I recently took a trip to England, which got me thinking about the benefits of travel. Traveling, whether by car, train or boat, always serves as a reminder for me to be more open to discovery. Traveling also provides a refreshing break before I return to everyday life. Another benefit to travel is that it provides a new outlook on life. By traveling, I am able to see the different ways that people are affected by their surroundings.
One of the my favorite parts of travel is the sense of wanderlust that it has. By wanderlust I mean that feeling I get when I see a particularly beautiful scene, whether in a park, on the street or wherever. It is when a scene or action has resonated with me in such a way that it makes me want to discover more. As though I am Lucy from "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and I have just stumbled across a brand new world. Yet no matter how many expectations I have when going on a trip, I will never know exactly what I am going to get. This can be a let down or it can be exciting. Almost everyday as I walk down the street I am caught off guard by the fact that I am in a place that I have always dreamed of being. Travel is not only born from wanderlust, but it encourages a desire to discover new places and people. By traveling, I will get to experience new and beautiful places.
Another great benefit of traveling is that it helps me to see people and artifacts that I would otherwise not see at home. For instance, the other day I went to a cathedral which showed beautiful religious relics and memorials for soldiers who had died in both of the World Wars. This helped me to see how something such as an old church can hold rich history and identity for a particular place.
Another aspect of travel that I enjoy is realizing that travel is a sort of in-between place, an almost-but-not-quite-somewhere. Being in a train or an airplane is like being in limbo. It is that place that allows me to collect myself before arriving in an excitingly new or a wonderfully familiar place. For example, when my parents drove me to college for the first time, it allowed me to prepare myself for what was ahead. I remember thinking about how I finally felt like I was starting my life. The nine hour drive allowed me to process what I needed to before I got to school.
By traveling, I am discovering and learning from places and people that give me a new perspective. Traveling not only helps me to see life differently, but it also provides me with a break from everyday life.
