MY LOVE FOR TRAVEL

MY LOVE FOR TRAVEL

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I love to travel and have been traveling all of my life. It is one of my top favorite things to do. I can never sit still too long before getting the itch to take another trip. I have traveled to 5 out of 7 continents and 22 countries and am on my 3rd passport. It is so amazing to see all of the different parts of the world and God’s beautiful creations. I believe that traveling gets you out of your comfort zone, it can shape your perspective and has the ability to transform lives. Indeed, traveling can give a person a lifetime of education beyond the classroom. Anybody who has traveled outside his or her comfort zone can attest to the excitement that comes from being in a new environment. As research has shown, travel is not only exciting; it also offers many great benefits.

There are so many people that don’t take advantage of traveling, and I don’t understand why.  If you can buy a designer items, you can travel.  There are shoes that cost more than a vacation package. If you can buy multiple bottles in the club, you can travel. Traveling gives you a lifetime of memories and it feel everyone should take advantage of. AnnDrew already has 12 stamps on her passport and she is 14 months old.  She will have traveled the world by the time she is 5 years old and I think thats the shit! There are so many websites you can use to book an entire vacation package (travelocity, expedia, etc). If you are on a strict budget, price it out, create a savings plan, put some money away each paycheck and be out!!

Traveling leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller

Here are some reasons why traveling is good for you…

1. Promotes Heart Health
Travel promotes physical activity, whether it is rushing through the airport, walking the streets of a foreign land, or climbing a mountain. Physical movement lowers blood pressure and the risk of heart disease and stroke.

2. Keeps the Mind Sharp
Travel also can promote brain health and keep the mind sharp. When your brain is introduced to new experiences and environments (which happens during travel, essentially) it becomes challenged and builds resilience at the cellular level so degenerative disease is potentially delayed.

3. Enhances Creativity
The brain’s neural pathways are influenced by environment and experience (the brain’s adaptability is also known as neuroplasticity), which leads researchers to believe that travel can spark synapses in the brain and enhance creativity.

4. Relieves Stress and Boosts Mental Health
Stress reduction is one of the most important benefits of travel, according to the Global Coalition on Aging. According to a 2012 Expedia survey, 89 percent of vacationers found they could let go of stress and just relax after only a day or two into their trip. Pulling yourself out of your daily routines and into new surroundings resets both your mind and body, resulting in significant stress relief. You can experience a boost in happiness even while planning a trip. Having something to look forward to, even if it’s a two-day trip, can feel rewarding. Vacationers also likely experience less stress and more satisfaction with their overall mood and outlook after returning from a trip compared to non-travelers.

5. Shifts Perspective
Travel broadens your perspectives, not only of the world but also of yourself. When traveling you may often find yourself in situations that you wouldn’t be in otherwise. You are faced with the reality of living outside your comfort zone, which, as uncomfortable as it is, gives you the opportunity to transform how you see things. Psychologists point out that people often have epiphanies while traveling, as they are able to view their problems from a more detached view.

Watching firsthand how other people live, almost like viewing the world through someone else’s eyes, can also broaden your view. Watching how other cultures live can force you to challenge your own assumptions and free your mind to experience alternative ways of being.

6. Increases Connection to Others and Self
Travel offers opportunities to meet new people that you otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to connect with. When you are outside of your comfort zone in a different country, you may have to look to others for guidance, which can create a sense of connectedness. Whether you obtain this connection by engaging with the locals, other travelers, or even those you are travelling with, making social connections, or deepening the ones you already have, can improve your mental and physical health.

7. Travel opens your eyes

If you’re open and willing, travel will make you an incredibly more well-rounded human being. And that’s really the goal, isn’t it? If you don’t know where to start, check out our Around the World planning guide. It gets you out of your comfort zone.

8. Traveling helps you learn who you are

All the challenges and opportunities travel lays at your feet help you discover who you are in a way that’s only possible on the road.

9. Travel creates meaningful relationships

People you meet while on the road become some of the most valued names on your contact list. They become places on the map to visit later on. These folks give you a glimpse outside your hometown circle of friends, and force you to take in new and refreshing perspectives, and ultimately realize that everyone is the same.

10. Travel helps you learn new languages

There’s something satisfying about being able to throw around a few words of Greek, knowing how to say thanks in Thai, pulling out that long dormant Spanish to book a room in Santiago, or simply hearing a language you didn’t know existed just a few weeks before.

11. Travel means adventure

Zip-lining over the jungle canopy in Peru, successfully navigating the maze-like streets of Venice, bartering for the best price in the traditional markets of Marrakech, taking a speedboat ride in New Zealand, or hopping in a Land Rover and heading out to watch animals grazing in Tanzania: these are adventures worth having. People are hardwired for the excitement of adventure and travel may just be the best way to tap into it.

12. Travel helps you move forward

If you’re between jobs, schools, kids, or relationships, around the world travel can be a perfect way to move from one of these life stages into your next great adventure. A big trip won’t just ease your transition into the next stage of your life, it’ll give you a chance to reflect on where you’ve been, where you’re going, and where you want to end up.

13. Travel is education

Seeing the world provides an education that’s absolutely impossible get in school. Travel teaches you economy, politics, history, geography, and sociology in an intense, hands-on way no class will. Fortunately, the school of travel is always taking applications, no entrance exam required. Moreover, the social aspects of travel can enhance your sense of self. Research has shown that when you get out of your social comfort zone and immerse yourself into cultures different from your own, you strengthen your personal identity, including your values and beliefs, and increase your confidence.

Check out my hashtag on my Instagram page to see some pics from some of my travels #MellySandiego. Looking for a new place to travel to, check out my Travel Guide on Aspen.

Comment and let me know your favorite place to travel to 😉

2 Comments

  1. August 23, 2017 / 2:59 pm

    Amazing read!! Traveling and experiencing different cultures has influenced my life more than any book or lecture. It teaches you how to connect with people while away and once you return home. I’ve met and continue to meet so many great individuals all because I’ve been to there country or we’ve traveled to similar destinations. Continue spreading the word Darling, it’s inspiring!

    • Mel
      Author
      August 23, 2017 / 3:08 pm

      Exactly how I feel!! People don’t understand how much more you’re exposed to from just hopping on a plane. Your travels are all that! I’m going to have to get some Greece deets from you. That’s next for us 🙂

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