I was very fortunate to grow up with parents who love to travel

Candice Accola, in speaking of her youth, declared with gratitude: “I was very fortunate to grow up with parents who love to travel, so I traveled from a young age. My dad’s a heart surgeon and goes to conferences all over the world. By the time I was seven, I traveled outside the country for the first time. We went to Paris. The next year, we went to London, and then Brussels.” At first, these words seem like a memory of childhood, but they carry within them a deeper wisdom: that the foundations of life are often laid early, by the values and passions of those who raise us.

The first flame of meaning is in the gift of parents who love to travel. For children do not begin their journey alone; they inherit the horizons of their elders. A parent who plants in their child the spirit of wonder and openness bequeaths to them more than possessions—they hand down a compass of the soul. In her words we hear gratitude: her parents, by their choices, gave her not only the sight of foreign lands, but also the courage to step beyond the narrow walls of familiarity.

The second truth lies in her father’s vocation as a heart surgeon. It is not by chance that his work, dedicated to healing, carried him across the earth to conferences where knowledge was shared and exchanged. His journeys were not for leisure alone, but for the saving of lives. And in this, we glimpse another wisdom: that professions rooted in service can open doors to the world, joining one’s personal journey with the greater good. Thus, her father’s work stitched together two legacies: the healing of hearts, and the opening of his daughter’s eyes to distant lands.

Her first voyage abroad, at the tender age of seven, was to Paris—a city long regarded as a beacon of art, thought, and beauty. To encounter such a place in youth is to plant seeds of imagination. The following years brought London, the city of history and empire, and Brussels, the crossroads of Europe. These were not just trips; they were formative pilgrimages, where a child’s sense of self is shaped by seeing the vastness of the world. Such journeys, undertaken early, teach that one’s home is precious but not the center of all things; the world is wide, and every culture has its light.

History confirms the power of early travel. Consider Marco Polo, who, though only a youth when he first set out with his family, returned with visions that reshaped Europe’s understanding of the East. Or think of young Charles Darwin, who at twenty-two embarked on the voyage of the Beagle. The seeds planted in youth bore fruit in discoveries that changed the course of science. Accola’s memories echo this same truth: that to wander young is to awaken a spirit that will never again be content with narrow horizons.

Her words also teach humility and gratitude. She calls herself fortunate, acknowledging that not all are granted such opportunities. In this gratitude is another lesson: that blessings are not for pride but for appreciation, and that those given much should carry the responsibility of openness, empathy, and generosity. For to see Paris, London, and Brussels at a young age is not only to be enriched, but also to be called to share that richness with others, through kindness, wisdom, or example.

Thus, the teaching is clear: the journeys of youth shape the spirit of adulthood. To travel early is to expand the heart, to soften prejudice, to cultivate wonder. But even if youth has passed, the lesson remains: seek new horizons, not only for yourself but for those who walk beside you, whether children, friends, or students. For travel is not only the movement of the body, but the transformation of the soul.

Practical counsel follows: if you are a parent, foster curiosity in your children. If you are a teacher, expose your students to worlds beyond their own. And if you yourself were not given this gift in youth, give it to yourself now, for it is never too late to awaken wonder. For as Candice Accola’s words reveal, travel is not only about places visited—it is about the spirit that learns, very early, that the world is vast, beautiful, and waiting to be embraced.