Traveling changed my life. It sounds dramatic but it’s true.
I wouldn’t be where I am now if I didn’t have the guts to pack that bag and travel to Mykonos. Somewhere I had never been to before and really didn’t know much about, on a crazy adventure.
It’s also true that once you have the travel bug you never look back.
I have a real love of travel, a passion to see new things and to visit new places.
Ok, not everyone yearns to travel. You might be perfectly happy where you are and don’t feel the need to see other countries.
Or you might long to travel but something is holding you back. Maybe you’re worried that you don’t have enough money, or you don’t have a travel buddy, or you just feel a bit too scared.
BUT
Do you dream of exploring places that seem so far away?
Do you wish you could be doing something different?
Do you wonder what the world is really like out there?
If you do why not get out there and travel. I’m not going to try to lecture you into going on a long backpacking trip but I do feel very strongly that traveling is a really rewarding experience and that everyone should try it.
Whether it’s a weekend city break, that you can fit easily in-between work. A week long beach holiday because you need a little relaxation. A full-on 6-month road trip, exploring off the beaten track. Or you just want to be a tourist in your own country.
Travel how and where YOU want to, there are no rules.
Here are the reasons why I think everyone should travel and the benefits I truly believe you will be rewarded with when you do travel.
Traveling is… exciting
You can’t beat the excitement of planning a trip, researching and finally booking it. I think part of the travel bug comes from the pre-trip feeling of excitement, it’s a feeling that is hard to explain. A mixture of emotions all building up to taking that journey.
And the excitement doesn’t end there, every place you travel to, every new thing you see or experience will be exciting. This energy will power you through and allow you to see more and more amazing things.
You will… experience new things
Most experiences on your travels will be for the first time. The food you eat, the wildlife you see, the activity you join in with. Each new thing is part of the adventure and often you won’t know what’s coming next.
You will be a part of so many new things and those experiences will stay with you forever.
Traveling is… confidence building
Making the decision to travel somewhere, taking the first step and knowing that you can do this is an amazing confidence builder. Exploring a country that you have never been to before is pretty brave. Meeting other travellers, interacting with locals in a language that’s not your own or navigating your way round a strange city will only make you braver.
You will find yourself striding into places you never dreamed of visiting, starting conversations with people or volunteering for thing you never imagined doing back home.
You will… learn and grow as a person
When things don’t quite go according to plan, you feel out of your depth, or completely confused you will overcome that problem and learn from it. You will learn new skills and master new things.
Not only will you learn about the world on your travels you will learn about yourself. You will mature and grow.
Traveling is… eye opening
You will you see landscapes, beaches, towns and cities that you could only dream of. You’re no longer looking at an image of that famous travel destination you saw online or that panoramic view you saw on tv. You are seeing this for real, in real life, with your own eyes.
It’s not just the views you’ll be seeing. You will see different cultures, traditions and ways of living to your own. You will open your eyes to how other people think and feel. Giving you a greater understanding and acceptance of others.
You will… find that material things matter less
As you travel and find it easy to live without the home comforts and possessions you are normally used to. You will come to realize that material things are not so important.
You will value what really matters and learn to not take what is important for granted.
I hope this article about why I think everyone should travel has inspired you to take a trip somewhere and let the adventure begin. I believe that you will ultimately live a richer life because of your travels, no matter how far you go or for how long.
At the end of the day, what have you got to lose? Fuel your desire to see more of the World with these awesomely inspiring travel quotes.
If you any questions about traveling or want to know more about my travel experiences, please get in touch.
What’s your experience of traveling? did you love it? do you have the travel bug?… feel free to share what you learnt.
You might also be interested in my posts on…
Reducing negative tourism – How to be a good tourist
How to avoid feeling homesick when traveling
How to survive a low cost airline flight
I couldn’t settle – My travel story
Or check out our Spain travel guides and information…
Tips for first time travel to Spain
Why Spain is great for winter sun
10 ways to learn Spanish for free
I love this, every word you wrote is so true. I am a big believer in collecting memories, not things. Things aren’t important in life, the memories we make and the people we share them with are most important
Thanks Jem 😊 That is so true… having people to share memories with make them all the more special.
I agree with you almost 100% that people should travel – except if they really don’t want to! I always think I’d rather be in a place with people who enjoy being there rather than surrounded by people who complain, hehe :). So for everyone who truly wants to experience travel, I think you are right, they should definitely do if it they have the means to!
That’s true! There’s not much point doing something that they really don’t want to and not enjoying it at all. There are lots of people who travel just to cross places off their list. But I still hope that they learn something from their experience.
I could not agree more! I’ve always preferred “collecting moments” and usually ask for travel or experiences as gifts instead of more objects to clutter up my house. Great post!
That is my favourite travel saying! It’s so good to hear I’m not the only one who doesn’t care much for objects. That sounds like a lovely idea for gifts, much more memorable and exciting. Thanks for reading and commenting and enjoy your next travels 😊
Yes totally agree! Similar to yourself I’ve found that travel boosts my confidence. It pushes you out of your comfort zone and find things out about yourself along the way. Thanks for sharing 😊
It’s great to hear that traveling has given you confidence too. It’s such a amazing feeling when you push yourself and experience things you never thought you would.
Could not agree more. Love this!!
Thank you Jessica!
Great choices! Thanks for sharing.
LOVE love love this post and couldn’t agree more with all of these points! Especially the learning and growing as a person. I have found solo travel has helped me grow so much in the past, learn more about myself and challenge my belief/assumptions. And of course sort out things that I felt conflict with in my own life. Great post!
That’s awesome Meaghan! I’m so glad that you too feel you have grown from your traveling experiences. Solo travel is the perfect way to clear your head and really think about things. Thank you so much for reading and taking the time to comment 🙂
I absolutely love this and couldn’t agree more. I think the two most important reasons why I travel is experiencing new cultures and opening my eyes to people who are different to me. It not only puts things into perspective but it also gives you an appreciation for people who are different to you. I also have grown SO much as a person traveling! You learn things about yourself and I’ve learned that I’m more resilient than I thought. Such a great post!
Thank you Hannah 😊 Traveling definitely gave me a better perspective and made me more open minded. It’s so important that we understand and accept those who are different from us. There’s so much to learn from traveling!