pieces of advice

Traveling is something really special. There is something nostalgic about it. When traveling, you experience culture, food and people. Traveling is about the adventure just as much as it is about finding yourself. With that, I want to introduce you to Amanda. She is one of my sorority sisters who has an awesome job; not only does she encounter new lives an save people she travels. Amanda is a traveling nurse and her life is filled with many new experiences. Below Amanda writes about a few things that resonate with her and I think these things will resonate with any 20-somethings. After reading this blog post, I hope you leave with this: travel much, travel often – make it happen no matter the cost.

you can find me at: @K_AnnM | Insta | LinkedIn

Pass It On

guest blog presented by: Amanda Bentz
You can find Amanda on Twitter: @AmandaRoseBentz; insta: amanda_rose_021, make sure you follow her

“The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself.” – Oscar Wilde

I recently came across an article online titled “100 Pieces of Advice from 100-Year-Olds.” Intrigued, I found myself reading the collection of genuine, honest and somewhat humorous pieces of advice gathered from a collection of people who have lived a century. After reading advice on exercise, diets, marriage, pets, money, jobs and attitude, I paused on one that resonated with me.

 “Travel while you’re young and able. Don’t worry about the money, just make it work. Experience is far more valuable than money will ever be.”

Traveling has always been a desire of mine. I will always appreciate my roots and my small town upbringing, but I can’t help but wonder what else is out there? What am I missing if I pass up an opportunity to travel to a new location? This fueled my dream to become a travel nurse and relocate to a new hospital every three months. However, this form of travel doesn’t require extra money to be spent on my end. It’s the traveling that I want to do while I’m in a new location that costs money. As a 23-year-old with no dependents and a stable income, I feel like I am ‘young and able’ to travel. But shouldn’t I be focusing on paying off my student loans and saving money for my future?

Budgeting money is a stress that many people deal with. It’s a necessity to thrive in today’s economy. Everyone treats it differently, but I think it’s safe to say that it’s always a worry. We spend a lot of our money on tangible things that we use every day that benefit us such as groceries, clothing, gas, transportation, heat, cable, internet, etc. These are things most people consider a necessity. But traveling? That’s something that people can do without. What do you get out of traveling anyways? A week here, an extended weekend there – what’s the purpose?

“Experience is far more valuable than money will ever be.” This is my favorite part of the advice. Experience is one thing that can never be taken away from you. By traveling to new locations, we experience new things. Food, people, culture, climate, lifestyles, history – the list goes on and on. I believe that experiencing these things opens your mind and allows you to grow and develop as a person. That is something money cannot buy. That’s why I think this man is advising us to ‘make it work’. How do you do that? Well, I challenge you to figure it out.

“Now more than ever do I realize that I will never be content with a sedentary life, that I will always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere.” – Isabelle Eberhardt