10 Reasons We Love to Travel
Traveling is one of our favorite things… and here is why:
1. Builds empathy – learning about other cultures, customs and people helps you to understand that we are all more alike than we are different. We all have similar goals in life – to live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives. When we are stuck in our little bubble in our own town, it’s easier to believe that we have nothing in common with people who are different than us. Getting outside that bubble builds empathy.
2. Teaches you about the world – what better way to learn about our world than to experience it. Seeing ancient wonders of the world, to new cultures, to natural beauty, each place you visit, you’re learning even more about our world. Having a reference point for conversations about history, government, geography – all very helpful. Learning about history by visiting Auschwitz, for instance, gives my kids a reference point for school curriculum, and for discussing current events. Learning about the Colosseum in school, while having walked right where the gladiators did – amazing.
3. Helps you step away from routine – we all get caught up in the day to day. Work, school, responsibilities. It can be overwhelming. If you’re lucky enough to be able to travel, taking a break from the routine can help you reset and feel more alive! I pretty much spend every minute of my allotted PTO to go on vacations vs relax. This might not be for everyone – but for me, spending time away from work exploring the world is the way I want to spend my time!
4. Builds confidence and adaptability – being able to navigate public transportation in a country where you don’t speak the language, dealing with flight cancellations, learning new customs – each of those things will help build confidence and encourage you to be more flexible. Understanding that things don’t always go as planned, but you can overcome them is a really great lesson for kids. I can see our kids adjusting better to changing scenarios because of this and I hope that leads them to be more adaptable adults.
5. Encourages gratitude – our kids are very fortunate. They recognize that no everyone is able to travel as we do. We also know that they live a pretty privileged life where we help them navigate troubles. It is a common discussion in our home about what we are lucky enough to be able to do. Learning that things aren’t the same for everyone around the world is a good lesson for them. The memories we look back on, and our videos we watch again and again bring us so much joy!
6. Become a better citizen of the world – it is so important to be good stewards of the earth. Learning about how countries and preventing climate change, to clean energy, to different ways to reuse and recycle – each time we visit a new place, it helps us be more thoughtful of the world around us.
7. Learn about new cultures – eating new food, meeting local people, and exploring new customs is a great way to learn about our world. From seeing the mountains of Colombia where we learned to make coffee and chocolate, to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul and the bazaars where we negotiated for bargains, each of these experiences is so enriching.
8. Helps you see how we can be better at home – it is super important to us to make sure our kids understand that we live in a great country, but the way we do things here is not the only way. Having our kids experience things like the efficiency of the Swiss transportation system, the fresh and healthy food of Italy, and the amazing public spaces and walkable cities in places like Portugal and France makes us all realize there is a lot of room for improvement. Growing up not willing or able to admit that we have opportunities is unhelpful in so many ways. Bringing back new ideas on how to solve problems will help us all in the long run!
9. Helps you understand your own goals and passions – learning about the world opens your eyes to a lot of possibilities. It can help you find things you are passionate about. It helps you learn to think of concepts and ideas you may have not explored before!
10. Creates lifelong memories – We love looking back on our travels and reminiscing. We’ve had some funny times, mishaps, adventures and countless good times. We know these memories will last a lifetime for our kids and we are so happy to share these moments with them.
