Why You Should Travel

To some, travel is a vacation – a getaway from the everyday routine. To others, travel is a way of life – living in different places and through new experiences. Then there’s the 10% of people who wonder why anyone would want to travel.

Crazy, right? but we’ve all met a 10%. Maybe it’s a friend, that one guy from the grocery store or perhaps you are the 10% (if you are, you are not crazy…at least I hope not).

The point is that people are different. Each and everyone of them has a preference – whether to travel or stay home. Many like to stay home – away from airplanes. To someone like me, that sounds boring and unadventurous, but then again, I am not part of the 10%.

Travel to me is different and a new way to learn about different cultures. Instead of sitting around reading about the cultures, I get to experience it and learn from it.

Aside from that, I believe that people should travel for numerous reasons and though these are all based on my thoughts and a bit of research, these are a few reasons why you should travel.

1. It gives you a sense of freedom
It isn’t about running away from your problems or about leaving everything behind, it is about exploring your surroundings and getting out of your comfort zone. We are so bound by the life that was introduced to us – everything we know, everything we say, everything we do – we learned this from other people, from our surroundings and from our upbringing. We all live different lives, are from different cultures, have different traditions and a different background, but when you travel you are opening doors to something new and this gives you a sense of freedom – you are free to explore and are not bound by your own culture and life.

2. Traveling teaches you what you cannot teach yourself
If you put your mind to it, you can teach yourself anything. We have very advanced technology that offers us the opportunity to learn anything we want to learn. Programming, how to play the guitar, how to draw – you can learn all this on the internet. You can even learn a different language, learn about different cultures and gather all the information you need on a country, but the internet has its limits. No matter how much you learn online, it will never be the same as what you would learn traveling.

When I learned how to cook Peruvian food, it was during the time I was in Peru with my Peruvian family. I could have learned how to cook online, but the experience wouldn’t have been the same. I would have never had that bond with my family and I wouldn’t have had such a great time, if I would have taught myself how to cook Peruvian food online. In this case, I not only learned how to cook Peruvian food, but I learned what it was supposed to taste like and not what I assumed it would taste like. Online cooking gives you the recipe, but it doesn’t always mean you are cooking it the right way.

3. It’s good for your health
Have you ever been stuck in a job you hate? How about in an office with fluorescent lights stuck in a cubicle somewhere? If not, lucky you, but if you do know what I am talking about, then you also know how miserable it is and how sitting all day can ruin your health.

When you travel, you are constantly moving around or exploring. Your mind is more relaxed and you aren’t stressing as much. Moving is not only good for your body, but instead of being a couch potato, you are exercising by traveling and walking around.

Studies also show that those who travel are satisfied with their outlook on life and have less of a risk developing a heart attack.

4. It provides you with amazing memories

As stated above, you can make amazing memories with travel. If you have had a rough past, ended a relationship or have gone through something very stressful, travel will help you get past that. Instead of carrying horrible memories, travel will provide opportunities that will create amazing memories. So put down that ice cream, put down that bill, push away anything that stresses you out and go travel! Not only will you have great memories, but once you get back you will be able to fix anything that needs to be fixed or solve any problem you may have.

5. Travel because it’s fun!

We are so caught up in our own lives and our routines, that sometimes we forget how to have fun. Sure, you can have fun at home, but if you are looking for a thrill, an opportunity to just go wild, then travel. We only live one life and our lives are too short to sit around. So go ahead, travel and have some fun!

We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. – Anonymous

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