Get your passport, explore the world

My column today was inspired by a picture my sister posted on Facebook, of all things. The image was a map of the United States, providing a visual representation of the number of passport holders as a percentage of each state’s population (the chart is from http://blog.cgpgrey.com/). The higher the percentage, the lighter the state was shaded, and the lower the percentage, the darker the state was shaded.

Simple, right? The straightforwardness of the chart was one of the things that makes it such a powerful visual tool.

Not surprisingly, the states bordering the eastern and western coasts had the highest numbers, with California, New York, Massachusetts and Alaska all boasting a passport-holding rate of over 60 percent. The states get gradually darker the farther you move from the coasts.

But who is bringing up the rear of all 50 states? Yes, you guessed it: Mississippi.

In fact, the rate of passport holders is so low that it had to be put in its own color category entirely — less than 20 percent of the state’s population owns a passport.

Of course, we must remember that socioeconomic conditions may have contributed to this statistic. Mississippi is also consistently one of the poorest states in America.

International travel is simply out of the question for many Mississippians who struggle to make ends meet each year.

That said, I still found this statistic particularly troubling.

As an international studies major, I lived in Quito, Ecuador, this past summer, and I am quick to say that the time I spent there was the best experience of my life.

Before that, I had only visited two other countries: Canada and Mexico. It only took me one worthwhile summer abroad to catch a “gypsy soul,” and I cannot wait to go abroad again next January.

My close friends know how much I love to travel – probably because I talk about it all of the time. When I am bored or procrastinating, I will browse the prices of plane tickets to the most random and remote corners in the world, sign up for a one-way flight and contemplate hitting the “purchase” button.

There is no better way to step outside of your comfort zone than to go to a country with a language, culture and people extremely different from your own.

You learn so much about yourself as a person, and I would argue that there is no better way to do so.

So why am I addressing this passport statistic? Going abroad opens your eyes. I am writing this column simply because I want to encourage each and every reader to experience what I did. Anyone who has gone abroad understands that you simply cannot put the feeling into writing, even though I have tried here today.

The University of Mississippi has a ton of study abroad opportunities, available to every single student here. Even if you are just curious, make an appointment with them. They are here for you. Whether you study abroad for a summer or a full year, I promise that the experience will change your life.

Go ahead and apply for your passport, as processing can take over six weeks.

Even if you don’t have plans to travel internationally in the immediate future, at least you will know you have the option.

Go see the world. It is a lot bigger than Mississippi.