I love to travel. I love to see beautiful landscapes, trek through challenging hikes, chase waterfalls, and seek wonders of our world. I believe our Earth is a masterpiece in itself—inspiring artists and setting their creative spirits on fire. When I tried thinking about how creativity relates to travel, my mind went straight into thinking about pieces of art around the world. Van Goh’s “Irises,” or Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies.” I thought to myself, “THESE are creative people around the world creating famous pieces of art.” But then I really thought about creativity; creativity and how art in the form of paintings is not the only way creativity is used by travel.

To travel, you need to take some form of transportation. Cars, boats, trains, and planes—all of these vehicles were carefully engineered to take us from point A to point B. That took time AND creativity. The trails we hike do not appear in mid-air. People had to plan, construct, and build for them to be there. That took creativity too. It would be impossible that architects who build the most beautiful temples, churches, and colorful streets would have been able to if they lacked CREATIVITY. Wonders of the World like Machu Picchu, the Roman Colosseum, and the Great Wall of China are bucket-list destinations of many; these structures are adored, mysterious, and you guessed it, TOOK CREATIVITY. You see, without creativity, there would be no way for us to travel. We would have no plane to fly, no trail to trek, no sights to see, and a lack of inspiration from Earth’s beauty.

But then I really thought about creativity; and I found that creativity in the form of paintings, is not the only way it is revealed and used in travel. When I travel, I now acknowledge the fact that EVERY part of my journey involved some form of creativity. I am grateful for creativity for it has allowed me to feed what my soul yearns for. I embrace creativity for it inspires me every time I think about how much time, effort, and thinking it took for the creator(s) to complete their masterpieces. Without these creative minds, we would not have the world many of us long to explore. Without creativity I would not be able to do what I love to do most."