This article was written by Courtney Pierre
A love for your home doesn’t dictate that you have to be a “homebody”. A desire to travel the world often intimidates people because it is associated with high costs, large portions of time, and leaving what is comfortable. However, there is a plethora of information out there on how to save money while traveling, and traveling doesn’t always involve going too far from home. While of course globetrotting may be the ultimate fantasy, for many it is a far-distant reality. Don’t allow this discourage you; world travel can start as close as the next town over. Every exploration to an unknown place will grant you benefits, whether you go near or far. There are seven continents out there waiting to be explored, and seven reasons listed below why you should start discovering them.
1. Gain a New Perspective
Regardless of the distance you travel, each niche you visit will surely have some of its own history, lingo, and sets of ideas. Learning about these things from a variety of different viewpoints will give you a platform on which you can reflect and evaluate your own ideas and ways of life. There’s also a luxury in gaining new perspectives in a tangible way. By physically seeing new corners of the world, you are sure to see beauty that will captivate you and provide you with some grade-A social media material.
2. Change Your Attitude
Leaving the comfort of home, whether it be for a few days or a few months, can instill discomfort in people. However, I’ve always found traveling to be a source of comfort even when I’m in an unknown place. It provides a sense of freedom that is liberating for someone often tied down by the complications of this social age. Additionally, when in a foreign land where everything is new, it is often the things we value most that stick out to us and this constant recognition of our favorite things can fill us with immense joy. So, next time you’re feeling down, plan your next get away and watch those stuck-in-a-bubble blues fade.
3. Memories
There is nothing like the week after vacation. No matter what happens, we somehow find a way to note how it relates back to something we saw, ate, did, or talked about, on vacation. Travel nearly always comes with trying new things, exploring, and having as much fun as you can in your limited time, and the memories you make doing these things always have a way of sticking out stronger than memories from our day to day lives, and seem to always slip into conversation one way or another.
4. Friendships
The relationship between friends, family, or strangers, shifts dramatically on vacation. There is an unbreakable connection formed between people when they experience and engage in a new culture together. Travel comes with beauty, fun, storytelling, and a plethora of other things that will bond you with the people you experience these things with.
5. Food
Let’s not forget about one of the greatest incentives to travel, the local food. Whether it’s French crepes, Italian gelato, or South American rice and beans, I’m sure that food is often a foremost thought when you envision yourself going to a new place. Foodie, or not, I can ensure you you’ll relish in gulping down all the tastings of local food you can find. If you are a particular foodie, travel is a great way to expand your wealth of food knowledge and a great opportunity to take some local cooking classes so you can come home and cook some new, drool-worthy meals for family and friends.
6. Opportunity
Traveling provides you with a whirlwind of opportunity. As a student, you can gain so much perspective on the world, which may ultimately sway decisions on where to pursue further schooling or where you want to settle down, and it is a great opportunity to network yourself in potential industries you might soon find yourself in. Additionally, traveling is the perfect excuse to pursue any passions you may have that can be practiced around the world. Whether you are a writer, a scuba-diver, a photographer, a mountain climber, or any other passionate person, travel is the perfect opportunity to widen your range of experience and excuse yourself from a few weeks in the real world.
7. Education
Along with new perspectives, travel educates a person in ways that school never can. There is so much more knowledge gained from walking around a local museum or historical landmarks than from reading information about it from a text book; no language can be taught in a way that could compete with the benefits of speaking and learning from locals. But also, travel educates us in a way that can’t be articulated. The perspective, experience, and memories that we gain can morph us into a more mature and cultured person, regardless of the distance we travel.