Travel has been praised enough for its ability to give us new perspectives, expose us to varied cultures and refresh our minds from the typical day-to-day life. The instagram accounts of people are buzzing to give you inspiration and painting the popular image of “ There is never a dull moment”. If social media is not inspiring enough , you see it in movies all the time. Yes , I am talking about Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love, Reese Witherspoon in Wild, Kangana Ranaut in Queen – and I am sure there are many others in making as I type. Travel has different meaning for different people. For some travel is just another way to blow off some steam , for some its therapeutic ,for some its finding true self and for some ( calling all digital nomads … here) it is now a way of life. If you are packing your bag setting out to discover on the whim of “100 ways travel changes your life for the better” , think twice , because travel might be a life altering hobby or venture but if you are not doing it for right reasons , you will not enjoy it for long and trust me your love affair with travel will have an expiry date.
So lets take a look at some reasons ( which frankly have been my driving force to travel) that can trigger our happy feet and set us on a new adventure. If you resonate with any of the reasons below , travelling might be your cup of tea.
1) Travel as a Challenging Force:
Life itself can be challenging for a lot of people. However majority like me get their daily coffee from same place and spend 8-10 hours staring at computer on their typical 9 to 5 jobs. Is it interesting? I hope so not. From finding a safe place to stay , to overcome homesickness , social anxieties and adapting oneself to last minute changes – Travel can be really challenging. So if you feel like you’re stuck in a rut in your daily life and craving for new experiences , travel is the ideal way to test yourself.
2) If you want to appreciate life :
They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. I think this is the reason why after 2 weeks of travel my heart aches for my home , my bed , my TV and most importantly my family. Taking time off from daily routine and get away from what you are used to in life builds a new sense of appreciation for home . When you travel you see how people in different cultures survive , and it opens your eyes to appreciate what is really special about your life. When I travel , I take it as my “REEL life “ and it makes me appreciate my “REAL” life.
3) Every-time is perfect time to travel :
A lot of people wait for the “perfect” time to travel. There is no perfect age or time to start to travel. It is pretty much the day you make up your mind by putting everything else aside. There will be always deadlines to meet at work , exams for kids , birthdays , responsibilities and with every passing year you will keep adding more reasons not to travel. Tomorrow might never come and if you don’t want your future to be filled with regrets , now is the time to start traveling. Also with all the inventions that science has given us , there is absolutely nothing that can hold us back from reaching remotest of the places. No place is too obscure to become your next destination.
4) If you need break from everything or anything :
Nothing is more un-inspiring than a boring routine life. Travel can spice up the things , the way you want. It is your recipe to make life interesting and exciting. When you are able to get away from the stressors in your life, it opens your mind to what is really important. A bad break up or a boring job – when you travel , you are in different zone and it gives you time to think about your priorities , align them and gives you strength to reach them. For me travel is not a way to run from the realities of life , but rather looking at those realities from a distance and then devise a plan to make things workout for your best.
5) Life is Short :
You never know what is going to happen next. As human beings we should know by now that we have zero control on things. As we grow old ( if we grow old) , we become more set in our own ways and it gets tougher to break out of the comfort zone. If you intend to travel sometime later in future – there is no guarantee that you will have the desired health or wealth to travel. With socio- political and economical changes all around the world , there might be places that you always wanted to visit but they end up becoming unsafe or war zones. So as they say, don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today. Follow your heart and go.
6) Travel to put things in perspective :
Travel makes you think differently. It helps open your mind and makes you realize that there is no one way or correct way to live life. Life is about adapting yourself. By being exposed to new places, people and cultures, you become more humble and develop a wider world view. Some people become minimalistic , some end up growing new passions and some just get happy from being away from mundane life. Travel will help you in realizing , what is really important to you.
7) If you want to expand your awareness:
There is just no denying that travel is essential to opening the mind. As you meet different people, have new experiences and visit new places, the reality of these things shatter any preconceived notions you might have had before. Travel makes you more susceptible to acceptance of different cultures , rituals , ways of lives. I cannot forget the day when I visited Casablanca and got totally bowled over to see how liberal that city was , very opposite of how I had pictured it in my mind. I was lucky to spend time with local families and I have no shame in admitting – I could not be more wrong about how conservative I had imagined Morocco to be.
8) Travel to make memories:
Have you ever heard anyone saying , “I wish I had not travelled , I would have saved so much money instead?” Trust me when I say that memories are far more precious in life than any materialistic thing you might possess. Travel is all about experiences and making memories . Happy , sad , challenging , interesting – at the end of the day all your experiences are your memories. And you never know which incident or experience might have an everlasting impact on you Travel is the best way to awaken the story teller inside you .
9) Travel to strengthen the bond:
There is something about travelling , that brings people closer. Maybe it’s the newness , or the effect of surroundings on an individual - travel is the best way to renew friendship and strengthen that bond . If you’re traveling alone, you get to “bond” with yourself .If you’re traveling with your friends or loved ones, the experiences on the road tend to bring you closer together. A girls getaway , a solo expedition , a romantic trip – pick your reason and get on to the road to travel.
And above all….
10) Travel is personal and does not need a justification :
It is your life and you know what is best for you. If travelling makes you happy , neither you or anyone else should deny you of that happiness. You need not justify to anyone why you pick travel over getting married or having kids or stable career. It is all about what makes your life – “YOUR STORY”.
Travel does not mean running from reality. Travel does not mean to take reckless risks. It is just to fill you with the emotion of adventure and make you feel accomplished. Solo , couple or group travel – does not matter. All it takes is the zeal to see the world. Follow your heart and it will bring out a different side of who you are as an individual. Does any of the reasons above ring true for you ? Does it inspire you to travel? Share in the comments below.
