Travel

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one s lifetime.”

? Mark Twain

Why Travel The World

We all have that one friend on Facebook that occasionally pops up offering up an opportunity for us to live vicariously through their experiences. They post up photos of sunsets in highly desirable locations on the other side of the world and at first it amuses, then promotes wanderlust, we have a little daydream about our next vacation and then the jealousy sinks in. Although, I just made that generalisation up so if that resonates with you in any way then you ve come to the right blog post.

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don t need to escape from.”

? Seth Godin

It s a big decision. Even leaving your comfort zone for a brief 20 minute jog once a week is a struggle for some and in those cases a life shifting experience like travelling may be the key to breaking that way of thinking, the way that promotes retreating, the withdrawal back to unhealthy routines. This leads us on to reason number one:

By not taking risks, you never really discover your true self. It s only ever about doing what is safe and easy but how will you ever know what really makes you tick if you ve never tried it. Travel will push you into a flurry of seemingly uncomfortable situations like forcing you to meet new people with completely different lifestyles and cultures or navigating your way around a mountain where no one speaks your native language..etc.

We could only hope the Tuk-Tuk driver understood our intended destination, as he drove us nearly two hours through remote Thailand as it started to get dark.

A regular routine builds strong neurological connections that over time allow for us to automate activities almost seamlessly. Think about that journey to work where not a thought is spared on the direction, forced into the present only by an obstruction. I ve been working here 10 years and I don t know where the time has gone that s not for me. An ever changing horizon continually breathes new experiences and with in those we truly live in the moment, we are gifted with the present.

Beautiful sunsets over the ancient Angkor Temples

With nothing but your backpack filled with essentials you venture out into new cultures without access to the usual facilities and material objects you might usually take for granted. Many people live in the type of poverty that is truly unfathomable until you experience it first hand. As a westerner I will never forget the first time I drove through Brazilian slums and without going into detail, I can assure you that television is not the same. Statistics are numbers and individual stories remain unheard. A culture shock can only positively affect you, it compels you to give back, to help out and to appreciate in innumerable ways the lifestyle upon return.

Cambodia is a beautiful country but a far cry from what we consider luxury in the west.

Travelling is often postponed with the intentions of becoming a responsible adult or building up a real life in the mean time. Some even say they are savouring the opportunity for retirement. Without injecting too much personal opinion, that s just the views of society s norm being expressed by those who are already deeply conforming. It is your choice to live how you wish. But, if I don t live to my forties, fifties or sixties, I can safely say that I have no regrets. Choosing to buy experiences over external objects has transformed me in so many way that I am sincerely grateful for.