Travelling Changed My Life Forever
by Bonnie Hinschberger
They say that travel changes you. While I still haven’t been able to determine who “they” are, I certainly agree with this statement. Travelling has forever changed me. It has given me perspective on life that I would have never had without the first-hand experiences I have been fortunate to participate in. Many of the places I have visited and the things I have seen have molded me into the person I am today. One trip, in particular, changed my life forever.
That was my maiden exploration trip in 1984 backpacking through Europe with my best friend, Denise. We were naïve about travelling but had a desire to see the world, meet new people and challenge ourselves to do it. In a world without cell phones and computers we relied on our guidebooks, maps and train schedules to lead us through the various countries we visited. What changed my life forever was the meeting of two gals from Boston, Sally & Cecilia, who were on a similar journey as us. The four of us connected immediately and then travelled together for the remainder of our trip. The friendships we made continued to grow long after we hung up our back packs. Since then, we have shared in each other’s lives with a multitude of visits to each other’s homes, weddings, birthdays, the births of our children and with deep sadness, a funeral. There are now three of us left. We are forever friends and treasure the time we were able to spend with each other.
Again, this summer we set aside a time to reunite, laugh and giggle as we reminisced about our trip to Europe. We all have a few more wrinkles and perhaps we are a little wiser, but our stories of who we are today would not be the same had we not taken that maiden voyage. We are all changed forever and I am forever grateful to have had the courage to take that trip in 1984!
If you’ve ever waivered on whether you should take a trip, just do it! It just might change your life forever!
Bonnie Hinschberger,
Broad Escapes Co-founder
1930 Hyde Park Road, Suite 4
London, ON, Canada N6H 5L9
Email: info@broadescapes.com
Website: www.broadescapes.com
Phone: 1-800-668-0719 or 1-519-672-7020
