It’s very easy to get caught up in materialistic goods. As a society, we are very prone to want the latest and greatest things. Whether it be phones, tablets, laptops, purses, etc., we must have it. But there comes to a point where we need to take a step back and really think about the happiness that these materialistic items are bringing us. Sure that new Kate Spade bag is cute but chances are it’s going to go out of style in the next year or so. And sure the iPhone 7 is going to be pretty damn cool but there’s a very good chance that the iPhone 7s or 8 will be out 6 months later and then you’re stuck with an “old” phone.
They say money can’t buy happiness but I disagree. Money can buy you plane tickets. If you ask me, traveling leads to exponential amounts of happiness. If you’re reading this right now, I challenge you to take a second and think about some of your favorite memories with your friends and family. I can take a guess and say that at least some of them involve some type of vacation. When we’re stuck at home, working or going to school, we tend to forget that there’s a world out there that’s waiting to be explored.
I have been fortunate enough to travel to some of the most beautiful places on the face of the Earth yet I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface. There is so much culture out there that one has no knowledge about unless they experience it themselves.
The craziest part about traveling is being able to see a world that’s completely and utterly different than the routine that you’re used to. For example, I’m typing this while I sit in my hotel room in Copenhagen, Denmark. This is a place where they eat their hamburgers with a fork and knife. It makes us Americans look sloppy as hell. But it makes me appreciate these people so much more. They have a way of doing things that are so unalike anything we have in the states. The way they dress, the languages, the foods they eat, the cars they drive, the buildings they live in. All of these things are completely routine to them yet foreign to us.
Traveling may not be the easiest thing to do in the world. The means of transportation and living arrangements can be expensive. You might have to sit on a plane for hours and hours (although this isn’t too bad considering most flights have some amazing movies). You might face a language barrier where you find that it’s hard to relate and communicate. But I swear, nothing will bring you more joy than seeing what else this world has to offer. In our everyday lives, it’s easy to get sucked into the stress and worries. Traveling helps you forget those. Seeing the world makes you realize how small your problems truly are and that is something everyone needs to experience. So I urge you to travel as much as you can. Spend the money if you can. It doesn’t have to be a lavish trip to Europe or South America or Asia. Even if you take the time to make a small road trip or see things in your hometown that you have never seen before. It will give you a new outlook on life and you will only crave more.
