We all go through times where we feel like we’re trapped on a hamster wheel, spinning in circles and getting deeper into the rut. The preferred way to ‘get away from the grind’ is to start on a Passion Project, the most common one being travel. Travelling does to a wanderer’s soul what medicine does to an ailing body - they both heal. One heals the body while the other heals the soul.
Imagine the intrinsic joy you derive from the very first moment when you start planning a trip until you are actually there - it’s ecstatic. And whether you’re travelling within your own land or overseas, there is undoubted excitement in the joy of experiencing the strange and the new.
Here are five reasons why one should never stop travelling.
1. Breaks the routine
As soon as we enter a new place, we instantly find ourselves hearing, seeing and smelling so many different things. This is something that teaches us to be open to life. We become aware of the little things that make up a large difference when we shift ourselves between static locations. We enter a new pace of life that we aren’t used to. And, new experiences definitely exercise our neurons and enhance our adapting skills.
2. Get to make new friends
There is an increased opportunity to meet new people, who might help us relate better to others on the other side of whichever fence we’re crossing into. Travelling with friends can even help us relate to each other in incredible new ways. This helps us improve our relationships with people from a different place, no matter in which country or state we meet them next time.
3. Helps to grow
Travel is the best way to learn a new language, try new cuisine or experience new culture. Travelling to locations that cater to specialized interests such as Egypt and Angkor Wat if someone is into archaeology, and Andaman, if someone is a scuba and snorkeling enthusiast, can be quite enriching and fulfilling. One can experience things first hand and get to know how it’s done.
4. Learn to value experiences over things
There’s no piece of luxury that could equal the experience of staring down a mountain cliff or rafting down a river. It’s a fact that people who spend on experiences rather than things turn out to be happier. Travel becomes a way of life, and one realizes how immersing in new cultures is way more important than buying a luxury car or endless fancy gadgets.
5. Living in the moment
The sheer joy of immersing yourself in the eclectic selection of brilliant music with your headphones on as you pass by a beautiful valley or losing yourself in the music by the bonfire can be an experience in itself that will make one crave for the next such trip or go nostalgic.
Whether you’re looking up the Burj Khalifa or wandering through the busy streets of old Delhi, travelling teaches us to stop and take in what’s around us at the moment and make the most out of it. One can learn to roll with the punches and deal with whatever challenges come their way. Ultimately, one will be more carefree and have a more positive attitude towards life, ready to take on their next adventure.
Finally, travelling enables one to stop worrying and be optimistic, through unpredictable encounters and unprecedented happenings on the journey that will ultimately lead one to the understanding that no matter what happens on a journey, we’re more than capable of dealing with it.
