Reasons To Start Travelling

Looking for reasons to start travelling ? In this blog, I have discussed my biggest travel inspiration reasons: travelling makes you confident, the world is changing, travelling is safe, and more!

So if you’re looking for reasons to invest in experiences, not things, let’s read ahead!

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“Congrats on a new beginning bro. I am sure you will make the most of it,” I gathered myself and finally said it, feeling a little guilty for not being there on his marriage day. I mean when you’re on the road forever, working as a full-time Indian travel blogger missing a few important occasions is natural. And missing your friends’ marriages is certainly one of them.

“So where are you off to, for the honeymoon?” I innocently inquired next.

“Unfortunately nowhere. The marriage and other functions took more money than we expected. I think we will have to keep all our desires unattended in 2019. Can’t even think of a weekend getaway from Delhi, forget about the honeymoon,” he replied.

And it wasn’t something new to my ears. I’ve heard people giving up on their travel dreams for reasons I can never imagine — because they’ve invested in a new car because an 80-inch flat-screen TV sounded like a better investment because health insurance was important!

I’ve noticed, despite travelling being a popular trend, most people still need reasons to travel, a force, rather, to see the world — whether that motivation comes from a few inspirational travel quotes or a real-life story.

Because in the world of ever-changing devices, where materialism is ruling our mind, investing 2 lakh Rupees on a home theatre always feels more tempting than investing 2 lakhs on a road trip in Germany.

There are many reasons to travel. Other than the fact that travelling makes you confident, the world is changing, travelling is safe, but people are still not travelling. They look for more reasons to invest in experiences, not things.

Travelling makes you smarter. It gives you better ideas and helps you appreciate life in ways you never did before. If you don’t believe me, just compare two people and you will find the one who has travelled more in his life, speaking not only more sense but appreciating life more too.

Talking about myself, in just a few years I can see a big positive change in me and that’s one of the reasons to travel more.

No matter what, I now hardly feel agitated or overpowered by the moment. Understanding people has become easier for me. It has also made me more confident.

So yea, travelling has its own benefits and you should never compromise with your travel dreams. And speaking of some travel inspiration, and the reasons why you should start travelling today, let’s talk about them one by one.

Invest In Experiences Not Things

The sad thing about materialistic happiness is that it is not permanent, and that should be one of the reasons to start travelling.

Once you own something, and you own it for some time, the excitement slowly fades away, leaving you as the same old person you were before — discontent and wanting something else in life, but this time, with a bigger appetite. So, invest in experiences, not things.

“If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there would be peace.”
― John Lennon

For example, imagine that you buy a new iPhone. You show it to your friends and you get the best feeling in the world. Soon, your iPhone becomes a few months old, and the excitement of owning it fades away into oblivion.

The money that you originally invested in buying it slowly loses its value, leaving you with nothing more than just another not-so-exciting product in your hand. But any money, invested in gaining experiences, never loses its value. Having said that, I repeat…invest in experiences, not things.

And if you are still not convinced and looking for more travel inspiration, read my why we travel blog. The blog will help you understand that any money that you invest in experiences, not things is going to have a life-long value.

Since I quit my job to travel I’ve realised that no matter what I own, it can never fill my heart with joy. Exploring the isolated corners of the world and befriending people I randomly run into, however, does.

So think about it, invest in experiences, not things, and you will thank yourself when you will grow old.

Travelling Is Safe

I hear this a lot from people who know me that the world is changing for worse and I should not travel solo. And I keep repeating just one thing: travelling is safe!

I remember when I was travelling in Nagaland, I received at least a dozen Instagram messages every day with people showing their concern and asking all kind of safety questions.

I understand there is no harm in keeping your wits about personal safety and questioning if travelling is safe, but being careful is one thing and being fearful is the other. Being fearful can be self-damaging.

Travelling is safe and the world is a much better place than most of us think.

If you are not convinced that travelling is safe for solo females, check this story of 4 Solo Female Travellers who explored the world solo.

Also, do not forget that travelling makes you confident over time, teaching you how to avoid dangers on the road.

I’ve volunteered (using platforms like Workaway or Worldpackers) and stayed with families across the world, sleeping in their house and eating the meals they served and never did I feel unsafe. I have always felt that travelling is safe.

Though you can call myself lucky, I think every person has this intuitive feeling to sense danger. As long as you don’t feel it, there’s no point in holding yourself back, because being cautious is one thing, and being scared is the other.

Travelling Makes You Confident

The human brain is conditioned in a way that it appreciates familiarity. It finds it comforting in doing the same thing every day — take the regular route to the workplace, hang out with everyday friends, and return to the same place it knows as Home.

But if you want to grow as a person, the road can teach you a lot. Volunteering in Rome, and being on road in Kerala for a month has taught me more about myself in ways that no school, no job, ever did before. No matter where you go or what you do, travelling makes you confident.

I mean think of it this way… what would you do when you end up in a new country, with no one coming to receive you at the airport, and where people don’t speak your language? You would think hard, try a few dozen sign-languages and find your way around. And in the process, you develop a smarter and more confident self than you were, before.

Other than the fact that travelling makes you confident, you get better at communication, problem-solving, patience, compromise, and a dozen other things. Travelling is self-development.

The World Is Changing

I remember when I did Manali to Leh road trip back in 2016 it was so peaceful. In 2019, the same route felt so different. Owing to the impacts of overtourism and gaining popularity it had lost its charm. There were more guest houses in the entire route and in Leh than there were open spaces. Monasteries were surrounded by tall commercial buildings. The sound of the prayer bells was overpowered by the maddening traffic.

The world is changing, indeed.

Other than urbanisation, frequent natural calamities are also contributing to it. With the growing imbalance in the world and natural calamities happening more frequently than ever, the world is changing more rapidly than ever.

I remember when I visited Alleppey backwater, after a destructible Kerala flood in August 2018, it looked so different and lifeless than how I found it a couple of years ago. Similarly, global warming and climate change are having their own powerful change too.

The mountains that earlier wore a crown of snow all year round, are now found dry and empty even in the winter months. Islands are losing their share and are shrinking every day. Wildlife is quickly dying. No wonder, with a growing imbalance in the world and natural calamities happening more frequently than ever, the right time to travel and see the world is now!

The world is changing and we need to see it before we no longer recognise it! So I repeat, invest in travel not thing, and see more of the world.

Don’t Seek Everyone’s Approval

I always suggest people to not seek everyone’s approval before they start travelling or take some other life-changing decision. Because there will always be people who will understand you, and there will always be those who won’t.

At times when you feel stuck in life, travelling can be your quickest escape and it may just because you asked those who discouraged you from travelling, you may end up not doing it at all. So don’t seek everyone’s approval and just remember: travelling makes you confident and self-reliant.

Travelling gives you a frame of time to leave your worries behind until you gain strength to fight back. And in such times, if you didn’t just let go and rather sought other people’s solicitation, you may lose the courage to even leave in the first place.

Similarly, don’t wait for other people’s company. If no one is joining you, just leave alone and travel solo. Now is the perfect time to travel.

I understand that solo travelling can feel unexciting and unsafe if you haven’t done it before. What if I get mugged, or worse, got lost in a new city? How would I enjoy my time alone? These little insecurities will always play their part. But once you do it, you understand that being on the road alone can be more exciting and safer than you initially thought it to be.

Other than the fact that solo travelling makes you confident, it gives you the ultimate freedom to travel when you want, and travel as you want.

To honestly admit it, I was never a born solo traveller either. But from the very beginning, if there was one thing I was sure about, it was – if I put off a trip because of other people, I can never travel the world and see places I always wished to see.

And if you happen to be a newbie, read these 7 travel tips for a new traveller.

Life Is Short & Unpredictable

Other than the fact that the world is changing, life is short too. There is no denying the fact that life is unpredictable and that’s one of the reasons to travel.

You never know what tomorrow holds for you, so why not enjoy today, spend a few hundred dollars, spend 3 days in Bangkok and make memories. Why bother buying material things that, in a few months, are anyway going to become old and unexciting — or worse, save money for future that may not be ours at all to behold.

I mean we all have come across stories where people have lost lives to an accident or a disease before they crossed 30 or 40 years of their age, giving us a fair understanding of how uncertain life can be.

Though it doesn’t mean that we should live our lives in fear, we should understand how fragile it can be. So seize everyday, travel and explore the exciting world we live in. Because in the end, when we will be old there will be nothing that will excite us more, but the little life experiences we have had in life.

Is there still something else that’s holding you back? Still not convinced that travelling makes you confident? Or that travelling is safe? Looking for more reasons to invest in experiences not things? Write to me in the comments below and I will help you through!

Most of my travel inspiration articles are inspired by the writings of Pico Iyer. His words have motivated me in doing what I am doing right now!