Exploring a new destination, whether close or far, can be very exciting. The different cultures and lifestyles can make anyone marvel at the uniqueness of traveling. Whether you're simply visiting a new area of your city or flying to a far-off location, traveling is an incredibly worthwhile investment.
Experiences Make You Happier
Positive psychologists have conducted studies that have repeatedly shown that investing in experiences – like traveling – boosts your happiness more than investing in material items. Sure, buying a new car is exciting, but it will only make you happy for a short period of time. Known as hedonic adaption, we will eventually start to lose the initial excitement of buying the car.
Traveling, on the other hand, has less risk of hedonic adaptation. When we travel, we can recall the experiences more vividly and put us back at the moment when we arrived at a new destination. This will boost our excitement and lead to an overall feeling of happiness.
Experiences Teach You More
Exploring new places while traveling can increase your knowledge of different lifestyles and cultures. When you travel to a foreign country, you notice how drastically different it is from your own. The food, culture, and actions of the people are unique to that country and can teach you new ways of life. Even driving to a new part of your hometown can show you different architecture and ways of living.
Traveling also teaches you cultural competence, where you become more informed on another's culture and interactions. This allows you to be more respectful of other cultures and better understand their lifestyles without judgment. Establishing cultural competency while traveling can also help facilitate new conversations with diverse people in your hometown.
Experiences are Exciting
The most basic reason as to why traveling is a great investment is because the experiences are exciting. Exploring new areas gets you out of your comfort zone and is a breath of fresh air away from your normal routine. You can find unique activities that you may not have experienced at home – like ziplining or white water rafting – or settle into a new lifestyle for the weekend.
Traveling definitely has its benefits. Regardless of your reason to travel, the experiences are worth the investment. Even if you stay close to home, exploring can be a fantastic way to shake up your routine and learn about the world.
