The Importance of Traveling
Most of us already understand that traveling is indeed important, but that doesn’t mean that doing so is commonly practiced per se. Moreover, the situation is such that even though we may know the importance of traveling, putting that importance into words isn’t so easy. It’s sort of like one of those existential things, like eating and sleeping, that everybody enjoys.
But as alluded to earlier, despite developing urges to go on exciting journeys, many of us subdue them for various reasons. Yes, taking a prolonged trip is beneficial, but it isn’t such that you would perish if you don’t do it.
And that’s the main reason why pointing out the importance of traveling is, well, important. No one needs to tell you why to eat or sleep. But convincing someone to partake of a meaningful travel experience usually requires more introspective rationalization.
A lot of the resistance to traveling is, most honestly put, money-based. This is not the type of investment you make for monetary gain (unless a business trip). But you will be edified internally which, in the grand scheme of things, is even more essential.
Conquering Fear
Usually it takes a certain amount of moxie to muster up the will to travel. On one hand, you have to be willing to go someplace you’re likely unfamiliar with and/or to a location where you don’t actually know anybody. And on the other hand, you’re leaving behind matters at home and in the workplace, hoping that they will remain rightfully intact until your return.
When we think of conquering fear in relation to traveling, most people will probably conjure up images of engaging in dangerous activities while on the road, like perhaps parachuting or bungee jumping. But again, traveling in and of itself requires an ample amount of courage. For many people, even doing something as common as flying in an airplane is a major form of fear conquest. And of course, overcoming one act you’re afraid of or apprehensive about can subsequently lead to even bolder moves on your part.
Personal Education
Perhaps there’s a snazzier way this particular section could have been titled, such as ‘individual cultural diversification’ or what have you. But traveling, no matter what, is always a learning experience. So if you visit a different part of the world or perhaps even certain parts of your own country, you’re going to come in contact with other cultures and, depending on the duration of your stay, be indoctrinated in their ways.
One of the most-exciting ways this is manifest is unanimously considered to be partaking of different cuisines. Food is something that is enjoyed by the entire human race, and different regions also have their distinct dishes. That’s why when traveling afar we tend to want to know what food choices are available at the destination beforehand.
And yes, trying different dishes is educational. For instance, even if you find yourself not liking a particular food you’ve tried before, you’re still going to learn something about it in the process. That is to say that when you travel overseas or cross country and try a new food, the person serving it is usually more than willing to explain what it’s made of and how it’s prepared.
Traveling and having fresh-personal experiences is also the best way to introduce your mind to new ideas. Reading books and watching documentaries is one thing, but there’s nothing quite as horizon-broadening as witnessing firsthand how people of different cultures go about doing their thing.
Learn a New Language
Whether or not you’re exposed to a different language often depends on how far you travel, and the duration of stay dictates how well you will pick it up. But even if you only learn how to utter a handful of phrases proficiently, there are few things cooler and more impressive than being able to speak in another language.
Get some Relief from Stress
We human beings are oftentimes funny creatures. For instance, the same homes we toil to build and the same jobs we faithfully report to also tend to be our main sources of stress. Sometimes, the situation can reach a point where playing video game or hitting up a nightclub just isn’t going to suffice. In other words, you may need to place yourself in a setting where you are reminded of your established lifestyle as little as possible. And minimizing stress may well be the most universally-recognized reason as to why we travel in the modern world.
Get Relaxed
People travel for different reasons. But when doing so for leisure/recreational purposes, an ample amount of relaxing is usually part of the itinerary.
Traveling inevitably has its quirks, some of them advantageous, but also, let’s say more commonly, frustrating. So proper planning can prove key to having the most-enjoyable experience within your budget, as in knowing what you want and what’s available in that regard at the destination beforehand.
So in some instances especially, i.e. when you’re visiting an area/site that doesn’t have an encompassing online presence, having someone trustworthy on the ground to relay such information to you is also a good thing in terms of making sure everything proceeds in a relaxing manner. In the world of traveling, relaxation equals minimal unwanted risks.
Even More Health Benefits
There is such a thing as “health tourism”, but that’s not what we’re referring to. Rather, let’s be frank. Many of us don’t move our bodies as much as we need to, which is why we register at the gym or buy exercise machines or what have you. And you can’t always sit around beating yourself up for not running or lifting enough, because there are more practical ways to move your body. And one of those ways is through traveling.
For example, organizing and packing is a chore in and of itself which, if done promptly, can even prove pleasurable. But of course where most of the exercise tends to come is in actually moving about from place to place and not being sedentary. Also, as noted earlier and later, there are various mental health benefits to taking a meaningful trip.
Obtain Fond Memories
One inevitable benefit of an enjoyable travel experience is coming back with memories that are perennially cool to recall. And there’s actually a science behind that. Part of it has to do with our minds being more alert in foreign environments. Another factor is that when vacating, our lives tend to be less stressful, which then empowers us to have really pleasant experiences. So it has been concluded that travel experiences do contribute to personality development and can even be life-changing.
And it’s from venturing out into the world that some of our best stories come from. Tales from abroad are usually more compelling and unique than what’s happening around the corner. And the human mind is such that the further from home you travel, the more people will be interested in hearing about your journey. Indeed, adventures are such that they are often more enjoyable in hindsight than when they’re actually transpiring.
Obtain New Friends & Associates
If you do in fact enjoy a pleasant travel experience at a place notably far from home, then it can’t be taken for granted that along the way you made a new friend or met someone who inspired you. Traveling is also a time-tested way of making new business contacts and other types of associates. And in the age of social media, it has become exponentially easier to maintain a meaningful relationship with people in other parts of the world.
Get to Witness the Best this World has to Offer
Some fond travel memories are the direct result of the people you meet. But what’s often even more important, in the grand scheme of things, is the impact the environment has on your disposition. In other words the more enjoyable the setting, the more pleasant the experience/memory. And this is achieved in one of two ways, which we will call manmade and natural.
Manmade would be for instance if you’re staying at a hotel with kind and helpful service, or visiting a location like a museum or state-of-the-art facility which highlights the achievements of mankind. And in the natural category course would be those landmarks and other areas that none of us had a hand in creating yet imbue us with feelings of wonderment, peace and curiosity.
And there’s no way to fully enjoy these sites and services unless one visits them personally. Or viewed from a different angle, no matter where you are, there’s always someplace to travel to that you can derive edification from, even if only from viewing or being at the site itself.
Enriches your CV or Resume
In a competitive work environment any solid advantage, i.e. something you can confidently boast of that other applicants can’t, matters. And there are few experiences you can list on a curriculum vitae that are as unique as those related to travel. The general rule is that the more remote the place you visit, the more impressive it sounds when people hear of it. But that is not to say that you have to go somewhere exotic to have a noteworthy experience. The most-important thing is the journey proving edifying to your soul and being one that perhaps an employer can more specifically derive value from.
Growing Homesick
This article doesn’t say too many positive things about being at home, but needless to say, permanent residences serve all-important functions in our lives. And when we’re disposed to appreciating home the most is after spending a significant amount of time away from it. How much time that would entail depends on the individual. But ideally, returning from a travel experience will be such that home now has a fresh appeal to it.
The Conclusion
Our ancestors were hunters and gatherers, so in a way it can be argued that humans were made to travel. But living in the here and now rather encourages in many, if not most of us a sedentary lifestyle. So currently, traveling is more important than it’s ever been, since many people aren’t getting the requisite amount of movement anyway.
And there are a number of benefits, as listed above, when it comes to deducing the importance of taking an actual trip. These gains may not generally be such that you experience financial gain as a result. But traveling is one of the few activities we can engage in that can have a holistically-beneficial effect on our wellbeing.
