It is no secret that 2020 was a difficult year for everyone. No matter where you lived, what you did for work or where you got your groceries, you were surely affected by the COIVD-19 pandemic. At the beginning of the year, people everywhere had big plans for travelling, exploring and trying new things. Then, the pandemic set in and stay at home orders were instituted. People had to put off those plans and, in a lot of cases, simply cancel them. Now, it is finally 2021 and things are starting to reopen! Even though things are not fully back to normal, there are still plenty of places to go and things to do while socially distancing and keeping yourself and others around you as safe as possible. If you have the travel itch this year, you are not alone! Here are a few reasons why travel is essential in 2021.
Variety is the Spice of Life
The saying may be cheesy, but it is so true. Variety truly is the spice of life. After sitting at home doing everything you can to spice up your daily routine of walking from your bedroom to your bathroom to your kitchen to your work station, then rinsing and repeating, you are probably feeling like you are going to go crazy. Humans need variety in life to create interesting experiences and build unique life patterns. Without the ability to travel in 2020, many have felt pretty sad because the variety of international cuisine, unique cultures, beautiful natural diversity and more that they are used to exploring are so far away both in space and in time. As we go through 2021, people are more ready than ever to break that boring routine and get out there to experience the beautiful variety of this world.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
You can never truly grow as a person until you are somewhere far outside of your comfort zone. People often say 'it's not an adventure until something goes wrong.' Something going wrong while you are in a new place that you have never been before within a culture you are not familiar with can lead to some serious personal growth! Maybe you struggle with things not going according to the plan which you have set for your day, week, month or year.
When people don't show up, when the train runs late or when the weather does not agree with your picnic idea, maybe you feel stressed and irritated to an irrational degree. Obviously this is not the most enjoyable way to live life. The good news is, travelling will absolutely break you of that controlling mind set. It is almost impossible for things to go perfectly according to plan, and there is always a silver lining to be found somewhere within that experience.
Know Thyself
When you get uncomfortable, you can definitely alter behaviors that are not beneficial to living a happy life. However, you can also get to know yourself even better. Travelling is so essential to humans because it really shows people what they are made of. When things go wrong, or right, while you are out in the world, you can really sense what your core values are.
Become a Better Person
This is not to say that you are a bad person. However, maybe there are ways in which you can improve your tolerance, acceptance and general knowledge of the world. Travelling can mold, shape and overall improve those qualities within a person.
Travel is a commonly accepted activity among many different cultures. It is so common that it is typically encouraged, and this list of reasons supports why that might be the case. Travel should not only be encouraged but should also be an essential part of everyone's life. Wherever you decide to go and however you decide to get there, you will feel a certain peace within you knowing just how important what you are doing is.