If you’re looking for motivation to travel, this article is for you. Here are 4 reasons why you should get out there and experience the world!
See the video version below.
1. Question Your Norms
While travelling, we’re exposed to different cultural norms which can be very enlightening and change our ideas about what is ‘normal.’ While I stayed in Jordan, I noticed that relationships between couples and friends were displayed differently in public. Platonic men held hands with their friends but refrained from public displays of affection with their wives. Actual couples didn’t hold hands.
Although common in Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas, chivalry is not common in some parts of Asia. In South Korea, while travelling on trains, I’ve noticed that when a seat becomes available, women often insist that their male partners sit down and males will indeed accept and sit down. I found this very unusual when I first came to live in Korea several years ago. Perhaps this practice is slowly beginning to change as S. Korea becomes home to more non-Asians.
Another curious thing is that Korean men will carry very feminine-looking handbags belonging to their partners in something of a chivalrous alternative, so that their woman are not burdened with carrying their personal effects. Other norms in Korea include men actively purchasing skin care products to look attractive, as well as holding pink or feminine-looking umbrellas in the rain, and additionally, couples sometimes wear matching clothing to identify themselves as ‘together.’
These variations of cultural ‘norms’ are certainly interesting and help me better appreciate the norms of the place where I grew up. I’ve realized that norms are often based on historical and cultural factors, and these change drastically from place to place.
2. Challenge Yourself
Travel has helped me step outside of my comfort zone. While travelling Israel, I had the opportunity to improve my negotiation skills while buying items from market vendors at the Old City in Jerusalem. Other times, I was forced to approach locals for help while traveling.
Even if you tend to be shy or have amazing navigation skills and never need help with directions, it’s only a matter of time before you will need to request advice from locals. In my case, this helped me develop communication survival skills which have helped me even when I don’t speak the local language. I have experienced the kindness of strangers and developed abilities on how to talk tactfully to people, when to joke, and when to be stern.
While traveling from Hellfire Pass, located near Kanchanaburi Thailand, my friend Beth and I quickly learned skills on how to become street savvy, and distinguish between genuine help or unscrupulous ploys to acquire your business. We had asked a tuk tuk driver whether the entrance to the train station was at the location we were standing by, and he replied that it was further down the road. He had hoped to acquire our business by using him as our driver to this supposed location. Instead, we walked down, refusing his ride, and discovered that he had fooled us. We returned to our origin and made the train just in time, which was the last one of the day back to Kanchanaburi. If we had missed it, we would have been stuck at that location for the night. Without exposure to these experiences in Thailand, I would not have become attune to detecting scams.
3. Savour Experiences
When we die, we don’t take our stuff to the grave. I value making memories instead of acquiring more crap I don’t need. Driving on a motorbike with my then partner to Kawasan Waterfall in Moalboal, Cebu Philippines, was an incredible experience for me. I can still taste that road trip and recall the views vividly. I can access that memory whenever I want to and it produces happiness within me.
Some of my most memorable parts of traveling India include talking to guests on a rooftop at night under the stars. We were in a guesthouse embedded into the side of Mehrangarh fortress in Jodpur. I discovered that I love learning the stories of other travelers and the owners of the guesthouses I stay at. Their stories became part of my experience and part of me.
Of course, having travelled to these locations, it’s way easier to return because I’ve built up familiarity with the area and made contacts to potentially visit on my next trip there.
4. Learn About Yourself.
I found that travelling helped me learn about myself. I discovered my own passion for local artisan markets. I love looking at varieties of designs, materials, and color combinations used to make local items. Colour richness draws me like a bee to a flower.
I also started to notice when I need to be alone, and when I need to be around people, and also that I prefer to spend a little more time in each location to really get a feel for the place, rather than rushing on to my next destination. Initially, travel for me was principally about visiting places because of their historical significance, and while that is still important to me, I’m gradually just enjoying spending time with myself and with the people I meet. I’m beginning to savour the human element to my adventures.
My memories are something I wouldn’t exchange for the world.
Why do you travel, or why would you like to travel more often? Please share some thoughts below.
Thank you for reading this article.
Tasha
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