I&rsquo;ve always loved to travel. Growing up, my family used to tease me that on vacations, I spent the entire time in the car with my head in a book, but that wasn&rsquo;t true. Here&rsquo;s what really happened.</p><p>I grew up as part of a large family with diverse talents and desires, and let&rsquo;s just say things were never very calm. Now, imagine a station wagon barreling down the highway. Inside are 10 adults and kids, dozens of toys, suitcases, pillows and a huge green dinosaur bobbing out the back window.</p><p>Once, my two older sisters got into a knock-down, drag-out fight over whether the back window should be up or down. Pretty soon hair rollers, chunks of hair and even intimate articles of clothing began flying out that window.</p><p>And now you know why sometimes I crawled behind a book.</p><p>Vacations for my parents were a leap of faith. They never had much money on hand, but they believed strongly in the value of travel as a means to bind us closer together as a family while also allowing each of us to grow in our own unique, eclectic and unpredictable ways.</p><p>And truth be told, I did enjoy the unpredictability of vacation. That station wagon was borrowed from friends, and it wasn&rsquo;t exactly in mint condition. I can remember spending hours on the side of the road while one flat tire after another was being changed.</p><p>Setbacks like these never stopped us from having fun, and some of our best times were spent on those interludes on the side of the road. We always trusted that things would just work out.</p><p>I am grateful to my parents for taking us on those summer vacations. Today I often travel for enjoyment, and I know that&rsquo;s because I learned how to while growing up.</p><p>Nowadays I also think of travel in terms of opportunities to experience a pilgrimage or a sacred journey. Before I leave on a trip I ask God, or the Universe, to show me on my travels what it is that I need to bring more of into my life.</p><p>Last year, while I was touring Germany, I happened to see a little sign hanging on a gate halfway up someone&rsquo;s driveway. Did it say what I thought it said? I stepped closer. &ldquo;God&rsquo;s Party Service,&rdquo; the sign read. Right in the middle of a tiny German village!</p><p> At that moment, I knew the Universe was telling me to quit being so serious, that my job here on Earth is to walk lightly and to throw more parties in God&rsquo;s honor, like the ones my parents threw for me and my siblings in that big automobile so long ago.