How often do you hear people saying that you should travel more? How does travelling play an important role in our lives? Let's take a look at why travelling is important and how it can benefit us.
We often come across people in our lives who love to travel or have travelled extensively. Most people, especially in recent times, have started sharing their experiences in social media. When we see them, we too feel like going on a vacation and have a good time. However, most of us don't act upon our desires and end up not travelling. But have you paused to think why people love to travel and how it can benefit us?
Benefits of Travelling
Most of you must have read or heard the popular quote by St. Augustine: "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page." This is true in so many aspects. The more you travel, the more you'll learn about new cultures, traditions, and histories. You'll find that every place has a unique story that you may not have known. Travel gives you the freedom to formulate your own opinions and views about a place rather than relying on information from books, the Internet, or TV. In many cases, travel works as a myth-breaker and widens your perception of the world.
Travel allows you to interact with the locals and learn many things you would've missed out otherwise. You can find out about local eateries and sites to visit that may not be mentioned in a guide book. You'll often end up finding hidden gems that are missed by tourists. Also, you can pick up a few words and phrases of the local language that will help you in your travels in that area. When my husband and I visited a small French town called Vienne, we met some local people while walking along the river. During our conversation we found that the boat tours were free for that day as part of a tourism campaign. Even though we didn't plan to take a boat ride, we thought it may be a good idea to try it. And it was a good decision as we ended up having a great time. On the boat we met a few more people who suggested some places that served authentic local food. Once again we decided to take their advice, and we were not disappointed. Our lunch was absolutely delicious and we were quite satisfied by the end of our meal.
Travel will push you and test your endurance level, not just physical but psychological as well. When you travel you are out of your comfort zone and many things don't turn out the way you planned it. There may be unexpected delays in your schedule, cancellations, bad weather, etc. I've known many people who are unwilling or unenthusiastic about trying out new things like a new cuisine or a new activity. But when you travel, especially if you are travelling to a new country, you'll find yourself in a foreign atmosphere. These are the times when travel pushes you to try new things and be open and accepting toward a new place and its culture.
But the best benefit of travel, I believe, are the moments and experiences that you collect during your travels. In fact, some of the most unforgettable memories will be from the time when you were travelling. Travelling will take you to some of the most beautiful places on this planet, where you'll meet people who will have a significant impact on your lives. As Mark Twain said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do." If you didn't travel now, you may regret it later. Instead of fearing the unknown, you must take charge and travel as much as you can.
