A common question I hear from my friends, or people I meet, is ‘why do you travel? It must be very expensive’. I am here today to answer that question, and to also inspire others to try travelling, if you don’t already.
Travelling is such a freeing experience, and the best way to educate yourself about the world!
After reading this post, I hope you will think ‘why not travel?’ instead of ‘why should you?’
Alps in France – check out post here to read about it!
There’s a whole world out there
Everyone gets bored with their daily life, right? You’re sitting in an office or labouring in a garden every day and you want a break.
Some people may see a break as a weekend in bed, which is perfect, but other’s may see a break as flying off to Bora Bora for a luxury week away.
One thing that keeps me travelling, is the fact that there is a whole world out there and how can I see it from my bed?! You would never grasp the true beauty of a landscape until you see it in person.
If you struggle deciding where you should go, check out my post on deciding a destination, or use the box below to help!
A bucket list is the ultimate reason why you should travel!
If you’re looking for some inspiration, check out my posts (1, 2 and 3!) on what my bucket list consists of. I might write another since planning my backpacking trip through South America as there are so many adventures!
You may be able to have a fun day out in England and see a lion in a zoo, or zip line in an adventure park, but it’s not as exciting as the real thing. Instead, you should see a lion on an African safari, or zip line through the Amazon rainforest!
You may decide to travel for a different reason though! Some may travel because they love history, or architecture, whereas others want to learn a new language. If you love learning, then you should love travel!
You get immersed in culture
I find that I rarely travel for a relaxing holiday, I am usually volunteering or hopping from place to place. For some people, that might not be their cup of tea but others might love this! I believe you should give it a shot, it’s the perfect way of living with the locals.
Me dancing with primary school kids in a Tanzania school
By immersing yourself into their culture, you try new foods and new ways of eating; you also can learn their language and mannerisms. It also helps you to see things from a different point of view.
You learn new skills
There are so many advantages of travelling! Check out my post on the advantages of travelling solo, which talks about building confidence and learning about yourself.
While travelling, you also learn how to navigate, staying calm in stressful situations, communication and so much more!
Whatever skills you gain while travelling, they will help you in all parts of your life.
We built a toilet in Tanzania!
You live life with no regrets
If you never attempt travelling, you may wonder what you’ve missed out on. Try going for all opportunities which come your way! That way, you’ll never wonder ‘what if?’
In the caption of the instagram post below, I talk about the best experience I’ve had while travelling! You can also read this post to read about my scariest experiences abroad!
You make some great friends abroad! I have experienced that firsthand.
I believe you’re more likely to make friends with people that have similar interests to you while travelling because you’re both where you chose to be!
Yannick (left), Lucy (middle) and I (right)
These are people you can reminisce with, or plan future trips with. Your friends can make a trip!
You have fun!
This is one of the most important reasons as to why you should travel!
Having fun is so important, and what better place to do it then on an exotic island?
Like you said, the question should not be why should you travel, rather it should be why not? Not only does travel help us experience new cultures, people and experiences but also enriches us as someone who is more tolerant, adaptable, open minded and a world citizen. Hopefully we should be able to travel soon across borders and man-made boundaries!
For me, it’s all about getting to experience places unlike my own. They all have their own history and uniqueness that can give us a new outlook on life.
So true Lydia! The question does need to be ‘why not travel’. The time and money spent on travel/ experiences are the best investments. You learn so much, other than having fun!
This is a great post! I love your point about a bucket list. At some point, it hit me that even if we spent our entire lives traveling, we’d only be able to see a tiny fraction of everything out there, so prioritizing really helps! It’s also a joy to visit a place that isn’t on the list and end up really liking it.
this in interesting point of view. As a traveler, I look at my traveling as a hobby. While some people enjoy watching a sports game or playing the piano, I enjoy the exploration of traveling. I do think it’s a bug, that some people have and others don’t. Even though many people like to travel, not all can call them selves TRAVELERS. same as like not everyone who have watched a football match a few times in his life, is a football fan
Fab post! I agree with all your points (although I don’t have a bucket list…I just like exploring) You are lucky to have been able to travel so much. <3
Having said that, I do understand that some people are just not interested in travelling. It's totally fine that some folks have other priorities…Some of us are just always going to be a fan of experiences, rather than objects.
I couldn’t agree with this more!
“Travelling is such a freeing experience, and the best way to educate yourself about the world!”
I find I also learn about myself as well as the world when I travel. I tend to travel overland and stay with locals in places off the tourist radar. I want to do that forever!
For us, exploring new cultures and food and seeing some of the best natural and human-made sites is the main reason for traveling. It is amazing how nice people are and all the things you learn traveling. We have also find some spots where we may spend more time when we retire.
That’s a great reason to travel. And I understand the retirement reason too, although I haven’t got to full time work yet, so I’m looking to find a country I want to work in (looks like it’ll be South Africa!)
I always get so annoyed when people ask me this 😉 I mean, you could ask a counter question like ‘why do you go to the pub?’ which could be way more expensive than travelling actually! My main reasons for travelling would be to educate myself and learn more about our world and cultures outside of our own town or country. It helps in getting a bigger picture of the world and sometimes also helps to put things into perspective. But I also travel because I love the sense of adventure and seeing beautiful landscapes that are so different than those I’m familiar with. Also, meeting new people who sometimes become good friends makes travelling such a wonderful experience 🙂 Hopefully we can go explore and enjoy the world soon again!
I love the fact that you are combining your passion for animals with your love of exploring new places. Your volunteering gets you immersed into a new place in a really special way.
Like you said, the question should not be why should you travel, rather it should be why not? Not only does travel help us experience new cultures, people and experiences but also enriches us as someone who is more tolerant, adaptable, open minded and a world citizen. Hopefully we should be able to travel soon across borders and man-made boundaries!
I’m so glad that you agree! I also hope we can travel properly soon
For me, it’s all about getting to experience places unlike my own. They all have their own history and uniqueness that can give us a new outlook on life.
Thank you for this! I love seeing why other people love to travel
So true Lydia! The question does need to be ‘why not travel’. The time and money spent on travel/ experiences are the best investments. You learn so much, other than having fun!
I agree! My dad always says to me ‘why not save your money for a house or something?’ – I don’t want a house! I want to explore the world constantly!!
This is a great post! I love your point about a bucket list. At some point, it hit me that even if we spent our entire lives traveling, we’d only be able to see a tiny fraction of everything out there, so prioritizing really helps! It’s also a joy to visit a place that isn’t on the list and end up really liking it.
Thank you! The world is insanely big, it makes me a little sad that we can’t see it all but I certainly want to try – I hope you can too
this in interesting point of view. As a traveler, I look at my traveling as a hobby. While some people enjoy watching a sports game or playing the piano, I enjoy the exploration of traveling. I do think it’s a bug, that some people have and others don’t. Even though many people like to travel, not all can call them selves TRAVELERS. same as like not everyone who have watched a football match a few times in his life, is a football fan
Yes i love that! I’ve never thought of it that way before – thank you!
Fab post! I agree with all your points (although I don’t have a bucket list…I just like exploring) You are lucky to have been able to travel so much. <3
Having said that, I do understand that some people are just not interested in travelling. It's totally fine that some folks have other priorities…Some of us are just always going to be a fan of experiences, rather than objects.
Every one is different, that’s very true! I am very lucky, and I’ve got a lot more travelling to do
I couldn’t agree with this more!
“Travelling is such a freeing experience, and the best way to educate yourself about the world!”
I find I also learn about myself as well as the world when I travel. I tend to travel overland and stay with locals in places off the tourist radar. I want to do that forever!
I really understand your passion! I’m so glad you understand how I feel too
For us, exploring new cultures and food and seeing some of the best natural and human-made sites is the main reason for traveling. It is amazing how nice people are and all the things you learn traveling. We have also find some spots where we may spend more time when we retire.
That’s a great reason to travel. And I understand the retirement reason too, although I haven’t got to full time work yet, so I’m looking to find a country I want to work in (looks like it’ll be South Africa!)
I always get so annoyed when people ask me this 😉 I mean, you could ask a counter question like ‘why do you go to the pub?’ which could be way more expensive than travelling actually! My main reasons for travelling would be to educate myself and learn more about our world and cultures outside of our own town or country. It helps in getting a bigger picture of the world and sometimes also helps to put things into perspective. But I also travel because I love the sense of adventure and seeing beautiful landscapes that are so different than those I’m familiar with. Also, meeting new people who sometimes become good friends makes travelling such a wonderful experience 🙂 Hopefully we can go explore and enjoy the world soon again!
Your reasoning for travel is beautiful! Travel is such an important part of ones life, you’re right to say that it can be a stupid question
I love the fact that you are combining your passion for animals with your love of exploring new places. Your volunteering gets you immersed into a new place in a really special way.
It really does! And I enjoy almost every minute that I’m out there. Thank you for reading!