Why Travel?
Besides seeing the world, there are so many special reasons to travel. Here are just some of them.
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Confidence
Traveling, especially alone, boost your confidence like few other things can. When you realize that you can navigate a new city, complete a special hike, learn to use a new city's subway or bus system, plan a day in a foreign city, or speak to people in their own language (or even in your own), it reminds you of all that you can accomplish—and you may even have fun doing all of those activities.
Knowledge
There's only so much you can learn from reading about places in books or watching programs on television. Being in that actual place, seeing the sights, smelling the smells, hearing the sounds, tasting the foods, and listening to the stories teaches us so much about the history of the location, about the people who live there (and who lived there in the past), and about how that place you're visiting fits within our great, big world.
Meeting New People
Who doesn't love meeting new people? And sometimes, they're much friendlier than the people we know and meet back home. You may meet new friends you'll keep in touch with for life, relatives you've never met before, a great historian or tour guide, fellow explorers who share your passion for travel, or even a future spouse!
Having Stories to Tell
I absolutely love coming home with endless stories of my travels to tell. Whether it's at the dinner table, or out at a bar, or at work, or even for blogs like this, stories of travel abroad or even in your own country is (unfortunately) a rarity these days. Most people have never traveled as much as some others have, and they often listen wide-eyed to stories from other cities and countries. You'll be the hit of the group, and one of the coolest people they know!
Adventure
Travel is the ultimate adventure. Far-away (or not-so-far-away) lands, new cultures, new foods to try, new places to explore, new subways to navigate, new mountains to climb, new events to partake in, and the list goes on and on. Traveling is not only an adventure, but a test to prove to yourself that you can be independent, outgoing, enthusiastic, inquisitive, logical, strategic, and highly capable of planning and completing your journey.
Educating the World
Travel isn't just about educating yourself about other countries and cultures. It's also a way for you to bring who you are and what your culture is to the rest of the world. Travel and education of others is a two-way street. You might be the first American that someone in Africa has met. Or you might be a person with a wealth of knowledge to pass on to someone looking to travel to your neck of the woods on this great planet. And in both of those situations, and in many more, it will absolutely give you one of the greatest feelings in the world (no pun intended) to bring you and all that you are to the center of their attention, even if it is only for a few minutes.
Reinforcing Similarities
The more you travel, the more you see that many of us are much more similar to one another than not. We smile and laugh at the same things. We worry about the same things (usually). We have similar hobbies and likes and passions. And when these similarities are reinforced, it brings us closer together and promotes love of one another more than misinformation, prejudice, and hate. It's just as important for us to see that other cultures and other countries are so similar to us as it is for them to see that is true from their point of view as well.
Reinforcing Uniqueness
While we are all so similar on this planet, we also all have our unique differences. Some of us are musically inclined. Some of us are natural comedians. Some of us have been to many places around the globe and some of us haven't. Some of us follow one religion and others follow another (or none at all). How lucky travelers are that they get to meet so many different unique people, learning a bit from them and teaching them something about themselves, too.
Bonding With Your Travel Companions
When you travel with friends (even if they're your best friend) or with family, it is some of the best times and circumstances for bonding together. This bonding can start as early as when you are planning your trip. You learn about each others' interests, what you hope to get from this trip, how you like to travel, and what kinds of experiences are your favorites. Once the trip starts, you may be together in a car, bus, plane, or boat for long periods of time...what better time to talk and bond! During the trip, you will of course bond as you sightsee together, eat together, and share your stories of the day before turning in for the night. And even after the trip is over and you have returned home, you will continue to bond as you recount your travel stories to each other and to others and reminisce about that special time you traveled together.
Business Connections
Some people travel for business, and travel affords them the opportunities to make and sustain business connections and relationships. Technology has come a long way for telecommuting and video calls, but there really is no substitute for face-to-face interaction. Even if you are not traveling for work, you never know who you will meet on your journey, and someone you meet in a cafe or on the train or sitting next to you on the plane may turn into a future business connection or networking opportunity for you.
Practicing Your Photography Skills
Traveling allows us endless opportunities to practice getting that perfect shot, whether it's of a famous landmark, a sunset over a great natural beauty of a view, the hustle-and-bustle of a big city, the colors of the mountains as the light hits them just right, or of that meal cooked and flavored to perfection in that hole-in-the-wall restaurant you found.
Relaxing and Recharging
Our lives back home are busy, action-packed, and often stressful. Traveling allows us to relax and take a break from all of the things that worry, annoy, and bother us in our everyday lives. It also allows us to recharge, so we may better function at work and at home.
Interested in any of these reasons to travel? Excited about putting some of these opportunities to the test? Visit www.planetglobaltravel.com or email us at info@planetglobaltravel.com today!
Your Ticket to Journeys of a Lifetime
