Why Travel Isn’t Overrated
Costa del Sol, Spain
I was reading a discussion on Instagram yesterday and it got me thinking. Is traveling overrated? What are my motives when I travel? Is it really all for show? With the combination of super cheap flights and SO many long weekends, it’s easy to get caught up in the travel bug while stationed in Italy. We were fortunate that we had the money to vacation often and so we made the most of every second my husband had free from work. And now, while I don’t regret this one bit, hindsight left me wondering if we visited countries to put a tick in a box or if we actually wanted to go.
So I got to thinking and began remembering the many phenomenal experiences we had. From watching the seasons change in an Alpine chalet in the Dolomites, to hiking through Hallstatt, and watching the sunset in Santorini, these memories are some of the highlights of my life to date. For me, travel isn’t a box checking exercise. I want to see the whitewashed buildings of Greece and see how it’s different to Southern Spain, and uncover the differences between Western and Eastern Europe. Sure, everyone travels when in Italy. And for some it’s a competition to see who can go to the most places. But for me, it was the total antonym of a competition. Instead, it was the adventure of a lifetime and here’s why…
Hallstatt, Austria
New Experiences are Enriching
Seeing people that don’t have anything makes you take a serious look at your life. Especially when the movers came to pack our apartment up. Do we really need all of this stuff? Not really, is the honest answer. It gives you a true appreciation of why and how experiences are so much more valuable than our material possessions. We got some gorgeous antiques when in Italy too. But, do I value them more than my memories of our travels? Not for a second.
Lake Bled, Slovenia
The chance to disconnect from the world and reconnect with our family or partner
This was particularly important for my husband and I due to his frequent absences during training rotations. It would take him a few days to switch off from the stress and high tempo of his training and we found jetting off to a new city for a few days really helped him disconnect from work and come back to his usual self. Travel allowed us to give each other our undivided attention and the opportunity to just spend time together, catching up after periods of little communication. We didn’t have to negotiate who did which chores, or argue about why the ruck still hadn’t moved from the doorway. We could just be, without any outside distractions.
Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
The world is a beautiful place that is meant to be explored
For me, this is my main motivation to travel. The mountains of the dolomites are so breathtakingly beautiful, and the waters in the Bahamas are unlike anything I have ever seen before. I travel to see this beauty with my own eyes. No photo will ever truly depict how awe-inspiring the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland are. You have to see it for yourself. And for me, this is where the magic of travelling really begins. Seeing such incredible beauty and exploring it with the ones you love is, for me,my favourite thing to do. I want to know about all the world has to offer. And the only way of achieving that is by going and finding out for yourself.
Doha, Qatar
Travel forces you out of your comfort zone
Everything is different in a foreign country. The time zone, language, currency, culture. You name it, it’s different. And different is uncomfortable. But as the saying goes, “life begins at the end of your comfort zone”. Embracing the differences in the world is where the joy of traveling begins. Trying the Creole food in the Seychelles, which was unlike anything my taste buds had experienced before, or learning how to ask questions in Italy without causing offence! It’s all part of the fun. And leaving your comfort zone and exploring something different or unknown, is where personal growth begins. Feeling uncomfortable, learning how to be in new environments, becoming adaptable and flexible are all such important life skills that travel can teach you. Meeting people that live in the polar opposite way to you makes you more tolerant. You learn that people can be different and that’s not a bad thing. You start to see that there are other options out there and become more open to what they might be.
Nassau, The Bahamas
The freedom from the stresses of our daily life leads to greater overall happiness
No more chores, work deadlines, sitting in traffic. Escaping the mundane 9-5 makes most of us feel happier. Philosopher Alain de Boton said that “travel makes us happy, because it offers us the opportunity to step outside our well-worn, self-constructed, plebian realities and provides a platform to explore and practice our ideal visions for ourselves -- who we might be if we weren't married to our fears and anxieties about safety, security and status.” And I couldn’t agree more. We leave our identities at home. Nobody really knows us when we travel. We are free to be whoever we want. And this freedom is the most liberating thing you can find.
Bradford-on-Avon, England