Why Travel is Good for You

Having two very well travelled children and also travelled a bit myself, I believe that travel not only broadens your mind, but it is good for you. I can’t imagine a life without the travel experiences that I have very fortunately undertaken. There are so many wonderful travel destinations out there to visit and explore and this is just one of the many reasons why travel is good for you.

If you really want to immerse yourself into the different cultures of some of the most exotic places in the world then don’t just stay in luxury hotels. Stay at some of the cheaper boutique hotels, hostels, Airbnb’s, pensions or bed and breakfasts which are surprisingly very clean and comfortable. Walk the streets, get down and dirty, meet the locals and get off the beaten track and see the natural landscape. Be spontaneous and surprise yourself. Try as much of the cuisine as you dare. Breathe it all in. Don’t get caught up in the little annoyances of the day-to-day. Cherish everything.

20 Reasons to Travel

Here is a list of 20 reasons why I think travel is good for you:

1.   You learn to live with less.
2.   You learn that the best experiences are often not scheduled or anticipated.
3.   You learn to enjoy the moment.
4.   It forces you out of your comfort zone.
5.   It forces you to slow down and learn some patience.
6.   You learn that you can’t assume anything.

   

7.   You find a new found respect for the life you often wish to escape.
8.   You will create lasting relationships.
9.   You will develop skills you never knew you had.
10.   You may learn a new language.
11.   It provides you excitement and adventure.
12.   Seeing the world provides a source of education that you would never get at school.

    

13.   It challenges you in a hundred different ways.
14.   You meet the most interesting people.
15.   You will have many interesting travel stories to tell your friends.
16.   You experience different cuisine.
17.   Seeing countries’ hardships, customs and attitudes can inspire you to give back in a variety of ways.
18.   It open your eyes to see how things are different outside your home country so that you have a better understanding of how the world works.
19.   Traveling to new places and soaking up other cultures makes you a more well-rounded individual.
20.   The memories of travel experiences will stay with you forever.

Travel Broadens Your Mind and Horizons

When you travel you get an insight into how the other half of the world live. Experiencing different countries and cultures broadens your mind. You get to sample ethnic foods, local delicacies, home brews, traditional costumes, different languages, beliefs and religions. Witnessing natural treasures such as mountains, rivers, oceans, lakes, waterfalls, forests, wildlife and tropical oases. It is all new territory.

Seeing the world one country at a time highlights the fact that everywhere you travel is unique and different. From east to west, and from south to north, our earth is diverse. This diversity broadens your mind and educates us as to how absolutely wonderful and miraculous the world is. I am always blown away as to how much beauty abounds on this earth. Travel will always amaze us and expand our horizons.

Travel Breaks Up the Monotony of Life

I know people that travel to Bali year after year and never consider going anywhere else. Visiting the same vacation spot year after year is not what I would call adventurous. Sure it will give you a well deserved break away from your normal routine, but what are you learning from it? Monotony can be a silent killer. It can breed contempt and slowly erode away any enjoyment in your life. This is why many people book a holiday to a different destination every year.

There are people with adventurous spirits that have a long bucket list and spend their holidays ticking countries off their list. Others take off on an around the world jaunt seeing as many countries as they can. I like the concept of slow travel and immersing myself into the culture of a country without the need to be in a rush to get to the next destination.

But whatever travel you undertake, it will surely break up the monotony of life and improve your mind and spirit.

Travel is Grounding

Have you ever been in a third world country and witnessed the poverty and the poor standard of living conditions? This is what is grounding about travel. You see the other side of humanity where they adapt to living with a lot less than what we take for granted in our own countries. I find this one of the most humbling experiences when I’m travelling, to see people living simply, but still being happy and content with their lives.

Travel can throw out some challenges. There can be problems with delayed flights, navigating our way around a new city, language barriers, using different currencies or being totally exhausted from the demands of travel. But this is the grounding part of travel. It makes us realise that we can handle all of these problems or challenges and still enjoy the travel experience.

But I think the biggest advantage of travelling is that it is good for your health on both a physical and mental level. And to sum it all up here’s my favourite quote about travel.

“A ship is safe in harbour, but that’s not what ships are for”.

For more information on why travel is good for you read this great article 25 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Traveling