So the other day, mid lunch with my friends, someone asked me “why do you travel so often?”. My response was well… because I love traveling, but that didn’t end it there for me. I kept thinking about it, why do I love to travel? and why do I travel so often? Isn’t one or two vacations per year enough for me? I mean isn’t that what a lot of people do? And how much money I could have saved so far?
The more I gave it a thought, the more clear things became. I started writing down some of the positives and negatives of my journeys, scanned through my photos and smiled as I recollected the memories. Here are the reasons what I came up with..
To learn: Every time you travel, you are going to learn something new, whether it is a new skill, a language or something new about a culture. I remember during my first solo trip to Europe, I learned how not to solely rely on my phone to navigate after I kept walking around the building in circles that I was trying to get all because I was blindly following my GPS. (Pro tip: I try to view the location on Google earth in advance to help me familiarize with the area)
To meet new people: According to the latest polls, the current world population is 7.5 billion! You and I are part of this population, however, there are a few billion other people out there who are equally amazing. I enjoy meeting new people because they have a lot of wonderful stories to tell and just have a great time. Try it someday, you are going to enjoy it!
To feel alive: Sometimes I feel so drained from the day to day routine that a change is necessary for my personal well being. Travelling brings some color back to my rather day-to- day routine, whether it be a day spend exploring a local city or town or getting on a plane to travel around the globe.
To know yourself: “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.”
To be anonymous: Someone once said “I like the feeling of being anonymous in a big city, no one knows me, so it is easier to remember who I am.” I agree with this statement, not just in a big city but everywhere else.
To experience cultures: The beauty of experiencing different cultures is just indescribable. Personally, I enjoy observing and watching people in their habitats.
To taste different food: Food..the fuel for the body. Why bother try different kinds when pizza is available? Well, 1. because pizza is not always available, and 2. our well developed taste buds require change. There are thousands of different food out there made in every possible way, trying out a new or different kind of food always brings me a step closer with the culture.
To be adventurous: Life is full of adventures but the best ones are yet to come, I believe they are waiting for me in a far away land. Adventures bring the best out of you, they make you stronger and teach you many valuable lessons. Go on, be adventurous!
To challenge yourself: When I say you are going to be challenged, trust me you are going to be challenged! As much as I love traveling, it is not always fun and games, stuff happens and shit goes wrong, but you will survive. You will come across many instances where you are challenged, things won’t always go as you planned, you just have to be ready to accept the challenges and face them.
Because life is too short: It really is! It is short but then it is long too. If traveling is something that you have always wanted to do, do it now! It’s a lot easier than you think, I promise. Life is so unpredictable, do what makes you happy and do it now, quit waiting for the “right time”.
