I think that it’s interesting that there are six billion people in the world and I only know a couple hundred of them. That is one person, each living their own unique, vibrant, intense, personal life. And I will never know anything about them! If you took the time to get to know someone that you pass on the street, they could potentially become your best friend.
Another thing that always gets me is how huge the planet is. We become so accustomed to what we know and where we live, which is so incredibly boring. There are so many amazing cultures, incredible buildings, breathtaking landscapes and different variety everywhere!
Those are some of the reasons why I want to travel the world. Don’t get me wrong I understand the importance of getting a good education, but the one way to prepare for life is to live it! John Hope Franklin stated, “We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.” We didn’t come here to be holed up in one place, learning the same subjects and tired information that has been around for thousands of years. The world is constantly changing and evolving and we are missing it.
It has been proven time and time again that traveling is one of the most beneficial medicines. Traveling has been proven to interrupt your constant regular activities which don’t challenge your creativity at all. Also, ones assumptions and preconceived ideas about life and the world in which you live are corrected. When you travel to a new place you also look at everything with a fresh mind and helps you separate the important things from the unnecessary things.
I know that this phrase sounds totally cliché but people really should live while they are young. What’s the point in getting old, stressed, and wrinkly and living in one place your entire life? I challenge you to do an experiment. Walk into a store and look around at the adults. I can almost guarantee that you will see creased brows and hunched backs. They look like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. I think that what they need is to start living. Take a break, travel the world, and they will see that there are things so much bigger then themselves. A study done in 2006 showed that people who try new things and explore become more willing to broaden their horizons. It also helps people to break their unwanted habits. When someone travels, they get a break from their past and are introduced to new and unique diversity. Traveling literally increases the vitality of your life.
Now, I do realize that pain and hardship is inevitable and that we need education and work to properly function as a society. But I think that everyone deserves a mental break to experience and know what it is like to be alive. People need to realize that adventure is out there.
It’s as simple as that. And although I haven’t personally experienced it I know that traveling would change your life forever. As Saint Augustine said, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.”