5 Reasons Why I Travel - Guilt Free
I love to travel and just get out of town.
From my experience, frequent travel seems to be viewed as extravagant and unnecessary by many people. You get the cute side eye when you say you’re going somewhere, or sometimes even bold questions like “how much does that cost,” or “didn’t you just get back from _____?”
I’m sure frequent travelers (who aren’t wealthy) are used to these judgmental gestures. I usually chalk it up to having different values and interests from the person I’m speaking I’m with.
I believe I have solid reasons for travelling, and each of them are important to me. Here are 5 of my top reasons for travelling – guilt free!
1) I’m Overly Overwhelmed:
My favorite time to travel is right after finals when my stress levels have peaked. My mind is constantly clogged with mental to-do lists. Every once in a while, I just need a break from everything. Getting away from home is a time to clear my head, relieve tension and recharge my energy and spirit. I finally get a chance to allow myself to think outside of my responsibilities that pile up day-to-day. When I travel, I feel totally in control. I can do what I want. I rarely take an itinerary because it’s liberating to not be bound by a schedule for once. At home, I am run by work, school, and my household. I have to wake up at a certain time to be to work. I have to turn in assignments by midnight on the day of class. I have to go grocery shopping because we just ran out of peanut butter. There is never nothing to do. Taking the time to travel is a part of my self-care, where I let myself enjoy extended time from my routine. When I travel, I get the opportunity to simply breathe and exercise my freedom entirely.
2) I Got Peoples to See:
My loved ones are all over the place. Many of my friends I grew up with have moved away. All of my close friends from college have dispersed all over the country. Five out of seven of my bridesmaids had to travel to upstate NY for my wedding, one of them even flying all the way from Australia. Most of my relatives live locally, but some still reside in southern states. My husband is international, so if I want to meet my in-laws, and want my daughter to meet her relatives, travel is necessary. Travel is one of the best ways for me to stay connected with friends outside of Facebook and Whatsapp. I love visiting friends because I get an actual physical view of their lives that I hear so much about, but never get to see. For a day or two, I get to see how they’re living and leave reassured that they’re doing ok and are happy.
3) To Reignite My Marriage:
It’s easy to get lost in the humdrum of daily life when you share a household with someone, especially after having children. During the dating phase, you get texts like “Hey Beautiful, can’t wait to see you tonight.” 3 years later, a kid, and house, you get texts like “Honey, working late today, can you pick up Bellz?” or “Can you take the steaks out of the freezer when you get home?” How romantic. Leading busy lives also interrupts the amount of time you spend with your spouse. Many nights, I’m up completing assignments, and weekends when I do have some time at home, my husband is working. I travel to revitalize the passions that are still there, but often take the backseat to life’s responsibilities. A few days just to ourselves every now and then is all we need to help keep our love alive.
4) To Learn:
I consider myself to be a lifelong student, but that doesn’t mean that I’m confined to a classroom. We learn through experience, through travel. In my college’s curriculum, we had to have a focus in each of the major areas of learning: natural science and engineering, social sciences, and the humanities. To satisfy the requirement, I chose a major in Engineering, a minor in Linguistics, and a concentration in English. Of everything I studied, it was the social science branch that interested me the most. In the simplest of terms, I enjoy learning how others do things differently in other places. I enjoy being a tourist, visiting landmarks and popular attractions, but most of all, I enjoy seeing what the locals do, and how they live. This is cliché, but traveling, especially abroad, is very eye opening, and helps you to be less ethnocentric. I enjoy trying different cuisines, interacting with the locals, and putting on my shoes and exploring the area. Observation is a powerful method of learning.
5) To Make Memories with my Child:
Although I know Bellz won’t remember many of our family trips this early on in her life, I will remember. I’ll cherish those moments forever and I can’t wait to share stories and photos with her when she is older. Kids love vacays, even toddlers. Kid entertainment is a big business. Everywhere I go, there are children’s museums, indoor/outdoor waterparks, indoor/outdoor amusement parks, and even if we don’t make it to those places, she’s delighted with the pool in the hotel, chasing ducks in the parks, and meeting her young cousins from all over the globe. Even though she may not fully appreciate these experiences just yet, I can’t fathom leaving my daughter home while I’m away for extended periods of time. I’m a mother at all times, and I want to actively be a mom during my travels, no matter how old she is and no matter how annoying carrying a stroller is.
Bonus Reason:
Because I can.
I don’t think you really need to have a whole set of reasons for enjoying your life! As long as I have a decent income, my bills are paid, and my credit score flies high, I will plan to fly too.
Why do you like to travel?
