We've seen the pictures. We've read the Instagram posts with exotic pictures from beautiful places. People catch the wanderlust bug and seem to can't get enough of travel. What really causes them to want to get in a car for long distances to jump in a plane to go halfway around the world?
1. Travel is good for our mental health.
Studies have shown that traveling, getting out of the normal routine of life, is good for our health. One study discovered that when people make travel a part of their life, long-term they felt a better sense of well-being and direction.{Bustle}
According to Psychology Today, "travel disrupts your routine and introduces novelty to your brain, which improves cognition and helps reactivate reward circuits. You have to think about how to get through new neighborhoods, new transportation patterns, new customs, and rules." {Psychology Today}
Connected Psychology explains further that we inherently understand that travel is good for us. "Taking a vacation actually does improve our well-being and mood. In addition to helping us feel happier and more relaxed, traveling can reduce burnout and make us feel like we are better able to handle our jobs when we return. In addition to improving our mood, taking time off work for a vacation is associated with a number of better physical outcomes, including fewer health complaints and improved sleep." {Connected Psychology}
2. Travel makes us better people
One of the biggest aha moments for me occurred while on a trip. My then five-year-old daughter melted next to me in a chair after returning from playing outside. I could tell her little brain's gears were working. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Momma, I look so different from everyone else. I don't think they like me." I knew they liked her. I had watched the children playing and could tell that her insecurities were spilling out with her tears. That experience for her, however, resulted in many conversations that allowed us to discuss culture, race (and the racism issues in America), and the need to stand up for the voiceless. That hard experience opened my five-year-old's eyes and heart to so much more than she would have understood by just staying at home in our own little corner of the world.
Travel helps us to see differing people and cultures face to face. Traveling makes us interact with these people and cultures. This interaction increases our empathy for those different from us. Travel helps us to see the diversity within the world and pushes us to appreciate the beauty in the diversity. Experiencing all these differences in culture increase our tolerance level of people when we return home. {Psychology Today}
Travel forces us to learn, and to learn quickly. In the end, we hold a much richer viewpoint of the world. We experience a merging and converging blend of ideas and viewpoints. We get to see the world from others' eyes. Understanding and experiencing the world from others' viewpoints transforms us. Our empathy for others skyrocket.
Going back to "normal life," we see things in a new way. We see others in a new way. It allows us to have greater respect for those around us.
Travel changes us for the better. We become better people with richer ideas and experiences. We live better. We love better. We live bigger. We love bigger.
3. Travel challenges us
Travel stretches us out of our comfort zone. We get to experience new foods, locations, languages, and differing worldviews. We force ourselves to try new things. Traveling opens up our mind. This challenging forces us to take an inward and introspective assessment of our own worldview.
Why do I believe what I do?
Do I think that my way is the best way of doing things and look down on other parts of the world?
Are there things that I need to change about myself?
Visiting local mom and pop businesses, artisans, and restaurants where the family works in the business and can explain to you the history of the store, the region, and the best places to visit will challenge you to think about your own shopping habits.
This challenging will continue once you return home and inspire you to possibly right some injustices within your own circle.
4. Travel allows us to escape
Let's face it. Especially in 2020, life can be hard. Travel allows us to get out of the monotony of life and to add a change of scenery. We get to get away from the norm. Travel allows us to escape the ordinary to experience the extraordinary. We get to visit gorgeous places that we don't normally get to see and experience.
Psychology Today explained that:
"Travel itself can be a break from stressors piled up back home; a literal escape where you can focus on your own pleasure and yourself can be a welcome change of pace, and help reduce your body’s stress hormone overdrive. Even when you return to stressors back home, the memories encoded by travel help maintain a “zen space” you can revisit whenever you need."
Life is made up of moments. Traveling allows for those life-changing transformative moments that non-travelers will not get to experience.
5. Travel provides a chance for adventure
As a seasoned traveler, I've never gone to a new country or location and fully understood what I was getting myself into. New locales provide for a bit, if not a lot, of uncertainty. Some of this uncertainty is simply just not knowing how the foods will cause your tastebuds to dance or how the stars will paint the night sky. Some of the uncertainty is not knowing how full your heart will feel once you've had a full day of exploring a new city or mountain side. These adventures fill your heart, mind, and soul with joy and wonder.
6. Travel helps us to appreciate life
Traveling provides adventure, allows us to escape the monotony, challenges us, makes us better people, and boosts our mental health. As a result, travel helps us to appreciate life. Travel increases our capacity to fully experience life. Rather than just living day in and day out, travel gives us an opportunity to fully embrace and appreciate this beautiful world full of beautiful people and cultures.
But then... the coming home is so sweet. If we've built a life full of people that make our lives better doing things that provide fulfillment and joy, then the adventures and experiences only make the coming home oh so much richer. We can more fully say, "Oh what a wonderful world."
7. Traveling shows us that there is so much more to see
Traveling rips the bandaid off. When standing at the top of a mountain, at the bottom of a waterfall, or in between massive skyscrapers, we feel it. We haven't seen it all yet. The world is so big. There are so many beautiful places and people to experience. Each new location is like just turning the page on your own story. Each location adds to your story and depth of who you are. There are so many places left to visit.
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