Everyone has their own reasons to do anything in life. There are so many reasons to travel. It is the only thing in the world that after spending your money on, will, without a doubt, make you richer. However, I think you should listen to my 6 reasons to travel. These are the very reasons why my 1 year trip around the world has turned into 4 years and counting. These are the reasons that have carried me across 6 continents and over 60 countries. I absolutely love exploring new places! Why 6? Well, it’s my favorite number, and nobody else is doing lists of 6…yet.
1) You have No Excuses. You WILL do something worthwhile everyday.
It’s true. When you’re at home, life can become pretty predictable. Things get pushed off until tomorrow because we know we’ll have time to do them. When you’re traveling, you don’t know where you’re going to be in two days or two weeks. When you’re traveling, time is money, money is time and there’s just no excuse to waste either. It changes your perspective and makes you realize that you’re in “the now” and you may never be back in this place again.
2) You Learn things.
There’s no way to really learn about Africa from a book…a movie…a website…or even a class. You can’t truly understand what Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in “Blood Diamond” means when he says “T.I.A.” – “This is Africa” until you’ve experienced it for yourself. You can’t really know what it’s like to be on a crowded bus bombing 80 miles per hour down the road with people hanging out the doors unless you’ve done it.
You’ll learn the root of stereotypes we have in the Western World. For instance…it’s a common stereotype that Asians are bad drivers. Just about anywhere in Asia, they have no traffic laws, no system…it’s madness. It’s hard enough to follow the rules when you’ve known them all your life. Imagine how you’d act if your whole life you learned there were no driving rules other than “don’t die”. I can now be sympathetic to Asian drivers, knowing the chaos they probably learned to drive in. They’re not bad drivers, they just don’t drive by our rules.
3) You will see things you won’t see at home.
If you are from the US and you go to Africa or SE Asia …you’re going to see farm animals riding on top of buses. You don’t see that in the US. If you’re from Ethiopia and you go to the US…you’re going to see a Starbucks on every corner. You’re not going to see that in Ethiopia. This can really open your eyes to the contrast of how people are living around the world.
4) You can do things you can’t normally do in your country…
At home, I can’t just walk out my front door, buy a motorcycle with cash, and handle absolutely zero paperwork or licensing to complete the deal. Then, ride that motorbike across the country, where my biggest worry is getting bribed by cops or ripped off by a mechanic. I can’t do that in the US…but I sure as hell did it in Vietnam…and it was the trip of a lifetime. Come to think of it, riding a motorbike across Vietnam was so incredible, maybe it should stand alone as one my reasons to travel.
5) You get out of your comfort zone & discover new favorites.
Doing, eating, touching, smelling, witnessing, and experiencing things that you would never encounter in your “normal life” is key to personal growth. I never thought I’d like horse, let alone raw horse meat. But I’ll be damned if the raw horse meat sandwich I ate in Parma, Italy wasn’t the most delicious sandwich I’ve ever put in my mouth. Being open to new things, even things, especially things you assumed you won’t like will push you to your limits. Only if we know our limits, can we go past them.
6) YOU WANT TO!!!
Perhaps the best of all the reasons to travel…because you want to. Not because it’s trendy. Not because you got a great deal. And not because your adventurous friend is dragging you along. Travel because you desire everything listed in 1 – 5!
Look…travel, especially long term budget travel, is not for everyone. Pushing your limits, adopting cultural practices, learning new things and being on the go every day can be hard. But for those of us who need to know more about the world and about ourselves, we travel. If you feel like you are one of those people who needs the unknown or craves something different in your life…travel is a great way to quench that thirst. You may just find a happiness you never knew existed.
Everyone has different reasons to travel
I love discovering new favorites – food, drink, adrenaline rush, hobby, place, music, etc. What about you? What are your favorite reasons to travel?
