I woke up earlier than usual today at 6 A.M., which is rare for me. But like every other morning, I grab my phone and started scrolling and deleting notifications. I'm slightly OCD about clearing any notifications I receive right away. Then I proceed to check Facebook, scrolling through my feed, looking for any new flight deals, news or interesting statuses. The first post on my feed red "RIP Anthony Bourdain". I panicked for a quick second and frantically started swiping up looking for further news....and shockingly, post after post, article after article read "BREAKING NEWS: Anthony Bourdain Dead at 61".

It felt so unreal, unfathomable. The world just recently lost an iconic designer, Kate Spade, and now this? There was no further news on the details of Bourdain's death but as the day went on, posts about his death, fans posting consolations and remembrance of Bourdain increased. Initial articles indicated it was suicide, just like Kate Spade, Chester Bennington, Avicii, and unfortunately, so many others in the past few years.

All these years, we look up to public figures who, from the outside, seemed to be living the best lives ever. Lives that make us envy them and want to be like them. Bourdain touched the lives of many people, from foodies to travelers. The way he was able to inspire and excite people to travel and try new things was like no other. Losing him this way is absolutely heartbreaking.

Anthony Bourdain was an inspiration to us. Before him, we traveled like most Americans, going to all the major U.S. cities and hitting up all the tourist traps, thinking we were really "travelers", but only to realize we were just "vacationers". Once we started watching Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" on the Travel Channel, then "Parts Unknown", we realized there are much more to staying at hotels and eating at every single trendy restaurant just to leave with only memories of being shuffled through like a herd of cows and no intimate feeling of the experience.

In every episode of his shows, he explored all the wonders and the little hidden gems that most people would often not seek out. He showed how the locals ate, the way they lived and truly open our eyes to what real traveling is all about.

Many of Bourdain's travels inspire us but one, in particular, made us change our travel plans in order to see and experience what Bourdain did. While planning our Europe trip, we wanted to explore the southern part of Spain which included two major cities, Barcelona and Madrid, with a few days to spare in smaller cities in between. We had our eyes set on Sevilla and possibly Valencia but because of this particular episode, we decided to cut our time short in Barcelona to spend a few days in Granada and Sevilla. We absolutely have no regrets with our itinerary because the time and experience we had in Granada was one of the most memorable moments of our travels!

As we mourn this significant loss in the travel, food and entertainment industry, we want to continue Bourdain's legacy. We may not be A-list public figures with millions of fans and viewers, but if we can show even a handful of people how traveling "outside of the box" will open their eyes and minds about the different cultures and people all over the world, the world will eventually become borderless and more loving.

We thank you, Anthony Bourdain, because of you, you've opened our eyes, minds, and hearts.

If you have a story you'd like to share with us about Anthony Bourdain and his travels, we would love to hear it! Please comment below!