Importance of travel & Why you should travel more

Travel costs money, so to travel you need to be rich, right? And working 60+ hours a week for a faceless corporate company and earning a six figure salary is the best way to achieve this? Wrong! Travel doesn’t have to be expensive and even travelling cheaply will enrich you. So why I travel and the importance of travel to me is something I have recently been thinking about.

Reasons to travel more and the importance of travel

Up until a couple of years ago, I could count on one hand the number of countries I had been to. Growing up living three doors away from the beach, so I didn’t need to travel anywhere else and be stuck in traffic or mile-long queues at the airport to face delays getting there. I was happy, had a nice home and all my friends around me. I had everything I needed to be happy, so why travel? This was before social media and the internet, and because I didn’t know what was out there, I didn’t have a desire to explore it.

How travel changed all of that for me

All of that changed for me when I made the decision to travel and explore more. It made me a better person. I felt more of a connection with people and the world around me. It gave me a passion to just get out there and see what the world has to offer and to experience it in as many ways as I can. I remind myself of this every day with our motto: ‘Eat Learn Explore’ and the importance of travel.

These are my six reasons to travel more

1 – Eat

Last time I checked, us human folk all need to eat. Eating is something we do with family, friends and on many other social occasions. Eating is a way we all come together and share a common enjoyment of food and company. Food is a common language that is universally understood. Even though most types of food can now be bought from a local super market, for me there is nothing better than trying locally-grown food and seeing how it is prepared by locals. Then when I get home, I love to try and recreate that same or similar food experience that I discovered while travelling.

2 – Learn

Travelling is a great way to learn without even trying to learn. Everyone enjoys learning in different ways, some read, some like to be taught by a teacher, and some like to figure things out for themselves. When travelling though, it’s all there for the taking, in whatever format you want to take it in. Interacting with locals I can pick up simple conversational phrases (please, thank you etc). I love learning about a local culture, and even though they are often thousands of miles away from where I call home, there are often similarities. Most importantly though, travelling has taught me how to problem solve (normally very quickly). If I’m somewhere and something doesn’t go to plan, I’ll find a way to solve it. Especially when those plans change before the trip has even begun. Which happened on our recent road trip back from Italy.

3 – Explore

Before I head off to a destination, I like to have a quick look at what there is to do in the location I’m heading to. Either through travel guides, online searches or chatting to a friend that has already been there. But once I arrive, the first thing I like to do is follow my nose. I like to go where it looks interesting. I look up high and around every corner. When you travel, look for something unique that isn’t on a top 10 list from someone else. It’s what will make your experience your own. The more you do this, the more you will want to get out and explore, even if it’s your own local area. 

4 – Friendships

As part of travelling, you will inevitably chat to someone you don’t know. Someone in a queue, a local, a fellow traveller. My experience is that people that travel are more approachable and enjoy helping. Since I started to travel more, I’ve become more conversational and have enjoyed stepping outside of my comfort zone. Not just finding people that can help me, but seeing how I can help others also.

5 – Building confidence

In early 2018 I was given the opportunity to fly out to Italy, pick up a brand new £60k motorhome and drive it back to the UK. Sounds amazing right? Without much hesitation, I agreed, booked the flights and started planning. Excitement, check! Destinations, check! Itinerary, check! A few weeks later I was landing at Pisa airport to collect a brand new £60k motorhome with Rebecca. As we were arriving, we decided to change the order of our itinerary at the last minute. As I mentioned above, plans will change and the importance of travel is that it will build your confidence to problem solve. 

6 – Discover

Lastly travelling has helped me take a break from the fast-paced life of London. Through travel I have discovered more about myself and about the wider world. I have discovered how others live, interact and the history behind their culture. Most importantly I have discovered that there is more to life than working 60+ hour weeks for a faceless corporate company that will get rid of an employee at the drop of a hat. Travel has allowed me to discover a better way of life and one that will make me feel rich on the inside!

The importance of travel is that the more you explore, the more you will discover, and the more you will learn. While traveling, you meet new people and create new friendships, which will build your confidence. As friends, you will share meals with your new friends that will stay as cherished memories forever. You may even step outside your comfort zone and try new foods that you would never have considered eating before.

Finally, if you take one thing away from this post and the importance of travel, let it be this. To travel you don’t need to be rich, because travelling will make your life rich. It will be rich with opportunities, discoveries, friendships, unusual food and the confidence to become a better human!

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