Growing up, staying in hotels and camping was one of my absolute favorite things in the world. I was utterly obsessed with the thought of getting to leave what was "normal" and routine and get to spend some time elsewhere. Ever since I can remember, I've always loved to travel no matter the distance. I've been to most of the states in America, Canada, and more recently Spain. The world is my favorite thing in the whole world. I get this indescribable thrill from it and I love getting to indulge myself in new cultures, experiences, and memories. Here are only a few of the reasons why traveling is so beneficial for your life.
1. It's a Teaching Experience
We all know that actually doing something physically is a much better and more effective way of learning. The same principle applies to traveling. With engaging yourself and putting effort toward a bigger goal, like learning a new language for instance, traveling puts you in that hands-on dynamic. When I went to Spain last year, I knew very little Spanish. After being there for a couple weeks, I was picking up on new words and phrases and could understand the language so much easier than trying to teach myself in front of the computer weeks prior to my departure. Getting to travel to different cultures is a teaching experience no classroom setting can ever teach you. I learned so much about the Spanish culture that I would have never even known about. Being inclusive in the culture was perhaps the most rewarding and amazing experience I have ever been through.
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2. Life's Not Meant to Be Lived in One Place
The world is meant for us to explore and visit different countries. The world is so vast and large to just be spent staying in once place our whole lives. (That is, of course, if you're happy with your life staying in once specific place, that is totally fine! It's your life!) I couldn't personally imagine my life living in the same town, place, or even state for my whole life. I've lived in three different states and six different towns in my life and I love the newness. I adore the "starting over" because you get to create yourself and present yourself how you want to be. It's a really cool thing.
3. Traveling Slows Down Your Life
There's a reason why they call it a "vacation" or "getting away" you know. Traveling can slow down our face-paced, routine lives greatly. It gives us a break from reality and let's us just focus on relaxing, enjoying ourselves, and being genuinely happy. We get to take in new sights, new faces, and new cultures. This really gives us a new look and take on our lives. Depending on where you travel to, it can make you more grateful for what you have. It's really an eye-opener and can make you look at your life in a whole new perspective.
4. It's a Stress Reducer
I don't know about you, but after I get on the plane to literally anywhere, I already feel my school life, home life, and work life come off my shoulders. I can focus on me and me only for once and my stress goes away. I don't have to go into work because I am literally thousands of miles away, so there. I feel completely carefree in knowing that the only stressful thing that can happen (given it's a well-planned out trip) is what I want to eat for dinner that night. Pretty cool, right?
5. Awaken That Inner-Child
Traveling gives us that "new" feeling that bumps our inner child within us awake. We get to see everything with a new and exciting lens. We get these new "first time" experiences that we can only get when we travel to new places. This has to be one of my absolute favorite things about traveling honestly. It's the getting lost in new experiences and having nothing but excitement about it.
6. You Get to Meet New People
Different country, different and new faces! While traveling with friends or a group of people is indescribably fun, traveling alone has its benefits too. I traveled to Spain by myself and did some exploring on my own and it opened new doors and allowed me to push myself out of my comfort zone to talk to and get to know new people. I actually met a family on a tour of Madrid I did that were from Canada. They took me to lunch afterward and we got to just talk and it was an incredible experience. We exchanged numbers and they said I could stay with them if I ever wanted to visit Canada. (Toronto, anyone?) I got to talk to and hang out with so many different and interesting people and it honestly was one of the best experiences of my life.
These are just some of the thrills and perks of traveling. I hope you travel as much as you can for as long as you can. Go out into the world because there's so much to see!
