“A life without traveling is like being kept in a cage. You’re not living, you’re just being kept alive.”

If you know me, you know I LOVE to travel.  There’s something special about going somewhere completely new, trying new food, experiencing a new culture, meeting all kinds of people from completely different walks of life, etc.

Besides all those amazing things, traveling actually gives you far more than just amazing experiences. The more I travelled, the more I realized all these powerful, life-changing benefits, and decided to share some of these reasons to perhaps inspire you to purchase a ticket to go somewhere completely new. 

Here’s a list of reasons as to why you should travel:

1. Growth
Growth comes from being outside of your comfort zone. When you travel somewhere where you don’t know the language, the people, or the way the system works, etc, you have to be completely reliant on yourself to figure out how to navigate.  You start to think outside the box as to how you will get around, without being taken advantage of. After you figure this out, you can take that kind of experience with you anywhere in life.

2. Escape
Most people when they want to escape their routine, they go to their local bar, perhaps the gym, or maybe on a shopping spree. The best escape is traveling. You will see many new things and come back to the hustle with a much more refreshed mind. You will literally clear your mind, which will make coming back to the routine much more bearable. You might even miss your routine whilst away, which will give you a sense of appreciation for everyday life.

3. Problem Solving Skills
This is a huge one. When you travel, you will be faced with situations where you will have to act quickly. Your mind will go into problem-solving/survival mode. The more you train your mind to do that, the easier solving problems anywhere in the world will be.  You will sharpen your sense of creativity in problem solving, and become a much more resourceful person.

4. Traveling is Educational
If you are looking to sharpen your knowledge, go exploring. You will literally learn so many new things while you’re on your adventure at a very fast pace. Everything you’ve learned in history/geography class will make so much more sense when you’re at the actual destination, except you’re there with visuals and learning from people with much broader knowledge about it as opposed to learning from a textbook. This experimental knowledge tends to last much longer than any lesson you took in class.

5. Meet New People, Hear New Stories
Traveling will allow you to talk to very unique people, who all have a different story to tell. You can learn something from anyone, and traveling will allow you to meet someone who comes from a completely different background from yourself, which is optimal for growth. This will allow you to expand your network beyond social media, and connect with people in real life. You also tend to make friends all over the world, which can be a great thing if you plan to visit that destination again.

6. Exposure to New Ideas
The more you travel and meet all different types of people, you will realize that just because they have different skin, believe in something different, or may behave differently, we are all actually very similar.
We all feel emotion, have desires and many people don’t mind making someone else happy with things as simple as a smile. You will gain new ideas simply by being in a space outside of the box, and seeing different things happening around you constantly. A single trip can change your entire view on the world. You’ll also realize how much media can affect your thoughts about a culture once you’re immersed in that culture.

7. Independence
You will become so much more independent once you’re out of your bubble. You will realize that you really don’t need much to survive and will become very self-sufficient. Independent people tend to be much more successful because they are aware that nobody really has their back like they do. Traveling will teach you to appreciate your solitude and become self-reliant. It will put you in control.

8. Fooooooood
Nothing will ever beat authentic food from different cultures. The food is literally so amazing (if not the best part)! Immersing in the food culture of the world is as personal as it gets. The variety of food in the world will open up your senses to a whole new world.  Food also brings people together in their most natural habitat.  It would be a shame to go your whole life eating only one type of food.

9. Humble Yourself
You realize how much you don’t know the more you explore. In fact, you’ll realize that you’ve been living in a very limited environment for the longest time. Humble yourself, grasshopper. I promise you, you don’t know as much as you think. Nothing is worse than being around someone who “knows it all” and has a very cocky attitude. Traveling will absolutely make you realize that.

10. Bye-bye Stress
Your stress level tends to decrease when you are away from home. Life is complicated enough, yet you don’t realize how much MORE complicated the rest of the world has it. If you’re reading this, you’re blessed enough to have education and an Internet connection (something many people in world don’t have), so your stress levels tend to get minimized. Many people in the world actually don’t have food in their stomach everyday, so really how stressed are you? Life goes on with or without your minuscule existence.

11. Collect Memories
The older you get, the more valuable memories become. Memories will be your treasures once you are on your deathbed.  You will have stories to tell and feel like you truly lived your life. Many people unfortunately don’t get to experience collecting true memories; instead they might reside in collecting things (if they can). You will NOT gain any long-term satisfaction with collecting “things”. You will find memories to be much more satisfying in the long-term.

12.  Freedom to Travel= Success
Once you hit the point where you have the freedom to travel whenever you want, you’ve officially hit the new measurement for wealth. It is an absolute privilege to be able to travel, especially if you do it often. It doesn’t matter how much money you have in the bank if you’ve never got to experience the world. Freedom to travel is the how the New Rich live. One week you’re sipping cocktails on the most luxurious beach getting your tan on, the next your back to business in your New York residence, already planning for your next getaway. Life’s too short to not go exploring.

13. Become More Social
You don’t have a choice with this one. Once you’re immersed somewhere with new everything, you will have to interact with people in real life. Whether you’re asking for directions, advice, taking new ideas, etc., you will become better/more comfortable at socializing. Unfortunately, we’re living in the digital world, where people are interacting less in person and more through a screen. Being put outside your comfort zone and interacting with people in real life will be a very valuable skill to develop for you in your everyday life. You will learn many things from other people.

14. Traveling Expires
You’re probably confused with what I mean when I say that. I mean that when you visit a city when you’re a college student in love vs. when you visit when you’re in your 50’s, those are two completely different experiences. You might enjoy certain things when you’re young and other things when you’re older. That’s why traveling to certain places can have an “expiration date”. I wouldn’t wait to travel the world. You can get your money back, not your time. Also, traveling takes A LOT of energy. That’s why you should travel when you’re healthy and able to.

15. Traveling = Happiness
Studies show that people who buy experiences vs. people who buy things are much more content and happier. What better way to gain experience than travel? Material possessions will only give short-term pleasure, yet experiences give long-term satisfaction. Traveling is an investment for your soul.

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog post. 🙂 Feel free to tell me your thoughts in the comments below. Do you enjoy traveling or want to travel the world?