world. At the time, I didn’t even think of it as travel—it was simply what we did. Looking back, those experiences were my first introduction to exploring beyond my everyday life.
Then my favorite aunt moved to Ohio and got married. That trip changed everything. It was my first time on an airplane, and from the moment we took off, I was hooked. I wanted to fly everywhere. My aunt would go on to give me several more opportunities to travel, and each trip expanded my view of what was possible.
After college, I joined the U.S. Navy. While my military service came with its share of challenges and difficult experiences, it also opened the door to a level of travel I never could have imagined. The Navy introduced me to a unique version of cruising. No, it wasn’t the same as a luxury cruise ship, but it let me see parts of the world I might never have visited otherwise.
To make the long stretches at sea more exciting, I would tell myself that each leg of the journey was simply a week-long cruise to the next destination. Some routes became familiar—Bahrain to Dubai and Dubai back to Bahrain happened more times than I can count. But there were also unforgettable journeys from San Diego to Hawaii, from Hawaii to India, from India to Singapore, from Singapore to Bahrain, from Bahrain to Australia, from Australia to Hawaii, and eventually back to San Diego. Each stop offered a glimpse into a different culture, food, and way of life.
Long before those international adventures, my family had already given me the best version of travel they could afford. I have wonderful memories of visiting the Hoover Dam, wandering through botanical gardens, and spending time at more lakes than I can count. Those experiences shaped how I viewed the world. They taught me that travel isn’t defined by distance or cost—it’s defined by discovery.
As a child, I genuinely believed that if you wanted to eat fish, you had to catch and clean it yourself because that’s what my family did. Fishing trips weren’t just recreation; they were part of life. Looking back, it’s funny to realize how much our early experiences shape our understanding of the world.
That’s why I always encourage parents to travel with their children in whatever way they can. Travel doesn’t have to be expensive. It doesn’t have to involve passports, resorts, or international flights.
When my son was six years old, I bought a tent and camped with him in our backyard because that was the adventure I could afford at the time. We made memories just a few feet from our back door. Today, that same little boy is seventeen and asking about trips to Greece and Egypt.
Those backyard camping trips didn’t limit his view of the world—they expanded it.
Travel grows with us. What starts as a tent in the backyard can eventually become dreams of ancient ruins, Mediterranean islands, and adventures halfway around the globe. The important thing isn’t how far you go. It’s about going somewhere, experiencing something new, and creating memories together.
Because one day, those small trips may inspire a lifetime of curiosity about the world.
