Travel is fun and exciting and definitely can be educational, but can it improve your life? Of course it can. Here are 5 ways that travel makes your life better:
You experience new cultures. Often times, people are raised in one culture and stick with it for the rest of their lives, rarely venturing out to new places. Taking the time to travel to new countries and experience someone else’s culture can be an eye-opening experience. It can help to broaden your perspective sand realize that there are so many different cultures and worlds and people out there and, although they are different, they are all good people. It can also be a refreshing getaway from the everyday life you are used to, and help get you out of a rut.
You step away from technology. While it’s nice to have photos of your vacation to share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter, traveling can really force you to take a break from the constant screen-time we often have in our day-to-day lives. If you spent your entire vacation staring at your phone or tablet, you wouldn’t really be enjoying the experience; you wouldn’t really be seeing. Take a minute (or more) to put away your phone and just take in your surroundings.
You learn patience. Not every trip is going to go the way you want; flights could be cancelled, baggage could get lost, road trips could be filled with traffic. A hike to see a monument could be longer than you expected, or a walkway could be filled with other tourists. What is important is to not be frustrated by these inconveniences, and instead learn to take them with stride. Being a traveler means having to adjust to bumps in the road (maybe literally), and being able to change plans, and also teaches you to be patient, which is something we could all use a little more of.
You expand your palate. So often, people get set in their ways of eating, and refuse to try new foods. We like what we like, and that’s it! Something beneficial about traveling is that it usually forces us to try new foods. Sure, you could try and find every McDonald’s in someplace like Japan, or you could visit authentic Japanese restaurants and try some amazing food. You’ll expand your palate, and then maybe even bring those flavors home!
Travel Makers MD