From Cataño to the World: Why do I travel? The Reflection

From Cataño to the World: Why do I travel? The Reflection

"Why do I travel?" is the question of the century. I normally say that "Why not?" and  that's the end of the conversation. But to be honest the more I travel the more I ask myself why do I travel? There is 3 real reasons of why I travel.

Reason #1: I travel because of my grandfather.

Visiting Cairo, Egypt in March 2014

My grandfather influenced me like no other person had in my life. He was the man that taught me about culture and gave me the pleasure to gain interest in reading. He was a man that owned a candy shop for more than a decade in his small apartment in my hometown, Cataño, and the only way he traveled and saw the world was by reading the newspaper. He had so much knowledge and I'm blessed that he was my grandfather. I never got the chance to tell him about my travels because he passed when I was just 16. He still pushes me to keep traveling and learn more about other countries, cultures, and norms. I would love to just sit down at his little coffee table and chat about all the places that we talked about in the newspapers when I was just a kid and go over my pictures that I have taken in those countries. I miss mi querido viejo but he is one of the reasons why I travel. Traveling always reminds me of his voice and all of our conversations we had about traveling the world together.

Reason #2: I travel because I want to be a good influence in my community.

Visiting my hometown in May 2017.

Not a lot of you know but I grew up in the Residencial Juana Matos also known as caserio (Public developments) in Cataño. This place has a good community sense but also it has a big and strong influence in drugs and violence. As a kid I remember being approached by one of drug dealers on day while walking back home from school with my friend and he asked me what I wanted to do when I grow up and I remember telling him that I wanted to be a doctor that travels the world and helps people and he laughed at me and told me "that would never happen because you are here"(Referring to the caserio) the only way to get out of here is by being part of the drug world with dirty money, going to jail, or in a black bag dead. Until this day I don't remember the guy's name or what happened to him but his words of discouragement were more of a motivational booster for me. After that conversation I was determined to never become part of the drug lord and to do whatever it took to leave el caserio, to see the world, to always do my best, and to excel in everything that I put in my mind too. To you, stranger, I proved you wrong. I have taken all the opportunities in my life to see the world and do better as a member of society. I travel the world and post my adventures on my social media because I want to show the kids and everyone in my hometown that if I can get out of the caserio and see the world they can do it too. Some of them never have even been on a plane or even maybe never left the island and I want them to see the world through me. I write my experience traveling so they can see the world. When I travel I carry the Puerto Rican flag with me to show that I am always representing where I come from and that I will never forget to stay humble of my beginnings.

Reason #3: I travel because of my father.

Papi and I Bayamon PR August 2011.

My father is one of the most important reasons of why I travel and see the world. He was a hard working man that spend his entire life working to be able to support his family. He might have failed in many things in life but he never failed me as a father. A lot of things in life will happen where you will never understand the reason. My father passed away from cancer on September 6th, 2011. I was just 18 years old and I was just starting my first year in college. His only son to go college. It was a big accomplishment for me and for him because he never got that opportunity. His entire life from age 18 to 53 years he worked his ass off to retire and enjoy his life. 35 years of working literally from 8am to 430pm at one job and then working at his second job from 6pm to 11am just to be able to provide financial support for us and after a year of retirement he was gone. Six years from today he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and 42 days later he was gone. Opening my eyes that life can just end at any second. I never saw my dad talking about traveling the world or even having some leisure time for himself because the only thing that he always worried about were the bills and his responsibilities of being the man of the house. 65% of his life the only thing that he did was work, work, work and work and he forgot to see the world and live a little. I know that he wasn't really into traveling because he was always afraid that a version of TAKEN would happen to us but he always supported me and my sisters to travel. My missions trip to Honduras, the cruise in the Lesser Antilles, my 4 hours in Canada and my trip to Costa Rica was paid for by him and I will forever be grateful for him giving me the opportunities to travel even when he was uncomfortable and scared of traveling. I will never know if he regrets not traveling as much as he did but that's something that I don't want to think when I'm about to give my last breath of life.

Watching the Northern Lights in Iceland in March 2011.

For that reason I travel as much as I can because I don't want my job to be everything in my life I want my job to be part of my life. I want to be able to have some leisure time for myself. I don't want to follow the norm and forget what it is to have fun, see the world and just wander. I want to see the world with my own eyes where I just have an amazing view in front of me and just listen to the perfect song while staring at it because I want to make sure that I remember that moment forever. Take in the second and just think "Wow, what a beautiful view" and thank God for giving me the opportunity to see such creations. A picture does no justice to these moments but I still take the picture because I want you guys to see it.

The Louvre Paris, France April 2014

These are the reasons of why I travel. I travel because the passion was put into me by my grandfather. I travel because I want to educate my community and be the best example that I can be everyday. I want to be someone that people look up to and are influenced by me. To look at me and say I want to do what you're doing or I want to be just like him or even better because the sky is the limit. To not say "I wished I did that" and instead say "I did it." I travel because life is short and it can be taken away from you in just seconds. I want to make sure that when that day comes I can be happy and say I did it and I don't regret spending all that money. Because at the end of the day money can't buy you great memories.

Thank you for reading my blog and I hope these words inspire you guys to take some leisure time to travel and see the world. Wander around your town, your state, your country and outside your country gain those great experiences and memories.

If you guys want to see more pictures of my travels go to my IG page and follow me: stevenrcamacho