What is the purpose of travel? I had a friend ask me this once. According to him it is such a hassle, just stay home and watch Netflix he said. He complained about waiting in the airport, finding a hotel, and let us not forget the cost. Travel is just a pain in the arse, so why put yourself through this? Another common complaint I hear is that every place is the same anyway so why bother? To address the last point first, if that is the way you think you are going to the wrong places. It is my opinion many people choose to pick comfortable and familiar areas, then complain every place is the same.
What is the purpose of travel? The purpose of travel is different for everyone, but the common themes are enjoyment, self-growth, adventure, building connections, and escapism. Traveling helps one see the world in a different way, helping us develop as a person, while breaking the monotony of normal life.
It is so easy to let days, weeks, months, and even years go by and not be able to differentiate one day from the next. Traveling wakes you up and reminds you that you are alive. If you travel right, you will be learning and seeing things for the first time adding more fulfillment to your life. I discussed this in my article here, The Holiday Paradox. To really sum it up the purpose of travel is to live your best life.
Growing from Travel
Any avid traveler will tell you; travel changes you. If you go anywhere of substance, (I am not talking about Wally World) you will learn things without even trying. Just experiencing different cultures for the first time may be a shock, but then can change into an eye-opening learning experience. You may know that the Japanese are respectful, but it is hard to know what that means until you visit Japan. Pictures will show you Rome has great history but walking down a random street and bumping into a 2000-year-old pillar makes you think about it more deeply. I have had meals with locals in which we talk about everything from politics to food that shows a totally different perspective then I have here. You will learn to appreciate other countries and at times you learn to appreciate your home country more. Seeing poverty in a third world country makes you see the United States in a new more positive light.
Traveling alone
You also learn a lot about yourself when traveling, especially if you go at it alone (read my post at the link on solo travel). So many people are scared to go overseas, especially by themselves. They want to see the world, but they let fear stop them. I get it, it is scary to be in a new place with a foreign language. The first area I traveled outside the country as an adult was to Thailand (read about it here)…by myself. This was before I realized how important GPS is on one’s phone. You get over it, things you thought would be impossible are now coming at you with ease. It is vital to feel uncomfortable in life. Without being uncomfortable there is no growth. This goes for all aspects of one’s life, not just travel. Travel gets you used to doing things that are strange or may scare you. It helps you grow as a person in the process.
You also get to know your relationships a little better. People say you never know someone until you go away with them. I have witnessed some vacations that have destroyed relationships. I discuss this more in this post on traveling with a partner. You want to test a new relationship, go somewhere different with them, see how they (or you together) react.
Traveling is Just Fun (or it should be)
I understand there are people who think traveling is a chore. Yes, it sometimes can be a pain to get to your destination but travel itself should be anything but tedious. I am assuming you are picking the destination (or at least have some say in it), so pick someplace that has something you like to do. Love history? Go to Europe, anywhere in Europe. Love gambling? You can try Vegas first, then expand to some of the more foreign areas with casinos (they are all over the world). Go to Thailand if you love…well you get the idea, no need to beat a dead horse.
When first deciding to travel look at your own interests and go from there. If your interests are just sitting around watching TV, then enjoy your slow death, I guess. For the rest of us travel first and foremost should be about fun. Yes, there are individual reasons to go someplace that might expand beyond pure recreation (I will get to that). Your main priority should be enjoyment, if not why spend the money?
Eating new food is fun. Not worrying about work is fun. Exploring and seeing new things is fun. I do not understand people who don’t have fun while away. Some say about me personally I only have fun while traveling. When someone asks what is the purpose of travel, fun should be the first thing out of your mouth.
Building Connections
Traveling with a partner and/or your family is a great way to build lasting memories with them. It gets so easy to get complacent in life and not build real memories with the people you care about. Seeing a new place with someone engrains a point in time with that person. I can barely remember my day to day life growing up…but I remember the trip to Washington DC as a kid. Travel with people helps forge a history with those you value the most. You can also build memories with your friends. Getting into some fun trouble with a friend usually makes a friendship stronger in my opinion. Especially if they can keep secrets.
If you go solo traveling helps build a connection with yourself. Sometimes it takes going away to find who you are. The world has many things to inspire you. To help you figure out what you really want out of life, not just the life you are living. Once again it is easy to go into autopilot, not actually taking the time to think if your path is the right one. The ability to travel provides the inspiration and puts things into perspective.
Travel can also help you build a deeper connection with your own history and culture. Reconnect with your religious roots by traveling to the Vatican or Jerusalem (or wherever your roots may lie). I have a friend who found her ancestors on one of the DNA sites. She traveled to Africa to find her family members that were still there. I personally want to make a pilgrimage to the town were my great grand parents came from in Italy. Traveling can help bring us closer to what is important. Your personal purpose of travel could be to bring you nearer to your roots.
Adventures
What is the purpose of travel if not to have an adventure or two? Travel allows us to go on escapades that are just not possible in your current location. I cannot swim with Great Whites in Charlotte, no matter how badly I want to, there is not even an aquarium here. There is only so much you can do in the area that you’re in. Traveling gives you the opportunity to do things that make you feel alive. Let us face our fear and see a world that we could only see on our screens previously.
I have been on crazy motorcycles in Bangkok, gotten lost in the streets of Istanbul (and approached by a pack of wild dogs at 1 AM). I have a fear of heights, but I still hiked the cliffs of Santorini and went on cable cars in Portugal. Not to mention the death trap of a bell tower in Croatia (see above). Your traveling adventure does not have to be terrifying. Take a boat to a secluded island. You can explore a European city. Even at home in the United States, we have hikes to take, little towns and big cities to explore. The purpose of travel is to get you to do things you never have done before.
Time to Escape Your Rut
Unless you are one of the very few, everyday life can be a burden. Let us start with the office life. Day in and day out with the same people, with the same bad corporate problems. The minutia of a company can be mentally crippling. Endless meetings that go nowhere, pointless emails, and projects that you work on for weeks that just disappear.
You do not have to work in a corporation to experience this kind of headache. Every job has its fair share of bureaucratic BS. Add to that all the little things that make home life so great, bills, neighbors, just the everyday headaches that make you tip toe closer to the edge of your second story window. The purpose of travel is to get away from all of this. Get away from the minutia and focus on what is important, even for a little while.
I warn you not to be like me and only focus on travel, your daydreams may interfere with the rest of your life. Still travel helps you escape reality if only for a little while. It helps you get away from your boss, neighbor, home association etc… just for a bit. I think this is why I like being away anywhere so much. Leaving your rut can give you a new perspective on what it is you want to do as opposed to what you may have fell into.
So, what is the Purpose of Travel?
Really, whatever you want it to be. Have fun and go do something you never would imagine. Just get away from it all. Why sit at home doing the same thing you did yesterday, last week, and last year? Travel for me equals enjoyment, enjoying one’s life by actually experiencing as many new things as possible. Travel may not be for you, but I would put money on it if you think that way it is coming from a place of fear.
