Reasons Why We Love Travel – February

So many people love to travel and it isn’t difficult to understand why.  Through traveling, we have the opportunity to experience a world that we may not be so familiar with.  Although unfamiliarity may seem scary to some, the invigorating feeling we get from travel cannot be matched by many things.  Here are some of the top reasons why we here at Travel Guard love to travel.

 The Foodie Experience

We need food to survive and it’s no surprise that one of main things people tend to think about when traveling is food. Although the wide array of ethnic food available in the U.S. is tasty, the difference in flavor and taste is noticeable when you eat the food straight from the source.  Not only do we receive the amazing experience of enhanced flavors and cooking styles straight from the source, eating local cuisine is also a wonderful way to connect with the local people and culture.

 People and Culture

Establishing, building and maintaining relationships are what makes us who we are.  Traveling with friends and family can be meaningful because of the memories created through travel experiences.  However, many people also have the desire to create new friendships when traveling, making this another one of the reasons to love travel.  Meeting new people not only broadens our friendship circles, it also allows for organic sharing of ideas and experiences which can provide avenues for us to learn about things we might have not known before.

 Culture is one of the ways we differentiate ourselves from other people, but what better way to learn about different cultures than to completely immerse yourself through travel.  We often think that cultures start and end at international borders but that is not necessarily the case – there may be a completely new and unfamiliar culture awaiting you just over state or province lines.  Culture is created through shared meanings and understandings of social norms, symbols and words. So wherever travels take us, we will always have the chance to experience a new culture, opening our eyes to things we may not have understood before.

 Adventure, Challenges and Self-Discovery

When we overcome challenges, we thrive and grow. Many people work hard to earn the money and time-off necessary to travel. Traveling allows us to step outside of our comfort zone, to immerse ourselves in a location, culture or language we have yet to know. Whether it is summiting Mount Kilimanjaro or learning key phrases in a new language, there will always be a sense of excitement and personal accomplishment in discovering ourselves through the lens of a new culture.

 Self-discovery is yet another top reason we love and appreciate travel. The culmination of all of the wonderful experiences we receive through traveling allows us to see what we truly value and what we want to change about ourselves.  Through this comparison of our “travel life” and “home life”, we have the opportunity to reflect on who we are now; who we want to become; what we want to achieve; and what are our values and beliefs.  We learn to think differently about the world in which we live and can be inspired or motivated, by those we meet through travel, to do something more in life.  Discovering what is at our core can be a life-changing experience. 

 Traveling is really just a self-made opportunity to put ourselves “out there” and take in all that any new experience has to offer.  If you’re itching to start planning a new trip, be sure to check out these great travel tips and tricks.