Redefining Myself Through Travel

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I’ve been to 14 countries including the UAE (from where I grew up), and excluding the Philippines (from where I was born).

My passport has stamps and visas from all over the world, and I’ve met people from various backgrounds.

Does that make me a full-fledged traveler? No. Not even close.

Because contrary to what most people believe in, travel isn’t just a stamp on your passport or a picture-perfect moment overlooking the Eiffel Tower.

Travel goes way deeper than what any ordinary person sees. It redefines who you are and what you believe in, it constantly challenges you out of your comfort zone, and it teaches you lessons about life that no other self-help book can.

To be able to travel at such a young age, and to learn so much about the world and its people, is such a huge blessing for me. But like every young traveler, I can also say how much traveling has changed (and is still changing) who I am and how I perceive every win and dip.

Travel taught me how powerful love can be, when all racial and cultural differences is removed from the picture.

(c) Sarah Zonio, Pakistan, 2017

Pakistan, known to be one of the most dangerous places to travel to and a country where tourism is almost non-existent, surprisingly has one of the sweetest, most hospitable, and most friendly locals. Not once have I ever felt unsafe in Pakistan.

Traveling pushed me to greater heights.

(c) Sarah Zonio, Dubai, 2017

At the age of 13, I moved back to the Philippines to pursue my university. I lived independently for 3 and a half years, in a country I almost did not know of. My relatives all lived very far from where I stayed, and I had no one nearby except for my mom’s best friend who really looked after me.

Living in the Philippines has taught me so much about life, love, and myself. It has made me stronger, braver, and smarter. There’ve been a lot of days when I wished I had my family close by, or when I prayed for even a little comfort during those tough nights living alone.

I experienced going through success and celebrating it by myself, in my dorm with a dozen dumplings and a pizza. I remember going through painful heartbreaks, rejections from school and friends, and I had no one to confide them to. Except my journal. But despite it all, I thank God for not leaving me alone. I thank Him for all the lessons learnt, and for an exceptional experience in the Philippines. I wouldn’t trade this for anything else in the world.

I learnt to not let other people’s perception shake me.

(c) Sarah Zonio, India, 2017

“You’ll hate Delhi for sure!”

“You’re going to India? But it’s so dirty there. You might get sick!”

“It’s a dangerous place to travel to… especially for ladies like you!”

“You’d want to come back, the moment you’ve landed in India.”

Guess what? I loved India. Every bit of it.

Don’t get me wrong, every individual is entitled to his/her opinion. But don’t say no to a country even before you’ve experienced it yourself. Because hey, you might have a completely different perception than they did. And you wouldn’t want to miss out on that, wouldn’t you?

And finally, travel taught me the essence of “now”.

(c) Sarah Zonio, Nepal, 2017

I used to dwell a lot in the past, and worry so much about the future that I forgot to live in the present.

It stressed me out so much that it affected my relationship with my loved ones. Eventually, it also caused a toll on my health.

Then, I traveled to Nepal.

Witnessing the impact of the earthquake in Kathmandu, and seeing how positive the Nepalese are about the future, left me so speechless.

A local I met had a flourishing business in Kathmandu before the earthquake happened. He moved here to Dubai to work as a waiter, save up money, and restart his business.

I imagined life having it all, and also losing it all. I wouldn’t know how I’d cope to be honest.

But this man was still so jolly and grateful about every single thing. Not even a slight worry could be felt from him.

I asked him how, and all he said was, “I have today. And that’s all I need.”

From that day on, I promised myself, “I’ll make the most out of today, give my best in everything that I have today, wherever I am and whoever I’m with… the future? It’ll turn out for the best. Whether according to my plan or not.”

And that’s how I learnt the essence of “now”, and how important gratitude is in every aspect of our lives.

Travel has redefined who I am - the locals I’ve met along the way, the adventurous and spontaneous moments I had, and even the different cuisines I’ve tasted - all those played a huge part to who I am today.

I can say, it’s definitely made me a better person. For that, I’m extremely thankful.

Note from the author: This was originally posted on passportbites.wordpress.com, dated November 16, 2017 & edited on December 15, 2023