Some people are born in a particular spot, and they never leave. They might move a few miles away, but that’s as far as they ever get. If you come back and see them when they’re approaching their life’s end, you’ll discover they’re still in that same general area, and they never really left or did any exploring.
That was much more common in the old days when travel was costly and difficult. Travel still costs money, to be sure, but there are many more transportation options than there once were. Now, you can be halfway across the globe in mere hours if you decide you want to do it.
Let’s look at some reasons for traveling that you might never have thought of before. Maybe we’ll convince you to make 2021 the year you venture further from home than you’ve ever been.
Top Reasons to Travel Now Instead of Later
#1 You Can Escape from the Things That Worry You
In 2020, many people reported feeling more anxious than they ever had before. It makes perfect sense when you mull over the various situations that existed.
There was the presidential election and the ongoing pandemic. There were the BLM protests and various climate-induced disasters.
The CDC reported that distracted driving killed 8 US drivers per day, more than ever before. You might have worried about that during your daily commute.
Traveling allows you to get away from what you know and the thought cycle into which you might have locked yourself. If you go somewhere you’ve never been before, you’re breaking up the routine. That’s something that many therapists will tell you is healthy.
#2 You Can Meet and Learn from New People
If you stay in the same place for your whole life, you limit yourself. You will probably meet the same sorts of people. There’s nothing wrong with that, except that you’re not experiencing new cultures.
When you go to a new country and meet individuals who are not like you, it allows you to understand that your ways are not the only ways that exist. Your beliefs are not the only ones that exist, either.
It can be valuable to meet and speak with people who don’t have exactly your same values or identical belief structure. As you learn about them, you can understand the differences between you, but also the similarities.
You might adopt certain of their beliefs and take them back home with you. Your experiences with these new people might color the way you look at the world from that point forward.
#3 You Can See Amazing Things
If you stay in the same place, you will probably see everything noteworthy there. You’ll visit all the zoos, museums, aquariums, libraries, theme parks, natural wonders, etc.
You might have your favorite places that you go, and that’s where you take your friends and family members if they come to visit. However, even if you love the sights around you, you are probably going to get just a bit tired of them at some point.
If you travel to a foreign country, or even within the US, you’re going to be able to see some sights that you’ve never seen before. Before you leave, you can read up on what some of the most spectacular things are to do and see.
Whatever interests you, you can probably find something abroad that has to do with it. You can find new favorite places hundreds or thousands of miles from your familiar, well-trodden paths. You can have a great time perusing cities or a jungle adventure.
One of our favorite travel destinations is the Road to Hana in Maui, Hawaii. Read our Maui Travel Guide for some inspiration.
Wearing CRZ Yoga crop top and REVICE Denim shorts.
#4 You Can Come Back with Some Amazing Stories
Your family and friends have probably heard all of your stories. If you don’t ever go anywhere or do anything too exciting, you’ve probably told them many times about the most thrilling things that have ever happened to you.
If you travel, you can come back with a whole new set of stories to tell your family members and friends. If you go to a state or country that none of them have ever visited, they will probably be eager to hear all about what you saw and experienced.
You can go as your town or city’s representative. You can report back on all you witnessed, and if it sounds exciting or compelling enough, maybe you’ll convince the people you know to undertake the same trip so that they can broaden their horizons as well.
#4 You Can Collect Memories to Draw on When You’re Older
If you stay in the same place your whole life, your most exciting memories will probably all be pretty mundane. You might be able to remember when you spotted some D-list celebrity, or the time there was a multiple-car pileup on the highway.
Traveling gives you memories that will shine brightly as time goes by. Very few people ever regret traveling to exotic places and having unusual or uncharacteristic experiences. If you bring back pictures and trinkets from your travels, you can enjoy looking at those and reminiscing as you get older.
It’s true that vacations or travel cost money, and some people don’t have much of it to spare right now. You have to be wealthy to simply hop on a plane to an exotic destination without a second thought.
However, you can often make a trip happen if you plan far enough in advance. Maybe it will take you months to save up and plan, or perhaps it will take years. If you’re determined to do it, though, there is nothing that says you can’t have at least one blow-out vacation at some point in your life.
If you’re saving up for something like a new video game system, consider using that as a vacation fund instead. Think about the place in the world to which you would most like to travel, and then start figuring out ways to do it.
Even if you can only manage one glorious trip in your life, you should take it. No one should live their whole existence without doing something extraordinary, even if it’s just that one time.
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