There’s no time like the present—so travel while you have the chance.

Many people will go their entire lives living a mediocre life, but what changes that is traveling. Anyone can live in one place their whole lives, work one job, remain friends with the same people, but when you take the time to leave your home and travel to a new place, you learn so many things and grow in so many ways. Here’s a few of the reasons you should travel:

1. You learn to value experiences over things.

“Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.”

No matter how many “things” you have, nothing will top the value of experiencing new adventures. While you can hold your possessions, experiences will change you from the inside out. Though this may take a while for you to see the value in, traveling makes it so much easier. I promise it becomes addicting.

2. Traveling teaches you to live in the moment.

“You don’t get the same moment twice in life, so live it well.”

When traveling, you have to take the time to truly immerse yourself in the place you’re visiting, stand in awe at the sights, listen to the many sounds, and truly pay attention to the place you’re experiencing. You may only have five minutes to experience a place, but those are five minutes you wouldn’t have had if you had said no to traveling.

3. Where you came from becomes so much more important.

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.”

Traveling gives you a greater appreciation for all you are blessed with at home. In so many other parts of the word, they don’t have even the basic luxuries we have like clean water, electricity, or even good roads to drive on. Seeing other parts of the world gives you a better perspective of how fortunate we all are to have the things that we have. Traveling also allows you to realize how much of home has made you into who you are. Home is so much more than just a city you grew up in.

4. Your entire perspective changes.

“What we see depends mainly on what you look for.”

Traveling changes your perspective of the rest of the world more than anything else. When you travel, you realize that there’s so much more to life than worrying about next week’s exam or how you’re going to get to the mall for that sale. When you travel, you see that there are so many more people out there than just your small circle of friends. There are people out there struggling more than you are who need your help, and sometimes it takes seeing them with your own eyes to realize that you can help. When you don’t travel, it’s easy to be stuck in this bubble of thinking that there’s nothing beyond your own life—but there is.

5. You might even find your life's purpose.

“To travel is to take a journey into yourself.”

There’s no better way to find out who you are and what you’re passionate about than to travel outside of your home—your comfort zone—and take a step into the unknown. When you travel, you meet new people, experience new things, see other cultures, and each has something new to teach you. So many of us feel like we’re at a standstill with what our future holds, but sometimes it takes seeing your life through a new lens to find what you’re meant to do and who you’re meant to be.

Whatever it is that motivates you to travel, it will never be time wasted. So, go before you miss your chance.