5 Reasons Why My Grandfather Loves to Travel & You Should Too

You know how some people always crave to travel and most of the times they don’t even know when they were bitten by the travel bug. Well, hello! Because I am one of those people. It was only recently that I realised where I get my wanderlust from—it runs in my genes! It was my dadu (grandfather) who was bitten by the travel bug and it just got carried forward down the generations (yeah, my dad loves to travel too).

On my recent Diwali trip home, I finally managed to sit down and talk to my dadu about travelling and here are the reasons he gave me -

1. It makes you move out of your comfort zone

Most of us just live in our own little bubble all our lives and travelling is what makes us step out of it and explore. It challenges us for good! Travelling is like a rendezvous with the unknown and it helps you explore more than just the outside world. It helps you understand yourself better.

2. You get to meet new people and make new friends

I can't even count the number of friends my dadu has made while travelling. It's amazing how you can find so many people who share the same interests as you in a place that's nothing like the place you come from. It's not just about friendships but also about stories because people are full of tales and you'll miss out on so many of them if you don't travel. Also, a bonus is finding hidden gems in various places through locals and a place to stay wherever you go!

3. You get to experience different cultures, cuisines and learn about unique customs

Reading about the majesty of the Sydney Opera House is fine but actually going there and experiencing it is the real deal, right? That's what travel is all about —experiencing things first hand. Travelling lets you immerse yourself in the cultures of others and it lets you taste flavours you've never known through different cuisines. There's so much to see in the world, so many things that we don't know and travelling is what brings it all closer to us. You even get to understand and learn about foreign ethics, rules and more to inculcate the ones you like in your life.

4. It brings you a different kind of happiness

We've all seen ZNMD (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara). Remember the scene where Arjun (Hrithik Roshan) has tears in his eyes after his deep sea diving experience? Well, that's what 'a different kind of happiness' looks like. Travelling makes you feel and experience things that nothing else can. Every new place you discover, every milestone you achieve—even if it's just finding the right way by yourself or making a new friend on the way—it makes you happy and proud from within and nothing can match that feeling!

5. You learn to let go off your hesitation and become a more confident person

This is my personal favorite reason and I am an example of this. I've been to a bunch of places myself, thanks to my parents but it was my solo trip to Europe as a volunteer that gave me the confidence I needed. When you go to new places, you talk to new people and learn to ask questions, which in turn helps you get rid of your hesitation. On top of that, you become curious and try to get as much knowledge about a place as you can because you can never know enough!

His favourite countries out of the ones he has visited till now are Australia, China, Thailand.

Here's a pictorial representation of our wanderlust over three generations!

Here are some of my favourite pictures from his travel collection for you to flick through. (Some of them are kinda old btw, I literally had to dig them out of his old albums!)

So, what are your waiting for? Just take my dadu's advice and plan your next trip right away!

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