The Benefits of Travel

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

― St. Augustine

 

I have often heard the saying that ‘travel’ is food for the soul. Growing up, I always wondered what the world was like. With its ranges of mountains, tumultuous seas, and flowing rivers, what enthralled me was the distant lands and the people residing there.

Therefore, it was not surprising that I loved delving into books on adventure, solving mysteries with the ‘Five Find Outers’ and exploring the streets of England with the likes of, Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. However, the two books that really fascinated me the most was ‘Around the Word in 80 Days’ and ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’, both by the incredible Jules Verne.

What it inculcated in me was the zeal to travel and to learn more about the fascinating world that I was a part of.

Traveling, as such, is a wondrous thing. Most travel for pleasure, while others, to escape from the humdrum of everyday life. However, for me, travel feeds one’s passion to learn new things and incorporate these experiences into one’s constricted understanding of the world.

Traveling, not only helps one learn more about the world but also provides a better understanding of its various customs, traditions, and cultures. For instance, it is only today, after a lot of travel to countries such as India, that people are grasping the science behind ‘yoga’ or the logic behind opening one’s shoes before entering a house.

From eating with chopsticks in China to sleeping underneath the stars in Egypt, each experience has something to teach one. Not only this, personally traveling to places assists in the breaking down of stereotypes that are often concretized in the minds of people, through popular fiction.

I, for one, also enjoy traveling for its ability to not only refresh one‘s mind but also to:

1. Boost confidence and communication: By conversing with strangers in a new land
2. Boost creativity: As being outside one’s comfort zone forces one to be innovative and creative to overcome problems and hurdles
3. Add to one’s pool of knowledge: By learning about and experiencing new things

As after all,

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”

― Anita Desai