When I look back on 2013, it is interesting to review which memories stand outfor me. It wasn’t any of the bigger purchases I made. 
No, the first and most important things that come to mind are several of the trips I took, and the unique experiences I had in those destinations.   
 
A few highlights include watching a cheetah stalk an impala in South Africa, drinking caipirinhas with new friends on the beach in Rio at sunset, and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
 
Traveling has the power to inspire the mind, heal the soul, and energize the body.  It gives us great memories to think about when things aren’t going well, and it helps us create tighter bonds with the people who matter to us.  Just like people matter more than things, to me travel matters more than things.  
 
We have had guests on our tours whose lives have been changed for the better because of the unique travel experiences they have had or due to relationships they have built through traveling.  And the more you travel, the more you make connections between similar things in different countries.
 
Traveling isn’t merely a part of a fun life.  It is an essential part of a healthy life, and maybe even a healthy planet. I am reminded of one of my favorite travel quotes:
 
“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.”
 ~ Maya Angelou