Are you struggling to find reasons to travel?
There is a huge world to discover, but why bother seeing any of it, when everything you need to survive is right in your hometown.
From my experience, traveling has brought new found happiness into my life and I want to share that happiness with all of you. Keep on reading to find out my top 7 reasons why I suggest traveling.
Expands Perspective
We have been raised with specific cultural beliefs, which in some cases is not a bad thing, but it’s important to learn about other societies around the world too.
Traveling puts us directly in those cultures. We expand our perspectives about life and how we function as a society. We taste new cuisines, and discover traditions that go back thousands of years. We can learn about other spiritual belief systems and develop a greater understanding for human life.
The world is filled with different backgrounds that stem from vast parts of history, and it would be a shame to not learn about them. Traveling gives us the opportunity to learn from others and to put all that knowledge together, so we may understand our humanity as a whole.
Challenge Yourself
Challenges are bound to arise when traveling but they don’t always have to be burdensome. Sometimes they can sidetrack you to unexpected awesomeness!
We may get on the wrong bus, but end up discovering a beautiful temple or marketplace we never knew existed. We may get almost stranded on the Cliffs of Moher and make friends with a local who ends up saving us from walking miles back to our car. (true story)
Struggles are bound to happen but it’s what we decide to make of these situations that determines our journey.
We may accidentally run into challenges or we may purposefully put ourselves in challenging situations to further our growth.
For example, even though I’ve never worked construction a day in my life I decided to help re-build homes in Puerto Rico; after Hurricane Maria destroyed the lives of many on the island.
Recommended: How To Ethically Volunteer Around The World
If helping those in need meant I had to challenge myself by learning how cut wood, drill and paint then it was more than worth the blood and sweat. I gained a new skill set, new friends and memories that will be with me for the rest of my life, because I decided to challenge myself.
Create Meaningful Relationships
Meeting new people while traveling is bound to happen, especially while solo traveling. Of course, we have to be careful and wise about the situations we put ourselves in, but it is possible to make lifelong friends from all over the world.
Meeting people from around the world can broaden our networks. We never know how years down the road we might end up helping each other out.
Develop New Skills
Travel helps us develop new skills. We enhance our organization and planning skills while prepping for trips. We can also learn things unexpectedly.
Maybe our cellphones run out of battery and we’re forced to navigate a new city with just a map. Maybe we come across a flyer for a pasta making class in Italy or we decided to get a scuba certification Australia.
Sometimes we just come across events or classes while traveling and we end up bringing this new found knowledge back home with us. I believe that every trip taken is a new skill gained.
Improves Health
Travel improves our health in various ways the most obvious would be stress reduction. Although just generally taking a break from routine will provide subtle stress reduction. Nothing compares to relaxing on a beach soaking in those Vitamin D sun rays, while gazing off into the Amalfi Coast.
Exploring new lands and observing new environments is like pressing a reset button on your body and mind. Adapting to new situations keeps the mind sharp, and helps with personal growth.
Traveling improves heath physically as well. Before we know it, we’ll be doubling our daily step count and enjoying ourselves while we do so! Exploring museums, walking around Disney World, adventuring on zip lines or hiking up a volcano are all ways in which we have fun and burn calories all at the same time.
Learn New Languages
It’s always a good idea to study up on a few key phrases when traveling to a foreign country, because it can help when navigating though daily activities. Although, depending on how long we plan on staying becoming fluent in the language is a possibility as well.
There are many apps out there that can help with language learning for example, my favorite is Pimsleur the first month it is free and I think it is the easiest way to pick up on a new language. I learned more from the Pimsleur program than I ever did in three years of Spanish in high school!
Learning a new language can also be the main reason for going on a trip in the first place. There are many programs out there where we can live with a host family and take language classes during the week. These can be useful opportunities that really help one dive deep into specific cultures.
Greater Appreciation For Life
Overall traveling helps us become well-rounded individuals, making us more globally and culturally aware.
Traveling can be filled with adventure, relaxation, education, and humanitarianism. Whichever reason you decided to travel I can guarantee you will come home with a greater appreciation for life.
Experiencing different cultures can make us cherish our own traditions or it might help us realize just how privileged we are to grow up in the country we did.
When I travel and I’m in a place that brings me utter happiness and serenity, (which tends to be nature related) I always take a few minutes to just be in the moment with what I’m witnessing. Even closing my eyes for a minute and connecting with the smells and sounds surrounding me, helps me connect to my environment.
So, what are you waiting for? Plan a trip and visit someplace new! There are endless opportunities just waiting to be discovered.
