“The only true voyage of discovery, the only fountain of Eternal Youth, would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to behold the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others, to behold the hundred universes that each of them beholds, that each of them is.”
Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things Past
The hundred universes Proust describes would be even better viewed from distant lands where possibility and memory can be more tangibly compounded, not from the familiarity of one’s own living room. Here are ten reasons to travel.
- Encountering the unfamiliar challenges your perceptions. Much of what we’ve learned to accept as true within the limited parameters of our own immediate experience get called into question when we study the rhythms, values, and beliefs of other cultures. From this, we come to better understand what’s really going on inside our minds.
- You learn how to budget your time and money when you travel. Do you have access to more money than you think you’ll need to spend on your trip? You should since things almost always happen to warrant this need. Have you arranged a flexible schedule that will allow you to pace yourself? You should be relaxed, not exhausted, when you return home. Don’t try to do too much. That’s what you’re trying to avoid.
- Travel tests your character. A hike down the Tanner Trail to the base of the Grand Canyon and back or a climb to the top of Mount Rainier up White River Canyon can be a life-and-death experience. Navigating through the hills and deserts of the Great Southwest in the dead of summer will keep you alert as well. You need to be strong and resourceful when you do any real traveling.
- Travel is educational. I didn’t appreciate the idea of the siesta until I spent a few weeks in the summer visiting Seville, Málaga, and Granada. Then I saw why Spaniards tend to be calm, classy, and generally happy. I had to wonder how European Union membership requirements would continue to reshape the new Spain. Indeed, many of the old ways are disappearing before our very eyes. In travel we see what has passed, is passing, and is yet to come.
- You establish unique connections when you travel. Maybe you live in the desert and befriend someone who owns a house by Cannon Beach. Then, this person invites you to stay at her place on subsequent visits. You’ve just enhanced your quality of life. You’ve given yourself something to look forward to.
- Travel can be great exercise. Did I mention the Grand Canyon and Mount Rainier? It’s fun to try our every running track, weight room, and outdoor basketball court you can find along the way, too.
- Travel leads to business opportunities. Carry business cards whenever you travel. If you don’t have any, create some. Then, share them with interesting people you want to get to know. Watch what happens.
- Travel inspires romance. There’s nothing like a [insert your favorite location] sunset.
- Travel makes you more interesting. Visiting exotic places, interacting with others in unexpected ways, and challenging your assumptions alters your neurology. You understand things differently. This makes you a stronger conversationalist. You learn to try things that hadn’t occurred to you before.
- When you travel, you participate in a broader community that requires attention. The world is changing fast, and this change is accelerating, not abating. Most of the unparalleled transformations we see tie directly to globalization. A letter correspondence from Sacramento to Berlin that used to take three or more weeks now takes a second with the click of the Send button. Rapid online connections equal an expanded awareness of all other cultural networks on the planet. This interconnectedness dictates a new standard for human interaction. We should better acquaint ourselves with an inevitable future that’s already here.
