I believe that travelling plays a big role in broadening someone's cultural knowledge. You experience new people, new languages and dialects and new ways of life. I have always been interested in different cultures and comparing those cutlures to my own. However the most valuable aspect of travelling to me, is the quality time I get to spend with my family.

Travelling has always been a family affair. When my siblings and I were younger, we would vacation with my parents and as we got older, more family members (uncles, aunts, great uncles and grandparents) began to join us on our trips. We visited Tobago, St. Lucia, Barbados, the Bahamas, Curacao, mostly the Caribbean island; as we grew older we visited the United States, mostly Florida and Georgia. Those vacations were filled with playing on the beach with my parents, going to water parks, shopping and spending quality time with my family. I remember horseback riding on the beaches of Barbados, atving in Curacao and jet skiing in Barbados. When I think back to those times it makes me smile. We created memories and precious moments. We still look at the pictures we took from those trips. 

But the most poignant memories I have are being with my family and growing close with them. As my siblings and I grew up and we became friends with our elders in a way. We hung out with them and entered different levels of conversations.

On these trips we see family that we don't see all year. The time we spend with them are too special for words. I am very family oriented, and it is nice to know that no matter how busy life gets, we can always put it aside and take time for each other. Those family vacations are a piece of heaven for me.