Forget racing full throttle ahead. Forget chasing the future. Forget same old, same old…

When the image is new, the world is new. Perspective brings Clarity. Clarity brings Peace. Peace brings Joy!

Explore the world today. It’s bad manners to let vacation wait.

7 Reasons Why Traveling Is Good for You

 

 

1. Relieves Stress and Boosts Mental Health

Stress reduction is one of the most important benefits of travel, according to the Global Coalition on Aging. According to an Expedia survey, vacationers can let go of stress and just relax after only a day or two into their trip.

Moreover, you can experience a boost in happiness even while planning a trip (up to eight weeks before setting off to your destination). Having something to look forward to makes a huge difference in your overall mood. You will also likely experience less stress and more satisfaction after returning from a trip compared to non-travelers.

So, don’t let the world to get you down. It’s too hard to get back up. Travel far and travel wide, leave you worries far behind. Remember, most things in life we are worried about, never happen anyway!

 

2. Expands your Perspective

When life knocks you down, roll over and look at the stars. You will soon realize how insignificant you are and you will use the time you have been given better.

 

3. Enhances Creativity

“If you think adventure is dangerous try routine, it’s lethal.” ~ Paulo Coelho

How true is that! At some point, we all find ourselves in the rut. The rut can come in all shapes and sizes. It can look like a routine that has zero excitement and 100% consistency. It can look like constant tiredness. It can look like a brick wall we keep running into, metaphorically or literally. We can find ourselves stuck and stuck can look different for everyone of us, but restlessness, frustration and hopelessness are things we can all understand.

What do you do when you’re stuck? You travel. You immerse yourself into a culture different from you own. You go in search of inspiration and motivation. The brain’s neural pathways are influenced by environment and experience (the brain’s adaptability is also known as neuroplasticity), which leads researchers to believe that travel can spark synapses in the brain and enhance creativity.

According to a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology  the better you are at engaging and adapting to new cultures, the more creative and professionally successful you will be.

 

4. Keeps the Mind Sharp

Travel also promotes brain health and keep the mind sharp.

When your brain is introduced to new experiences and environments it becomes challenged and builds resilience at the cellular level so degenerative disease is potentially delayed. This increase in cognitive stimulation due to exposure to novelty has been shown to improve both memory and concentration, particularly in individuals with dementia.

Similarly, when you travel, you interact with novel stimuli in the form of new people, cultures, situations, and experiences, which can contribute to the delayed onset of degenerative disease.

 

5.  Helps you Live in the Present

Carpe diem, carpe adventure. Feeling good today and taking in what each day has to offer — maybe this is what matters most. Not tomorrow. Not four weeks from now. Today! This is what travel teaches you.

 

6. You learn to go with the flow

The Master’s power is like this.
He lets all things come and go
Effortlessly, without desire.
He never expects results;
Thus he is never disappointed.
He is never disappointed;
Thus his spirit never grows old.

~ Chapter 55 of the Tao Te Ching

 

7. You gain a new identity

When you travel, you leave the neighborhood, friends, job, and possessions behind you. You let go of the trappings and get down to who you really are. Someone freer and far more interesting, usually.

You become lighthearted and free to see the world as it is without getting too caught up in it.

Some might say this is the ultimate purpose of travel – and perhaps the essence of successful living.

“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”

~ Four Quartets , T.S. Eliot

Forget champagne and caviar – Taste the world instead!

And do it now. Because “If we wait until we are ready, we will be waiting for the rest of our life!” ~ Lemony Snicket.

While money comes back, time doesn’t.