Welcome to our blog, after traveling all this way, we are so glad you’re here. You have stumbled onto our very first ever post!
10 Reasons to Start Traveling Now
(And Why We Will Never Stop)
Before I get into the topic at hand, 10 Reasons to Start Traveling Now (And Why We Will Never Stop), I am going to steal 30 seconds of your time to explain why and how this blog came to be and why now, after more than 10 years of traveling.
Why Now?
I have wanted to start a blog for years. Getting better at photography has been a desire. And, I’ve wanted to use and grow my Instagram account for years (turns out you do need to use your Instagram for it to grow, who knew). But I always found excuses. It’s not the right time, I’m not good enough, nobody will listen to me, I don’t have anything of value to add, I’m not attractive/witty/smart enough.
Not knowing where and how to start has been a big problem for me. I have a lot to say, I’m fairly knowledgeable in the things I feel passionately about, and I’ve had several amazing experiences and wild misadventures that others would be able to learn from or at the very least find amusing. However, as many people know, getting started is the hardest part.
As I sat down to start writing, my best friend, unaware of my plan for the day, sent me a motivational reel on Instagram talking about this exact thing. It was even captioned: “You. Just. Need. To. Start.”
So here I am, at the start of this next adventure.
Just. Need. To. Start.
You may be wondering why another blog, what do we have to offer or what makes this special. All valid questions. To best answer these questions, I encourage you to check out our About Us page where we provide all the juicy details of who we are and why you should care.
Now, you likely didn’t click on this first post to listen to me ramble on about how excited I am to start this blog. And if you did, don’t worry, that will become apparent throughout my posts. Let’s get back to the reason you are here!
There are MANY reasons why traveling is important and why the best time to start traveling is now (or yesterday for that matter, I could be writing this on a beach in Greece instead of at my kitchen island in winter-fueled Canada). I am going to cover the ones most important to me at the time of writing, and this list will likely be expanded upon and covered in future posts, so stay tuned.
Without further ado, I give you:
10 Reasons to Start Traveling Now
(And Why We Will Never Stop)
- Travel to See the Beauty in the World
- Traveling Helps You to Gain Perspective
- Experience New and Exciting Things
- Understand the Human Experience
- Traveling Enhances Personal Growth and Development
- Build, Strengthen, or Challenge Your Sense of Identity
- Mental and Physical Health Benefits
- Price
- Your Life is Important
- Traveling is SO MUCH FUN
1. Travel to See the Beauty in the World
This is number one for a reason. There are so many beautiful places in the world, some you may have heard about, others unknown, and others only you will find beautiful. The best part about traveling for me is discovering and appreciating all the beauty there is in this world.
It’s easy to get bogged down in the negative aspects of life with negative news cycles, self-talk or feedback loops all leading to a decrease in positivity and optimism. It can feel like there is more negativity in the world than there is positivity and good, but in my experience that couldn’t be further from the truth.
There are countless beautiful destinations to explore. Some of these include stunning landscapes like remote untouched beaches , natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef and gorgeous architectural feats like Machu Picchu. You will also meet people all over the world who embody beauty and grace both inside and out.
2. Traveling Helps You to Gain Perspective
At the same time, it’s important to understand that not everything is as it seems and not every place or the people in it may be as fortunate as you or others. It’s easy to ignore. gloss over or think certain things don’t affect you when you are more removed, but seeing them first-hand gives you a better understanding and insight into what you and others can do to help.
For these reasons and more, it’s important to practice respectful and sustainable travel. You are a visitor in another country and should aim to leave the place better than you found it and abide by local customs and traditions. This may look like supporting local businesses, being respectful when visiting sacred or natural sites, and leaving no trace and minimizing your physical impact by sticking to clearly marked paths.
3. Experience New and Exciting Things
Another one high on this list for me is to experience the world instead of seeing it through a screen, hearing about it through your earbuds, or reading about it in a book. This includes learning about history, culture, traditions, food, language and more. You will learn about the world through firsthand experiences and knowledge passed down through the people that know it best.
Travel Stories from San Francisco: A Married Couple’s Memoir will tell you about one of our experiences.
When you are in another city or country you may have the opportunity to do something you would never be able to do at home or would not feel as comfortable doing. Immersing yourself in local experiences is highly rewarding for yourself and can also be rewarding for the people you are visiting who are introducing you to this new thing.
New experiences are also incredibly important and enriching for many scientific reasons that I won’t get into here. I am neither a scientist nor a researcher and would not do their work justice by trying to explain the things, so you’ll just have to trust me.
4. Understand the Human Experience
If I keep saying each reason is high on the list for me, you may stop believing my credibility but I can’t help it. Each reason is important and this one is no different. Traveling helps you to better understand the human experience, to build compassion and empathy, and helps you realize that we are more similar than we are different.
Traveling opens your eyes to different experiences and different ways of life but makes you realize that despite our differences, the majority of us have similar hopes, aspirations, values and goals. It challenges your existing beliefs and preconceptions and helps you gain a greater understanding of the world and the amazing people within it. As a bonus if you are lucky or fortunate enough you also create a network of friends all around the world.
5. Traveling Enhances Personal Growth and Development
Personal growth and development can be uncomfortable and challenging, but is so worthwhile. Lucky for you, it often happens without you even realizing it when you travel. It’s when we are out of our depth, out of our comfort zone and in challenging situations that we grow the most as individuals.
Traveling helps you discover new interests, new likes and dislikes and learn new skills. It increases your self-confidence and problem-solving skills. It helps you experience profound growth in many aspects of your life, one of which I will elaborate more on below.
6. Build, Strengthen or Challenge Your Sense of Identity
This is an important one and perhaps the most important one for me (I know, I’ve said that before, but just go with me for a second).
Traveling, and in particular long-term travel, is a great exercise in self-reflection and personal growth (see above). It’s an opportunity to reconnect with or meet yourself for the first time and get to know what makes you who you are.
Some of the important questions you instinctively ask yourself when traveling are:
- What makes me happy?
- What’s important to me?
- What do I value?
And, then come the kickers:
- Is the way I live my life at home reflective of who I want to be?
- Do my actions and priorities align with my values and what’s important to me?
- What changes can I make to better align my actions and priorities with the person I want to be?
7. Mental and Physical Health Benefits
Now that you’ve gone through a mini-identify crisis and rebuilt yourself, it’s time to reap the benefits of travel!
Traveling provides an opportunity to hit refresh or reset, to give you a break and some much needed relaxation. Alternatively, it also provides an opportunity to hit the ground running and go after the experiences you want.
Travel can boost your mood, increase your creativity, reduce stress, provide valuable life skills and more. Physical health improvements can be a combination of benefits received from stress reduction and improved mood, but also from being more active. When traveling you tend to move more, whether it be walking when exploring a new destination, dancing the night away or trying a new sport.
8. Price
Unfortunately, prices are only continuing to increase everywhere in the world so from a financial standpoint, now is the time to travel. Things are only going to get more expensive the longer you wait.
Our experience 10 years ago wouldn’t be possible today, especially in countries in Europe. I backpacked for 3 months in Europe visiting 11 countries and spent a fraction of what it would cost me now.
Looking back, I am so grateful we traveled the way we did when we did from 2013 to 2018. Backpacking for 5 years to 6 continents and 40+ countries wouldn’t be the same now nor would we have the same experiences. Most importantly, it brought Luke and I together and opened our eyes to the importance for us to be budget conscious and maintain a minimalist lifestyle.
Despite the rising costs, travel doesn’t have to be as expensive as you think.
Read more about saving for travel here: How To Budget: The Ultimate Guide to Save for Travel
9. Your Life is Important
Things happen in life, circumstances change, people grow apart, etc. If you put off travel until it’s the “right time” or until you retire, you may be disappointed. You may not be able to go or may not have the experience you initially envisioned. Your life is happening now – embrace it, enjoy it and live it to the fullest.
Nobody is going to make travel happen for you except you. It’s up to you to make the time, to make it a priority and put your focus towards it. There’s a great quote that applies to this and anything else in life:
“Where Attention goes Energy flows; Where Intention goes Energy flows” – James Redfield, American author
Don’t wait to do something that will bring you happiness and fulfillment. Focus on the here and now and make it happen. If you missed it, read my blurb at the start of this blog post to see how I am following my own advice.
10. Traveling is SO MUCH FUN!
Lastly, traveling is the literal best. Aside from Luke, traveling is my one true love. It’s my passion, my dream, my ambition, my goal, my everything. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without travel being a massive part of my life.
2020 and the dark years that followed were incredibly hard on me because my passion was taken away from me. Even though I hadn’t been full-time traveling since 2018, it hit me really hard to think I may never have it again. It was a massive blow on top of all the other blows that life had thrown our collective way.
This has taken a slightly different turn that I initially intended, but all this to say it is my favorite thing in the world. It is so much fun to visit new places, learn about different cultures, meet amazing people and discover yourself along the way.
My love of travel is why I’m writing this blog. The goal of traveling is why are pursuing our financial goals. It’s why we try to live sustainable lives. It’s the reason I get up in the morning. I love it so much and I know you will too.
Now go, satisfy your wanderlust, and travel the world!
