If there’s one thing I want to experience more than anything, it’s traveling the world. Traveling is something everyone should be able to do at least once in their lifetime. I’ve been to Mexico already, but that’s only one of the many checkboxes on my list that hopefully, I get to check off in the future. Here is a growing list of places I wish to visit before I die:
Italy
France
Greece
Maldives
St Thomas/St John
Hawaii
Fiji
Peru
Switzerland
Bora Bora
Australia
Bahamas
Portugal
To Learn
Learning is inevitable when traveling. Whether it’s picking up pieces of a new language or learning about traditions of different cultures or ways of life different than your own, you are bound to learn a few things, intentionally or not. Each and every destination has its own unique characteristics to offer. Seeing the world is a different kind of education than in the classroom. It teaches you things in the most hands-on way possible such as geography, sociology, politics, culture, etc that a history class never could. Traveling is an opportunity to see things in real life, not just read about them in a textbook and I'm sure this is an opportunity that most would like to take.
To Escape
Traveling is a getaway from everyday life. It’s easy to feel like you are in a constant cycle where each day flows into the next. Traveling can serve as a much-needed distraction, as a new and foreign place with lots of adventure can certainly work wonders. It’s one of the only times that you get to truly disconnect and relax. Taking a step back once in a while is beneficial for both physical and mental health. In this day and age, we're constantly glued to our phones, living our lives through other people's statuses. It's important to get out and experience things for yourself, without a screen obstructing the view.
Bonding
Traveling no doubt either creates or further strengthens relationships. Whatever it is, the newness, adventure, etc, these shared experiences tend to bring people together, no matter who you travel with. Traveling is a great way to connect and may even smooth over some bad blood within a family or build happier relationships. People need to be able to bond away from the demands of their everyday life. Traveling is also a good opportunity to meet some new people whether it be fellow travelers or locals in the area. This is probably the best part about traveling: you get to see new places and make lifelong memories with your loved ones by your side.
Gaining Perspective
When you visit a new place, you gain some much-needed perspective. Sometimes, you get to see just how much others’ lives differ from your own. Seeing how other people live can challenge your own experiences and opinions back at home. Maybe the way you look at the world isn’t the same as how someone else does, or maybe it is. But more often than not, point of view’s on the world do not align. You will see the people in places you visit as people and no longer as stereotypes. You will see cities as more than their famous monuments. If one thing is for sure, going out and seeing things for yourself with your own eyes can eliminate blind spots. Not only that, but traveling can also fuel motivation if you’re young. You may want to retire on an island and actually seeing it in person could definitely give you something to work toward.
Challenging Yourself
Staying somewhere new, even if just for a few days, challenges your everyday social norms. It’s crucial to break out of your routine once in a while and push your comfort zone. Traveling to a different continent especially means finding new ways to communicate and new ways to get around. You will learn just as much about yourself as you will about the world. You'll be without the comforts of your own home and it's because of this that you will realize you're capable of navigating through these new places on your own.
Memories
Making memories is a bit of a cliche, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Looking back on your life, big trips are going to be core memories. Traveling experiences are what will stay with you forever.
Food
This is an obvious one, as so many different places are known for their food, like Italy and France. Italian food in itself is enough to get me to desperately want to go there, nevermind the beautiful scenery.
Stories
Let’s face it, traveling means having really cool stories to tell. Being able to start a sentence with, “Last year in Greece…” is perhaps one of the best conversation starters and definitely makes you seem more interesting.
Traveling Just Because
Another good answer to the question: Why travel? is just because you can. I think everyone would rather spend their summers on an island than the boring alternative, being stuck at home.
This is a great list of places and reasons to travel! I can't wait until we can all travel more freely!
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