“I have too much debt”, “I can’t leave my family”, “what about my relationship”, “who will feed the dog?” Let’s face it; there are so many excuses as to why you shouldn’t travel or why you can’t travel. If you want to travel, stop talking about it and go do it. Here are seven reasons why you definitely should get out there and see all this wonderful world has to offer.
1. Create Lasting Friendships
Nothing brings people together more than travel. Sharing all those moments good and bad will bring two people closer than you can imagine. Helping your friend through a jungle trek, screaming for them as they bungee, sharing a brilliant sunset or taking a ten hour, bone rattling bus trip together; these are experiences you can’t get in your normal daily life and they’ll bond you forever.
2. It’s an Education
Travel is an education in itself. First hand experiences will teach you more about a country, its people and its cultures than any book ever will. You will also learn about yourself, embarking on a voyage of self-discovery.
3. Develop Skills
Travel takes you out of your comfort zone and puts you in situations which you otherwise would never have been in. Overcoming language barriers, reaching the top of a mountain or finally succeeding at eating a bowl of noodles with chopsticks; these moments will bring out skills in you which you didn’t even know you had.
4. Taste Exotic Cuisines
One of the best things about being in a faraway land is all the new food you get to experience. From coconut curries in South East Asia, to kangaroo steaks in Australia, or raw fish in Japan, there’s a whole world of interesting foods out there and it’s worth exploring.
5. To Get Away
Travel, for some, can be a form of escape, a chance to take a break from the daily grind and do something new and exciting. Taking some time out to find yourself, find a new interest or just find somewhere nice to relax, is as good a reason as any to take a trip.
6. Appreciate the Moments
There’s nothing quite like sitting around with nowhere to be and nothing to do and just enjoying the moment. It doesn’t matter if you’re watching the sunset on a tropical beach, taking in the mountain views during a hike or people watching from a cafe window, just being in the moment is what it’s all about.
7. For the Stories
Life is a collection of experiences and memories, so you may as well make some good ones. Do something different, go somewhere new and have some stories to tell when you get back. Stories of sleeping under the stars in India, surfing with locals in Fiji or driving through vineyards in France are worth sharing. Traveling makes a story teller of everyone.
So, stop making excuses and make it happen. Plan a trip, somewhere, anywhere. Go for a week, a month, a year or travel indefinitely, but go and do it. I’ve never heard anyone say “I wish I never traveled”, have you?
