Are you dreaming of exotic destinations, fascinating adventures, meeting new people and exploring cultures? Don’t postpone it. It’s a great time for globetrotters, wanderers and dreamers. Travelling became fairly easy, cheap and it’s available for many people across the world. Here’s a list of reasons to travel now.
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Table of Contents
It’ll help your future
The road is a wonderful teacher: fun, but demanding. It brings new experiences every day. People who travel are generally more resourceful, because they’ve dealt with a variety of issues. They’ve also gained knowledge and skills. You can learn many things through travelling, from patience, endurance and inventiveness, to such practical skills as survival, cooking, hiking, speaking foreign languages or gardening – everything depends on where you go and whom you meet. All you learn during travels can bring benefits in the future. Whether it’s about finding a job or coping with personal difficulties, it will become way easier. Potential employers might get impressed when they find out you, let’s say, travelled all around Southeast Asia or spent a year in Argentina practicing Spanish. You’ll probably become more flexible and positive, so dealing with all sorts of problems won’t be that hard any more.
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Your way of thinking about the world is going to change
We tend to think a lot about ourselves and live in our own little worlds, but the globe is large and your nearest surrounding is only a tiny part of it. When you visit faraway places and see how people live elsewhere, your own problems are immediately put into perspective. That’s especially happening when Westerners travel to less developed countries. By witnessing the difficulties people struggle with out there, you start appreciating the conveniences that till now seemed obvious. Nothing is certain and what you have is special. Travelling can make you more responsible, helpful and empathetic.
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You’ll forget about trouble
Not only because you’ll see other people have problems as well, but also because you’ll be busy with experiencing things! Travelling is usually intense and eventful. Instead of worrying, stressing out and complaining, you’ll be exploring, learning and feeling. Of course journeys aren’t always smooth and entirely worry-free, but usually, even if you do worry on the road, the concerns focus on what’s now and not what has happened in the past or might happen in the future.
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We all need some time off work
The lives of most Westerners concentrate around work. Our phones keep calling, emails come every single day and even when we leave work, we’re actually still at the office, school, bank, factory or whatever the workplace is. Everyone’s in a haste to earn money, save money, spend money. Bills need to be paid, a car needs to be bought and a new fridge would come in handy, because the old one is getting broken. So we work more. Finally we work so much there’s no time left to enjoy spending the hard earned salaries. It’s great to get out of this circle once in a while and take a real break. Take some days off and invite your family for a trip, get to know your children better or spend some romantic time alone with your spouse. Save a bit and quit this job you hate, go travelling and then look for a new one. It’s okay, you deserve it.
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Staying at home costs money too
That’s something we tend to forget: a normal life at home also costs money. People tend to spend a lot on parties, dinners, gyms and gadgets. Even basic things aren’t for free; you’ve got to pay bills, rent, buy groceries and other necessities. Instead of cooking lunch in your own kitchen, you can do it in a rented apartment on the Greek seaside. If you’re bored of your city’s pubs, go to New Orleans and have a beer there, surrounded by the amazing sounds of jazz. Travelling doesn’t have to be more expensive than spending holidays in your home town. You don’t need to pay hundreds of dollars for a night in a hotel. Use home swapping (example: www.homeexchange.com): you will stay in another family’s house somewhere exotic and they will enjoy vacations at your place. Are you dreaming of long-term backpacking? If you’ve got a house, rent it out for a few months. If you’re only a tenant, not an owner, just say goodbye to the landlord and find another place to live in when you get back from the journey.
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Travelling can be cheap
There are plenty of possibilities nowadays. Use hospitality exchange (such as www.couchsurfing.com), not only you’ll save money, but also meet wonderful people and get to know a culture from the inside. If you’re the adventurous kind, try backpacking, hitch-hiking and camping. In case that sounds too venturesome, you may always look for cheap vacation rentals (for instance here: www.airbnb.com), affordable hostels and low-price flight tickets. It’s possible to fly from the United States to Europe and back for as much as $400. Instead of choosing expensive countries, go to the cheaper ones. Travel around Eastern Europe and Asia, it’s surely going to cost less than the world’s most expensive countries like Norway or Australia.
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It’s as easy as it’s never been
First of all, it’s easy because it’s cheap. Secondly, with all the information Internet provides, travelling is simple. You can look for hotels, book tickets, ask other travelers for advice – all of that without getting out of the house. It’s very easy now to plan a journey and prepare for it. For solo travelers, it might be significant that meeting people on the road has also become simpler. Through hospitality exchange, various forums and websites you can find travel mates or locals to meet up with.
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Dollar is doing quite well
Among all the reasons to travel now, there’s one very practical and important for residents of the United States. Since many Americans dream of visiting Europe, it’s worth mentioning that Dollar now got as close to Euro as it rarely does. That means your money is worth more than it tends to be. Travelling around Europe will be cheaper if you go right away. Remember currencies aren’t stable, nobody can say with certainty how much Dollar’s going to be worth in a couple of weeks or months. Waiting can cost you money.
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World is constantly changing
The world is changing and it’s inevitable. Cultures are mixing and in a way it’s beautiful, but in another, well, the uniqueness is disappearing. Globalization is spreading, McDonald’s and Coca Cola are almost everywhere now. The authentic gems you can still find around the world might soon be gone or sold out. Nature’s changing as well; many of its wonders are endangered. You should see them now before they’re lost. Remember that even though it sounds cliché, nothing lasts forever. World’s not going to wait until you make up your mind.
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The perfect moment never comes
Don’t ever say “I’m waiting for a better moment”. This moment doesn’t exist. Future’s uncertain, you’ve got no idea what’s going to happen tomorrow. Perhaps the circumstances will make it even more difficult to travel? Let’s hope not, but you can never know! Some people spend all their lives waiting for the right time: the time to fall in love, time to change the job, time to rest, time to make their dreams come true… and so on until they’re gone – sorry, but it’s true, we aren’t eternal. And we aren’t getting any younger (unless there’s a real Benjamin Button out there). If you want the perfect moment, make it perfect. And make it now. Time keeps running…
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…But travelling can make it slow down a bit
Travelling is so rich, action-packed and fascinating; it makes time somewhat “fuller”. In one month of a journey you can try as many new things as you would in a few years of the “usual life”. People who begin their adventure with travelling are usually surprised how much can happen even in a very short time. As a traveler, you experience more – and that, in a way, changes the way time flows.
Are you convinced yet? We hope so! Share these reasons to travel now with your friends to inspire them too. Then go on then, pack your bag, book a ticket and enjoy the journey!
