I love to travel any chance I get. If my friend asks me to go with her for a weekend getaway, to Jersey or to another stare for a few days, I cannot say no! However, this is not the case for everyone. Some people don’t want to travel for a variety of reasons. Maybe they don’t see the benefits of traveling or justify why they should travel.

Well, a while ago I did a guest post for a blogger who goes by the name of Onyx on the top 5 reasons why you should travel which I will link here. I recommend you check out her social links and blog here as she blogs about faith, travel, life style, and personal development. Essentially, I discussed some reasons why someone should travel. For my post today, I am going to expand on this list to give you 10 reasons why you should travel.

1. Traveling To Your Dream Location

Do you have a dream location you’ve always wanted to go to? Have you wished to go to the beautiful beaches advertised in commercials? Well, daydreaming about it isn’t going to help you get there. We all have that one, or many if you’re like me, dream location(s) you’d love to travel to. I know for me my dream was to travel to London. I’ve always been obsessed with London and made it my mission in life to travel there. When I had the chance to study abroad 5 years ago I took it and had the time of my life!

Traveling to this location would just make your dreams come true! It would fill you up with so much joy, satisfaction, and accomplishment! This is reason enough to travel because you’ll be providing yourself with true happiness, fulfillment, and contentment. Things that money can never buy.

2. New Experiences

It doesn’t matter if you’re traveling to the next town over, or if you’re going overseas, there’s always a new experience right around the corner! By traveling, you are getting the opportunity to experience something new. I know here in the USA, traveling from New York City to Pennsylvania is definitely a new experience. You have the big city life in NYC, with tons of entertainment and things to do, compared with the natural beauty of Pennsylvania and its rolling hills, mountains, and valleys. I could stay within the USA, travel to all 50 states, and gain new experiences every single time.

The pure variance, from scenery to weather, people, food, and accents/dialects, will deepen your travel experience and leave you craving more! Learning, experiencing, and processing new things in every place you visit will enrich your life in a very fun and unique way.

3. Broaden Your World Perspective

When you stay within a certain area for most of your life, you’re unable to experience anything new and expand your horizon. You may become closed minded to things and how people go throughout their daily lives. You don’t get the chance to truly open your mind to other possibilities, experiences, cultures, customs, and human life.

When you travel to different places, especially to different countries, you are broadening your perspective on the world. There’s so much out there that has yet to be explored and discovered. Many cultures and customs left unacknowledged, landscapes and scenery unseen. Traveling provides another way of learning about the world you live in and how people from all different walks of life have something to contribute to this beautiful world. Yes, it will be uncomfortable at first because you are exposing yourself to something new, something that is out of your comfort zone. However, if you’re able to recognize this discomfort, find ways to move past it, then you can start the process of expanding your way of thinking and perception of the world.

4. Appreciation Of Life

This point flows together with the previous point. When you are able to broaden your world perspective, you can then start to have true appreciation of life. You’ll have a newfound appreciation of life for yourself and for the world around you. The way of life, or YOUR way of life, is not the only way. It is not the only way of doing things, thinking, or living.

Traveling gives you the opportunity to appreciate life after you’ve opened yourself to processing and understanding the world. After you’ve seen new things, experienced and processed them, you can learn to walk in other people’s shoes and appreciate life for what it is. By traveling, you are bringing new appreciation and meaning to your life. You’ll be more thankful, grateful, and humble for the small and big things in life. It gives you a new value to things you weren’t accustomed to before.

5. Helps With Your Health

Traveling is great for your overall health! I’m not only talking about physical health, but emotional and mental health. Traveling provides an outlet from the regular 9-5 work life, from the stresses of juggling multiple things such as school, a job, a family, a social life, and tons of other components as well. When we are continuously running around, we are doing more damage to ourselves because we are not taking the time to relax, recharge, and get away from the pressures of life. We’re overloading our systems and not providing enough breaks.

6. Conquer Your Fears

One of the many reasons people don’t travel is because of fears. Fears of the unknown, fear of traveling altogether, fear of flying, phobias, the list goes on. No matter if it is a past trauma or just a general fear, taking that leap and traveling will help you conquer your fears. If and when you decide to travel, even if for that one instance where you decide to fly half way around the world or to a country right next to you, just knowing that you have conquered your fear is a personal victory! No matter how big or small that fear is, for that portion of time you told yourself, “I will not let this get the best of me, I will not let it win!”

I remember back in college when we were at our final study abroad meeting before summer break. There was a girl in the group who told everyone she had a fear of flying and this would be her first time in a plane. We asked her where she was traveling to to study abroad and she said, “New Zealand”. Everyone in the room was taken back because this girl, who has a fear of flying and has never flown in her life, was taking this opportunity to pursue something she wanted which meant conquering her fear of flying. The spring semester when we returned we all asked her about her experience with flying and studying abroad. She said that it was the best decision in her life, and although she was scared during the flight, she didn’t regret her decision and was proud of herself for, at least that one instance, not allowing her fear of flying get the best of her.

Moral of the story: Don’t let your fears get the best of you; conquer those fears and set forth on an adventure you’ll never forget!

7. Find Out Who You Are

Traveling allows you to rediscover yourself and find out who you are as a person. It gives you the opportunity to evaluate yourself, find out what your interests are, your dislikes, and so on. Traveling enables you to look deep within and analyze the true nature of yourself. If you travel, you’ll find out the type of person you are and how you are able to handle changes, obstacles, and adapt to your surroundings.

8. Create Memories

I created a blog post a few weeks ago on the types of memories we make when we travel, so if you would like to read more about it you can find it here. For me, this is one of my top reasons for why I travel because I can create all these wonderful memories to look back on years down the road. Traveling and creating memorable memories will give you something to look back on in the future, provide you with learning experiences, provides you with a plethora of stories to share with others.

9. Develop Relationships

Some of the most amazing relationships I have with my friends today developed during my travels. I’ve traveled to many states and a few countries, and I cherish the relationships I’ve established with the people in those locations. One of my best friends, who is still my best friend 5 years later, became my friend because I decided to travel and study abroad in London. Had I not taken that opportunity I would have missed out on a wonderful friendship and other chances to build relationships with others.

The same could be true for you if you’ve traveled before or you’re thinking about traveling. Trust me, you should travel because you will meet some incredible and interesting people along your journey. You will create this bond, or maybe just a memory, with this person(s) that cannot be forgotten. It will also help you to learn more about how relationships are formed and strengthen your preexisting relationships back at home as well.

10. Personal Growth

Personal growth and development is essential for growing and progressing as an individual. When you travel you’ll gain new experiences, skills, and techniques that you probably wouldn’t have acquired otherwise. Not only will you gain these assets but you’ll also grow your mind and soul. Maybe you’ll see some new self-confidence you didn’t have before, maybe you’ll be able to articulate your thoughts better, maybe your research skills will strength because of those endless nights searching for cheap flights and hostels for an upcoming trip (those were the good old days). Needless to say, traveling enables your personal growth in a positive way and the acquisition of new skills and experiences.

Some of the experiences, stories, skills, tips, and tricks I aim to discuss through my blog would not have been possible if I didn’t travel throughout my life. I would not be the person I am today and I am forever thankful for the opportunities I’ve had, and will have in the future, to travel both within and outside the USA. If you are thinking about traveling, or just hesitant to travel, I implore you to read through these reasons and find one that resonates with you. Believe me, you won’t regret traveling and will want to travel more!