That’s right—all those super-positive warm and fuzzy feelings that you get when you’re REALLY happy can happen to you even more if you’re a frequent traveler!
Where most people may seek possessions to provide happiness, it’s been proven that they provide only a fleeting happiness—while experiences lead to a fuller life.
What’s a better excuse than that to travel more?
Here are some proven ways that travel really can make you happy:
1. You'll Gain Confidence
Traveling opens you up to new and exciting ventures—sometimes ones that you might have avoided or never thought you could do before. Maybe you’ll go on a long, difficult hike, or perhaps you’ll face your fear of heights and go sky diving or zip lining through a Costa Rican rainforest. Maybe you’ll swim with dolphins, eat new cuisine or learn how to navigate a city where you don’t know the language. Regardless of what you do, you’ll gain the confidence to know that you can be thrown into any situation and figure out how to handle it.
2. You'll Develop a Deep Appreciation for Home
Distance truly does make the heart grow fonder, and nothing can make you appreciate your hometown quite like being away for a while.
3. You'll Get to Meet New People
Traveling exposes you to all kinds of people. Besides fellow travelers, you’ll also have the opportunity to meet locals and learn more about their country and culture through the eyes of somebody who actually lives there. There’s nothing like gaining knowledge of a new place, and exploring the true nooks and crannies of an exciting town. Learn from these people—you’ll never be disappointed.
4. You'll Check Out from Social Media
We all love social media—who doesn’t? But it’s always a good thing to log off the internet from time to time and really soak in your surroundings. When you travel, you’re likely to be off the internet for longer periods of time than you normally are when you’re back home. This is great because you can engulf yourself in first-hand experiences. Seeing a beautiful sunset through an Instagram filter is beautiful, but it’s nothing like seeing it with your own eyes.
5. You'll Gain a New Perspective
Life is all about gaining perspectives, and through traveling you’ll have the opportunity to open up your mind to new things. There’s really nothing like getting out of your comfort zone and experiencing the world through the eyes of somebody else—seeing how other people live really can put you in tune with your own life in ways that you may not have ever thought was possible. Soak it all up. That’s really why you’re there!
6. You'll Become More Interesting
What’s better than travel stories? If you only stay within your own realm your entire life, you won’t always have interesting perspectives or tales to tell. If you get out, see new things and actually do novel stuff, people will love talking to you and learning about your travels.
7. You'll Gain Priceless, Lasting Memories
Though possessions can give a small dose of happiness, it doesn’t last. Creating experiences through travel, however, leaves a special kind of imprint on your life. And whenever somebody from home says that they’re going to be visiting Italy for a summer, you’ll immediately be put back into that frame of mind when you spent your college semester abroad, remembering the impact that it had on you.
Traveling changes you, teaches you, challenges you, and creates you.
Are you ready to plan your next trip yet?
