After enduring a two-year-long imposed absence from travel, many of us are now chomping at the bit to make use of those stored up mileage points. Indeed, nothing fires up your spirits quite like taking a trip, so let’s dust off our bucket lists and begin exploring the world again.
The Many Benefits of Travel
Who can deny the rush you experience when you begin planning a trip? Whether you plan to travel abroad or to visit the Grand Canyon, making plans to set out on a new adventure, away from the humdrum predictability of everyday life, is nothing short of exhilarating.
Well, there’re good reasons for that sense of excitement. Planning a trip fills us with anticipation, something wonderful for us to look forward to. Just consider the many positive attributes of travel:
- Travel expands our horizons. Most of us conduct our daily lives within a twenty-mile radius of home—it’s our little bubble. It is easy to become bored and complacent when life differs so little from one day to the next. Travel pushes us out of that comfort zone and thrusts us into entirely unfamiliar settings where we must quickly learn the ropes (“When in Rome…”). While we navigate these new surroundings, that touch of uncertainty we feel can actually stimulate a renewed spirit of adventure. Travel exposes us to different languages, interesting cuisines, and diverse cultures, and through these experiences we grow personally and intellectually.
- Travel introduces us to new friends. Whether you enjoy cruises or prefer joining up with a tour group, travel typically involves mingling with fellow tourists. You are instantly exposed to a variety of people and personalities from all walks of life, which can yield lifelong friendships in the process. There are ample opportunities to make friends among the locals at your travel destinations, too. Just strike up a conversation with a server at a café and be surprised by how much you actually have in common.
- Travel stimulates our brains. Something we might not give a moment’s thought to is exactly that—travel can stimulate our thought processes, or cognitive functioning. Undoubtedly, everybody encounters some unforeseen challenges when they travel—a missed flight, a hotel reservation that somehow disappeared, lost luggage, or even an illness. These mishaps force us to be resourceful, to find solutions to the problem at hand, which literally stimulates new brain connections while teaching us to be more resilient in the process.
- Travel inspires us. Whether it’s a trip to Washington D.C. or an exotic destination like Tahiti, travelling to new places can touch our souls deeply. Seeing the amazing diversity in the geographic locales—the majestic beauty of the Swiss Alps or the dramatic intrigue of the Egyptian pyramids—is intensely inspiring. Being exposed to new types of music, ancient works of art, and different religious customs can leave our souls with added layers of substance.
- Travel sets us free. After all the months of planning for the trip, it is that moment when we get on the airplane that we truly leave our troubles behind. For whatever number of days our itinerary calls for, we are set free from our everyday worries, and that is a beautiful thing. Travel allows us to take a breather from our stressful lives and give our mental health a much-deserved reboot.
So, what are you waiting for? Revisit your travel dreams now and start planning your next exciting adventure.
