You've changed but feel the same.

Travelling has taught me many many things. In life, there are events and experiences you can clearly remember changing your life, for good or bad, but having such a big impact on you, to the point you could say they shaped you.
Travelling has had and still has a massive positive impact on my life, and also on me, as a person.
It's quite incredible that something you never really thought about can suddenly become such a big part of your life, if not your life.
I go to bed thinking of next upcoming trip, I kill time searching for new destinations, I read travellers' blogs, I save money for backpack, plane tickets and I daydream of long deserted islands, crowded cities or wild mountains. That's just a tiny little bit of how important it has become for me. And I thought I'd share with you some of the biggest things it has taught me.

Travelling taught me that everything is worth interest and discovery. 

I used to be only interested in few countries, couldn't even imagine myself going to Russia or China. I was absolutely closed, only willing to discover what belonged to the selection I had come up with, without any good reason.Sure, there are countries and places or cultures I'm more attracted to, but I now love the whole world, and am willing to learn about anywhere, and any culture.

Also people matter.

We're all the same. We're obviously all different, but how so similar. Tears taste the same in Mongolia or Bolivia, laughs warm up your heart no matter where you are, and a smile is still the most beautiful thing ever, be it in Tokyo or a small village in Ukraine. I've always loved people, I've always loved getting to know them, hearing about their stories, learning about their dreams, their favorite places, learning new languages, new cultures and trusting them. Travelling has only proved me I was right. People are amazing, and most of the things( if not all of them) you do, are great thanks to the people around you, whether they are just strangers in the street, in a bar or a restaurant, the guy sitting next to you in the subway, your classmates, the office lady, your best friends, your family... Travels are what they are thanks to the people you meet.

It also taught me to enjoy now fully and only.

When you're travelling, as much as it needs a lot of planning and organization, you just learn to appreciate the  moment, and live day by day. Everyday is a new chance, new opportunity to see things you wouldn't see in your daily life, and it makes everything really precious. Tomorrow you'll be somewhere else, meet other people and your path will be a different one. So you quickly learn how to make the best of each day.

Being a traveller taught me to feel free

It's not a secret anymore, I have various anxieties, feel pretty self conscious in many situations, and anxiety disorders can make your life pretty hard. There are so many experiences and people I miss, because I feel too anxious, too scared. But while abroad, on a trip, I feel free and how so very light. I can talk to people, I can ask my way, I don't mind looking lost, entering shops and places I have no clue about, trusting strangers,     and just doing anything. Not that I feel reckless, I just feel good and free. It's not another person, I'm not transforming, I just feel like suddenly all these layers that aren't me, that are preventing from doing so many things are disappearing in front of such a beautiful world, full of beautiful people.

Last but not least, it gave me balance.

I need travelling to reconnect with myself, to reconnect with others, with my dreams, my hopes and certitudes. I don't feel like I'm running away from my life when I'm travelling, nor do I feel like I am trying to escape from something. When I'm travelling, I'm fully alive, fully enjoying, tasting, hearing, smelling, feeling, touching, laughing  and breathing. It helps me coping with all the shit that happens in life, with all the doubts and the insecurities. I feel complete, yet always hungry for more landscapes, hotelrooms, flights, people, cultureshocks, local foods, cultural experiences. Sure of you who are, but constantly growing up, foreigner yet at home everywhere, in movement but steady. Wandering, but knowing exactly where you are, as it feels like your feet are kissing the ground, with each step you take.

Same place, yet so different. A difference of two years between these two pictures, and this isn't the only thing that's different. But it felt pretty familiar to stand there again. Just the same but differently.