Miss Traveling? Join This Mushroom-Hunting Adventure in Romania!

Have you ever wondered what it would look like to live for a day in somebody else’s life? Thanks to YouTuber and explorer Mike Corey, we can now get a glimpse at what this would look like! He ventured to the countryside of Romania during the height of mushroom hunting season and had the extraordinary opportunity to spend 24 hours living with and learning from a Romanian family. He documented this experience as a reminder that travel—no matter how near or far—can leave us transformed.

For many of us, it’s been well over a year since we’ve experienced the joys, adventures, and (sometimes) complexities of travel. Whether heading across the globe or just across the state, getting outside our comfort zone and connecting with people who see the world a little differently can be one of the greatest experiences in the world.

So, while we can’t offer you a plane ticket ourselves, we’ve prepared an adventure for you today that may be the next best thing!

The Universal Language of Food

It’s dinner time and you go to sit down at a table filled with a delicious-smelling meal, surrounded by chattering, laughing people. Everything’s freshly cooked and gathered with love. Your hostess asks you if you like the food, and you dig in and tell her “Yes!” Or, rather… you assume she’s asking you if you like the food, and your smile at the delicious meal she has made puts a smile on her face.

Yes, even with a language barrier, some things are the same. Surrounded by the sights and sounds of a culture so different from your own, food and family seem universal.

Time to Gather Around a Romanian Dinner Table!

This was the scene of kindness and hospitality, around the table of Liliana and Valeriu, Mike Corey’s hosts in a remote Romanian town. Welcomed in with mushroom hunting adventures, smiles, excitable kids, and dinner harvested from the surrounding landscape, he takes us on a beautiful adventure to a lifestyle most of us wouldn’t have the opportunity to experience for ourselves.

If there are two things we love at the Goodness Exchange, they are mushrooms and travel. (Seriously, we write about mushrooms a lot.)

So, grab your comfy socks, a favorite beverage, and let’s take off, shall we? Mike Corey from Fearless & Far is bringing us to Romania to have a vicarious travel adventure that will remind us all how deeply connected we really are.

If you’d like to see more from Mike, go check out his incredible YouTube channel, Fearless & Far. And you can keep up to date with his latest adventures by following him over on Instagram.

“With age, comes wisdom. With travel, comes understanding.”

– Sandra Lake

How has a year without travel to meet strangers or hug your loved ones changed you? Has it given you a greater appreciation for the adventures right outside your door? Has it reminded you how much you love a warm interaction between strangers? Are there moments in your memory that you have come to appreciate more?

Travel helps us understand the world, but more importantly, it helps us better understand ourselves. And while it may be limited right now, here are a few articles that will take you on a little journey. Feel free to head off right now, or bookmark this page for later! You never know when you’ll need a little trip from the comfort of your own home.

Newer readers may not know that before we moved to our regular schedule of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, every other week we featured a special article in our Saturdays Around the World series.

Now those articles are a part of our regular programming, but if you want to dive into some incredible adventures around the globe, go check out that tag. You’ll find yourself among some of the most beautiful videos and short documentaries we’ve ever featured on the Goodness Exchange.

The world may not quite be ready for the joys of travel once again, but we can continue to work towards opening our hearts and our minds on a daily basis.

When traveling, I’m extra aware of how different and beautiful the culture of another place can be. Now, I’ve started practicing this same kind of curiosity when I head just down the road to the next town or county.

Even in a little state like Vermont, our customs can vary so wildly from place to place! Recognizing this helps me to see the richness and kindness in everyday life. And it makes me appreciate home and the people that make it feel like home just a little bit more.

So whether you choose to travel virtually or just soak up a little adventure in your own backyard, you can still enjoy the world’s wonder and the kindness of strangers! If only, for now, in much smaller circles.

Stay beautiful & keep laughing!

-Liesl

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