The following post was originally featured on HipLatina and written by Damaly Gonzalez, the Founder of Backpacking the Caribbean.
Some of the greatest lessons are those you don't seek.
Travel, more so long-term travel, teaches concepts and introduces ideas that perhaps weren't clear or our perceptions were clouded by the daily routine of everyday life and therefore, the message couldn't come across. However, when you find yourself in another location and environment, far from home, surrounded by different people, the lessons that were always there to be learned come around and you begin to unravel infinite possibilities.
I went to Europe to learn more about the history I felt I was missing in order to understand the world better. I also wanted to get away from the burned out I felt in New York. While I knew I would learn a lot, I didn't expect this trip to be one of the most defining moments of my adulthood. Here are the 10 lessons I felt set the foundation to my growth: