Travel isn’t just about sightseeing!
Many of us are lucky enough to have paid annual leave. while it might not be very much in some cases, sometimes only 10 days or so per year, many of us don’t actually take our annual leave. If we do take our precious annual leave, we use it for decorating our houses or undergoing some sort of professional development to further our careers or to care for a family.
1. To help gain perspective:
Life can be tough. We all have problems but some of them are very difficult to get through. We’re so caught up in them that we can’t see the wood for the trees. There’s nothing like a little bit of physical distance to help us realize a better way to deal with life’s problems.
2. To experience gratitude:
While it is not the case now, I have spent lots of time living in a bubble in beautiful places and where everything works and everyone around me seems to have everything they need. Something I have noticed about myself when I am in those situations is that I complain about things that are essentially first-world problems. Traveling and seeing the world and getting a glimmer into the lives of beings that have it a lot worse off than I do brings that humility emotion up and experience gratitude.
3. It helps us live in the moment:
Most of the time we are on autopilot. Driving to work, doing the housework, and often the work we actually do. If you have ever got home, put the car in the garage, and realized that you have no recollection of the commute you just did as your mind was probably all over the place, thinking about what needs to be done or what’s just happened. The reason you were able to do all that planning and thinking was that you know that route like the back of your hand. Travel gives you the opportunity to experience you smells, sights, sensations, and sounds that are outside the daily grind and really help you live in the moment.
4. Help your creativity by finding your passion:
Elizabeth Gilbert said (and now many others are too) that in order to feel fulfilled spirituality we must nurture our creativity and to do that you need to find your passion. It was not until I because vegan that I managed to find something that I was incredibly passionate about, and that was veganism and animal rights. There are plenty of people who don’t find that passion until later on in life, just like I did (I was 33). Travel gives you the space to see new things and spend time indulging in them. A visit to an Elephant Sanctuary might inspire you to want to develop your artistic skills to help to raise funds. That amazing Thai food might just be so delicious that you’ll want to become an expert at home, creating your own recipes and making a recipe book for family and friends or running cooking classes.
5. Meeting new people:
For most of us people spend a lot of time with people that we work with. We often tend to spend time with people we have known for years, perhaps friends from school! These friends are great and they, certainly, know you best but meeting new people from completely different walks of life can be so incredibly refreshing. Whether that is traveling independently and meeting people in hostels or Couchsurfing or on a group tour these new friends have a lot to teach us.
So, here are our 5 reasons!
The really cool thing is that even after the experience is over, the benefits can stick around for quite some time! The important thing is to book your next travel experience before that feeling goes so you have something to look forward to.
So, what are you waiting for? Get into the world and nourish your soul!
