Traveling is well-known to be a relaxing and enjoyable experience. People plan out and look forward to their vacations months, sometimes years in advance, building excitement and anticipation for what their trip may hold. But there are many powerful benefits of traveling that may surprise you.
“We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment” – Hilaire Belloc
I love traveling. It fills my soul with a sense of peace, a sense of adventure, a sense of wonder. The excitement of visiting a new place, seeing a natural wonder, or trying a unique food, is a feeling I’ve grown extremely fond of and am always seeking out new opportunities to experience.
Whether I’m travel together with my husband as a couple, or if we’re traveling with our kids, there are always benefits of traveling to a new place.
Initially for us, like I’m sure it was for a lot of you, traveling was just a way to escape the monotony and stress of daily life. Little did we know that the reset we got from vacationing provided so much more than just a temporary respite from the daily grind.
In fact, traveling changes us in so many powerful ways that it’s virtually impossible to list all the benefits we gain. Here are the most powerful benefits of traveling.
Improves Mental Health
“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca
Easily one of the most noticeable benefits of traveling is the improvement on your mental health. Traveling boosts your mood and increases happiness. The break from your daily routine gives your mind a chance to reset, to slow down, and be able to appreciate your life.
When you’re on vacation, you experience a disconnect from the overwhelming worries that we all seem to have in our daily lives, and when you return home you feel rejuvenated and refreshed.
Along with the rejuvenating feeling traveling gives you, you also get adrenaline rushes when you experience new things. Between taking helicopter tours into the Grand Canyon, or seeing the incredible Pitons in St. Lucia, traveling has the unique ability to send endorphins coursing through your body, which is fantastic for your mental health.
Improves Physical Health
Adventure may hurt you but monotony will kill you.” – Ghaniya Dewi Arassyi
Now don’t get me wrong here, there are some vacations we take that we do little more than lounge on a beach eating, drinking, and relaxing. But traveling as a whole actually improves your physical health.
Whether you explore a city, go hiking in the mountains, swim at the beach, or kayak down a river, the fact remains that on vacation, you are way more likely to be engaging in activities, as opposed to sitting in an office chair, day after day.
Not to mention, many people tend to hit the gym, eat better, and generally try to get in shape before they go away, which sets you up for a healthier lifestyle when you return home.
Develops Character
“I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher
Going on vacation to new places forces you to foster such traits as independence and spontaneity. When you travel, you become so much more open-minded to experiences and cultures.
You develop a sense of self-confidence as you begin to realize that you actually can do things that you previously believed you were incapable of.
Broadens Our Horizons
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
The news and the media can sure make it seem like the world is a dangerous place, filled with disaster and violent crime. The fear of traveling is a very real thing to many people but the truth is, it’s not anything close to what it’s made out to be.
In fact, the US itself ranks 131st in the Global Peace Ranking for 2023, showing that traveling to other countries actually increases your safety, rather than putting you in danger.
When you travel, you realize that the fear holding you back is unfounded, and you can experience so much more in life than what you may have previously believed..
Adds To Life Experience
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Saint Augustine
Traveling enables you to experience things you frankly would not experience at home. When you travel, you immerse yourself in cultures yet unknown to you.
You visit the most exquisite natural beauties in the world, and wonder at foreign landscapes and scenery. You try new foods, you meet new people, you take new adventures.
We’ve been able to see some of the most gorgeous waterfalls ever, in so many places. Between taking the kids to Niagara Falls, seeing the incredible waterfalls in Iceland, and the most beautiful waterfall in the Caribbean, our life experience would just not be the same if not for traveling.
At times you may need to cope with unfamiliar obstacles, even scary situations which teach you valuable lessons that stay with you, making you that much better a person for it. Yes, every time you travel, you add to your life experience in innumerable ways.
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Transforms Our Perspectives
“Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain
We all have preconceived notions of foreign lands and peoples. It’s human nature to box people in, to fit them into stereotypes, but traveling transforms those perspectives, allowing us to see people for who they really are.
When you step into the unknown, you have no choice but to see the reality of it, good or bad. You may have one idea of what a particular country has to offer, but until you actually experience it for yourself, it’s a completely inaccurate viewpoint.
Once you visit that place, interact with the people, immerse yourself in the culture, your perspective will change completely.
It’s a wonderful, life-changing experience, that only traveling can bring.
Humbles Us
“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustave Flaubert
Traveling has the unique ability to make us appreciate our lives and privileges for what they are. When you go to other countries, and experience other cultures, you realize just how much you take for granted at home.
It truly puts life into perspective and you begin to realize that life is so much more than just being alive.
Improves Communication and Social Skills
“The more I traveled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.” – Shirley MacLaine
To travel to a different country, especially one where they may not speak your native tongue, can be extremely intimidating. But traveling actually improves your communication and social skills immensely.
Having a language barrier simply means you have to get creative with your communication. At some point, you learn that there is SO much more to communication than just using words.
It might involve a lot of pointing and gesturing. Facial expressions and body language speak volumes. And eventually, you pick up on words and phrases that get you where you need to go.
I personally always try to learn a few key words and phrases before I travel to speed up the process. People love when you make an effort to speak their language, and even just a couple words makes a huge difference! In fact, before we went to Punta Cana, I learned so much Spanish that I was able to make fast friends with many of the folks there!
Discovers the Real You
“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves.” – Pico Iyer
Traveling enables you to discover who you really are. There are always new experiences to have, new challenges to overcome, and you may be surprised at how capable you are in overcoming those challenges.
You find your strengths when you travel, you learn about your likes and dislikes, and you realize what you can and can’t live without. You may surprise yourself by the things that you find you actually enjoy, when you may have been too afraid to attempt them in the past.
Being on vacation brings out a sense of adventure and wonder that truly allows you to dig deep inside yourself. I certainly never saw myself hiking a glacier in Iceland until I did it, and found it to be an incredible experience!
Creates Lasting Memories
“We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.” – Katie Thurmes
Traveling is an experience that we get to relive over and over, every time we reflect on our trip. When you travel you make memories that can last a lifetime. You look back fondly on all your adventures and experiences and know that you lived life to the fullest. Whenever you look at the photos, you can be reminded of the excitement, the joy, the thrill, of that vacation.
Memories are cherished, prized possessions that no one can take away. The stories that you get to retell can keep you and others entertained with every shared experience. It gives you even more motivation to continue traveling, knowing firsthand the immense joy it brings.
