The word “travel” gets thrown around very loosely in our world today. We often see it appear on a hashtag from spring break trips to Florida or weekend getaways to the neighboring city. However, there is a fine line between “traveling” and going on a vacation. Both are great experiences. However, not every trip is created equal.
After consulting the almighty, dictionary.com, the verdict was this. A vacation is a time for relaxation, a time to get away from responsibilities and a time to have fun. Think drinks on the beach, watching the waves roll in while the sun sets. Normally, vacations are picture perfect worlds that we escape to in order to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Travel, on the other hand, is not always picture perfect. When you travel, you’re living like a local, taking in the culture around you and gaining an understanding how life is lived in a different spot on the map. You experience new food, people, language and much more. You not only learn about a way of life you’ve never before experienced, but you learn a lot about yourself in the process as well. Traveling throws you out of your comfort zone and forces you to grow into something greater than you once were.
When you travel, you don’t always go looking for the “key points of interest” on Google. Instead, you find yourself in a hole-in-the-wall cafe talking to someone who has spent their entire life in that one spot, exchanging life stories over coffee. You may become more empathetic for others, seeing issues we hear about, but never would fully understand unless we were to be there ourselves. Oftentimes, off the beaten path tends to hold more treasures because it has been the road less traveled.
“Traveling is the best education. You see the world through another lens. You realize that your homeland isn’t the only reality, there’s many.” –Unknown
So the next time you take a spring break trip, remember #wanderlust may not be the appropriate thing to stick on your Instagram post. Traveling and vacationing may not be congruent, but I know that sometimes sitting on the beach with a drink in my hand may just be what I need.
