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They are worth it...

The trip from where I live in New Jersey to where my dad lives in Virginia can be taken several ways. The quickest, is probably by plane, followed by taking the train. However planes and trains are expensive and can be inflexible with their timing. That's why I drive.

Again there are several routes that I can take to get to Virginia. The most obvious is via the Turnpike. It is also the one I hate to take the most. Mainly because New Jersey is notorious for two things: traffic and tolls. The tolls between Northern New Jersey and Baltimore are some of the worst and traffic is unpredictable at best. I therefore choose to go the "long way" through Pennsylvania. It adds about an hour to the trip (if traffic is good on the Turnpike) and only costs a dollar in tolls on the way out of New Jersey. So I can get into this state for free, but I have to pay an escape fee??? Thanks New Jersey.

I've made this trip four times already. I don't want to think about what it's doing to the mileage on my car. It's a long drive and I spend my time listening to music or audio books. I also come up with new plots for my writings (this blog included). Heck I sometimes come up with new theories in philosophy and science (though nothing that realistic). It might be a long drive, but it's worth it. Seeing my sister and dad this Thanksgiving was wonderful and I'm thankful that I was able to see them. I wouldn't trade the opportunity for anything.

I am very thankful for the flexibility in my schedule to travel to see my family. Last year I traveled across the United States to visit my family in California for Thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun and I hope to go out there again at some point.

Where as this past summer I spent a very long day (and two even longer ones coming back) traveling to the upper peninsula of Michigan. If you've never been there, it's well worth the trip. It's one of the most remote places I have ever been to and Lake Superior really does look like a giant sea. I honestly don't think I could survive up there in the winter. People might go weeks without seeing another person outside of their town.

Lighthouse in the middle of no-where Michigan.

The longest trip I've ever been on though was to Osaka Japan. I flew non-stop 13 hours to Tokyo and then another hour to Osaka on a Pokemon plane (plus a half hour or so drive to Nishinomia).  It was a tough trip for an 11 year old, but so much fun. I admit that I was a little emotional the first few nights because I was so far from my home and family, but it was so worth it. The memories and experiences I have from that trip are priceless.

My roommate's family is coming this month from Brazil. It's a really long trip by plane and they are getting into New York at around 6am. They might be really tired the first few days, but my roommate is so happy and excited. They'll get to see each other after a long time apart.

It might seem like a long way away (and traffic might be a pain in the butt), but hitting the road to see family or the world is priceless. I live far away from my family now, which makes the times I do see them all the sweeter. I'm thankful to see them whenever I can.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or you hated it) please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. If you want to and since it's the weekend after Thanksgiving, leave a comment about what you're thankful for in the comments.