8 Reasons To Travel THIS YEAR!

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8 Reasons To Travel THIS YEAR!

Sunset at Waikiki Beach

If you’ve already traveled a bit this year…great! Why stop now!  If you’ve not yet gone but thought about traveling, had travel plans fall through, or simply made a vision board filled with exotic locations, that’s great too…and what better time than now to manifest those thoughts and physically hit the road! Lack of time. Lack of money. Aviophobia. Unwilling to travel alone. Nervous…

Travel! The best way to break free from familiarity

Break free from familiarity

Whatever your apprehension may be, allow this list to derail your objections and provide that final push to pursue your yearn to travel. Why just 8 reasons? Why not more than 8?? Honestly, there are an infinite number of reasons that highlight the benefits of travel and, with 8 being the symbol for infinity, this list is not an end…but only the beginning.

  1. It’s something to look forward to.

    Even the most remote locations can offer peace

    Travel to even the most remote locations can offer peace

A getaway is just that…a chance to get away from the stress and strain of everyday life. Simply knowing you’ll be able to unwind is reason enough to get excited.  Don’t get caught up in all the flash and fanfare of big locations either, there’s beauty to be found in even the most unassuming places.

  1. You will meet amazing new people.

    8reasons.sk.bball (1 of 1) 8reasons.uk.friends (1 of 1)

I’m not saying that everyone you encounter will automatically turn into your new bff’s, because we all come across the occasional <insert expletive of your choice here>…but you’ll definitely meet some genuinely good people. In today’s world, staying connected and remaining lifelong friends is easier than ever.

  1. Seek and ye shall find…

an affordable travel deal! You don’t have to plan an expensive trip around the world to get excited. Whether daily visits to sites like travelpirates.com secretflying.com, or catching deals posted on the walls of facebook travel groups like iluv2globetrot…there are always ways to travel on a budget.

This North Korean soldier his eyes on a travel deal...probably a one-way ticket!

This North Korean soldier has his eyes on a travel deal…probably a one-way ticket!

 

  1. Make some epic memories!

    Play peekaboo with an elephant in the wild

    Play peekaboo with an elephant in the wild

    Explore lost cities

    Explore lost cities

    Perform live with teletubby backup dancers

    Perform live with teletubby backup dancers

Whether alone or in a group, once you stand out over the horizon in reflection of a grand journey…you will never be the same.

  1. Begin (or continue) the greatest story ever told.

It’s been said that “of all the books in the world, the greatest stories are often found between the pages of a passport.” Let your passport be the pen and your travels be the ink that glides across the pages of life.

Sail off into the next adventure

Sail off into the next adventure

 

  1. You will be motivated to travel more.

Hi, my name is _____ and I’m a alco travelholic.  Ok, you might not reach this level of addiction from just one trip, but that one trip could be the domino that triggers your nomadic desires.

Where to next!

Where to next!

 

  1. Replace generalizations with general truths.

In this age of social media, information is literally right at our fingertips. Ironically, this doesn’t prevent stereotypes and generalizations from happening. When you experience a culture or country firsthand it closes the doors of these preconceptions…whether by shopping at the town market, seeing the innocent smiles of the local children, or tasting the love put into cuisine indigenous to the area—whatever the case may be, there’s nothing quite like changing misconceptions or experiencing a language barrier transcended by kindness.

 

Kid: "You mean your skin isn't made of chocolate?" Me: "Nope, that's just my cocoa butter lotion you smell."

Kid: “Wait a sec…You mean your skin isn’t chocolate?”
Me: “Nope…but I do use cocoa butter lotion!”

 

  1. Life is too short to wait.

    Kick, look up, and live life to the fullest...

    Kick back, look up, and live life to the fullest…

    ...before you look up and there's no more life to live

    …before you look up and there’s no more life to live

I hate to end with such a cliché, but this one is true. You don’t have to quit your job and become a nomad in order to travel every now and then—but in between life, it’s important to remember to live. I watched my mother put off international travel until my father’s retirement, only to meet her untimely death just a few months thereafter. Although she never physically reached the destinations she dreamed of, she has walked with me through every new location I have and will continue to venture to.

 

Keep the list going by adding your reasons in the comments below!

31 Comments

  1. Great travel photos and I like how you write–you have your own great sense of humor! 🙂 I envy the destinations you’ve been to! Like you I always find ways to travel. I get cabin fever after being in my city for too long!

  2. Matthias says:

    I am so with you. Traveling is the most important thing one should do. You learn so much especially about and for yourself! So important to spread the message as often as possible. Great post! 🙂

  3. Kusum says:

    So true, traveling is such a big part of my life. Traveling makes you discover the things you did not know about yourself, the spontaneous decisions you need to make given a situation in a foreign land to ton of research that goes in before you set off on the journey! You do not live if you do not travel.
    xx, Kusum | http://www.sveeteskapes.com

    • EG III says:

      I agree, it’s not all fun and games because it makes you a better planner, more responsible and more culturally aware.

  4. Stacy says:

    What a fantastic list! I can’t pick a favorite–I agree completely with every point you made. But I am super envious of some of your travels. And there must be a pretty epic story behind your teletubby backup dancer days???

    • EG III says:

      Oh there were some adventures that stand out even more than the Teletubbies if you can believe it…but I’ll save those for a future post 🙂

  5. Evanne says:

    All great reasons! I’m mostly left wandering about the story behind those Teletubby backup dancers…

    • EG III says:

      Haha…I’ll just have to let your imagination fill in the blanks behind the teletubbies!

  6. Bernard Tan says:

    Travelling is the most awesome investment that you can have! Thanks I totally agree with your points! I enjoy that I am never a boring person, with full of interesting stories to share.

  7. Sarah Harvey says:

    Inspiring post and absolutely true! I loved the ending, too- while there are infinite reasons to travel, we only have a finite time left to actually do it.

  8. Ahammed says:

    Your post was absolutely right as you said after travel it inspires us to travel more were we can meet new people and experience new culture

  9. We have been travelling quite a lot recently and these reasons are just right! We have made great memories and met amazing people to learn from and to make friends for life. And yes Life is too short to wait! 😉

  10. Tina says:

    Yes you should try to make traveling a life style and not just a holiday trip! I love the pictures you posted in the blog post!
    Life is way too short to keep your dreams on hold that is so true – sometimes if we want or not we might pause for a while and lose track of what we really want! Stay focused and get ready for the journey! Great post!

  11. Great reasons to travel! I agree, it’s always something to look forward to. I know I have been waiting for my June trip to Berlin since the end of last year when the final dates for the event I am attending were announced. And you can keep the enthusiasm up with the trip planning – booking tickets, searching for hotels, etc.

  12. Sheri says:

    I love to travel, and I do so as much as possible, it is great to hear you carry your mom along with you in your heart on your journeys! I love that picture of the elephant playing peek-a-boo!

  13. Ann says:

    I love to travel to get out of my comfort zone. It’s my happy place.

    I also really love having something to look forward to. When I don’t have a trip to plan, I feel lost… and I don’t like feeling lost.

    • EG III says:

      I know what you mean…sometimes the planning can be even more exciting than the actual trip!

  14. Jess Friend says:

    I’ve just come back from holiday and rather than suffering from holiday blues, I so pleased I had another trip ahead of me to Lisbon! But another way to combat those holiday blues is to be a tourist in our home town and travelling about your local area.

    • EG III says:

      Great tip about being a tourist at home…far too many people venture far and away while neglect the hidden gems they often have right up under their very own noses!

  15. Eloise says:

    Well you have a lot of good points for traveling… life is short, got to make it happen! I’ll be going somewhere this Summer and I can’t wait!

  16. Karla says:

    I love to travel, but with two small children, we’ve had to slow down on it quite a bit. However, it has forced us to enjoy traveling shorter distance and find interesting sites at a closer distance from home. I really like your point about giving you something to look forward to. For me, more than half the fun of a trip is in the planning and looking forward to it. Although, I also appreciate your comment about making memories. My kids still talk at least weekly about the things we saw at Myrtle Beach almost a year ago.

    • EG III says:

      The beauty of kids is that they find delight in the simplest things as well…it’s great that you’re able to still find nice places nearby because ultimate it’s the memories that make the moment more than the place.

  17. Bennie says:

    Good stuff bro

  18. Yaz says:

    Nice article, you are right…travelling is the best way to get away from the work stress and everything for a while and clear your head…I can’t wait to travel to China next month am so exited 🙂

  19. Hi, my name is Nina and I’m a travelholic!

    You are so right about everything here, but the beginning absolutely kills it for me! Yes, traveling is more than just being somewhere new. From the second you make those plans, buy that ticket, reserve that hotel, your days change. You’re no longer stuck in every day life – you have an adverture to look forward to!
    Loved your article!

  20. PaintedBlack says:

    How I wish I could travel around the world ! I rather envy you .What is your one purpose in life?

    • EG III says:

      That’s a loaded question!! But the answer is quite simple…To inspire or inject positivity into the world by any means possible.