How Traveling Makes You a Better Person

A collage of photos from a trip.

Traveling to see places beyond our homes is crucial to gain exposure to the world. (Image: Ehaydy via Dreamstime)

Traveling is essential for humans. We are communal creatures of the same species, yet our location determines societal actions based on cultural and governmental laws. We are so similar, yet our little worlds are so entirely different.

Traveling to see places beyond our homes is crucial to gain exposure to the world. Whether someone travels domestically or to a foreign country, it can be an experience reminiscing for a lifetime.

Subscribe to our Newsletter!

Receive selected content straight into your inbox.

Traveling should be a happy thing, even just to another state. It’s essential to maintain a continual pattern of learning and awareness throughout one’s lifetime,

5 important benefits of traveling

1. Get happy

A travel experience makes you happier by getting you away from your daily grind. And, if you can get away from your parents, kids, freelance work, pets, homework, piano lessons, part-time job, studying for exams, or any other things possibly weighing you down, that will put a smile on your face.

Also, money spent on doing something (called “experiential purchases”) will leave you with a longer-lasting sense of happiness than money spent on having something (called “material purchases”). And it goes on to say that people derive more pleasure from the anticipation of experiential purchases and that waiting for an experience tends to be more pleasurable and exciting than waiting to receive a material good.

Traveling makes you happier by getting you away from your daily grind.
Traveling makes you happier by getting you away from your daily grind. (Image: Nikolai Sorokin via Dreamstime)

2. Disconnect and recharge

One of the best things you can do for your mental health now and again, especially as a busy college student with an evening job or a young professional working 12-hour shifts, is to disconnect to recharge.

Working or studying for days, weeks, and months on end may help get you where you’re looking to go. However, you deserve a break from chronic stress every once in a while. If not, you may suffer burnout, depression, anxiety, and many other problems and ailments.

If traveling to a foreign country or experiencing a different culture doesn’t sound like a real break from everyday life and its stressful situations, stay local or make a solo trip to someplace remote and serene. The important thing for you is to unwind.

Just as you're being exposed to fresh foods, cultures, languages, traditions, and so forth, they're also getting a taste of yours.
Just as you’re being exposed to fresh foods, cultures, languages, traditions, and so forth, they’re also getting a taste of yours. (Image: via Pixabay)

3. Exposure to new things

When you travel, you are stepping outside your comfort zone, for one thing. Even if your destination is relatively nearby (across the country rather than internationally), you are still experiencing new things.

Traveling also satisfies you when you see new places, whether it’s another town nearby or a city halfway around the world. And as you’re being exposed to new foods, cultures, languages, traditions, and so forth, people there are also learning about you. So remember to be a good ambassador for your hometown, values, and beliefs.

4. A healthier you

If you’re an active individual and asking why traveling is essential, there are some great benefits in store for you! From running through airports and train stations, to making that tight connection, to hiking through uneven terrain on your mountain climbing adventures, to getting some vitamin D as you catch some rays on the beach, there are many reasons why traveling is beneficial for your health.

5. Creativity booster

Are you a student, artist, writer, photographer, chef, advertising manager, or video game designer struggling with coming up with your next great idea? Traveling can help. If you want to reignite your creativity, head to a website and start booking international flight tickets.

Foreign experiences increase both cognitive flexibility and depth and integrativeness of thought. In addition, cognitive flexibility plays a significant role in overall creativity, defined as a person’s ability to entertain various ideas and viewpoints one after the other.

In conclusion

What is there more to love than traveling? Traveling is a unique experience, as it’s the best way to unplug from the pushes and pulls of daily life. It helps you forget your problems, frustrations, and fears at home.

During your journey, you experience life in different ways. You explore new places, cultures, cuisines, traditions, and ways of living. You could never experience these things at home. This is why traveling is such a unique and invaluable life experience.

Follow us on TwitterFacebook, or Pinterest

Recommended Stories

Mr. Yang.

Successful Entrepreneurs in China Lose Everything on Trumped-Up Charges (Part 1)

Mr. Yang, one of China’s highly successful entrepreneurs now living in exile, recounted how he ...

A closeup view of jail cell iron bars casting shadows on the prison floor.

Successful Entrepreneurs in China Lose Everything Overnight on Trumped-Up Charges (Part 2)

Mr. Yang said persecuted entrepreneurs like him are too numerous in his home province and ...

Stir-fried pebbles.

Stir-Fried Pebbles: Chinese Vendors Are Making a Dish Made of Stones

Chinese street food vendors have amused the world by creating a unique cuisine; stir-fried pebbles, ...

Chinese painting of Kou Zhun, an official during the Northern Song Dynasty.

The Inspirational Story of Kou Zhun’s Mother: A Lesson in Moral Education

China, with its 5,000-year-old civilization, has always been recognized for the importance it places on ...

Man and woman in a heated argument.

Disagreeing Gracefully: How To Foster Understanding in a Polarized World

Most of us have found ourselves embroiled in a heated disagreement, feeling so hurt or ...

Exoplanet K2-18b.

Signs of Life? Why Astronomers Are Excited About Carbon Dioxide and Methane in the Atmosphere of an Alien World

Are we alone? This question is nearly as old as humanity itself. Today, this question ...

The tower in Kaiyuan Temple with cherry blossoms.

Historical Tale From China: Murong Yanchao Outsmarts a Swindler

During the Later Han Dynasty (947-950), Yunzhou’s leading commander, Murong Yanchao, was celebrated for his ...

A basket of eggs.

Reviving the Simple Long-Lost Art of Roasting Eggs

Roasting eggs is probably the most ancient way of cooking eggs. About 1 million years ...

A polar ring galaxy.

Astronomers Have Discovered a Rare ‘Polar Ring Galaxy’ Wrapped in a Huge Ribbon of Hydrogen

A galaxy can come in many shapes and sizes, from giant, slowly rotating ovals and ...

Send this to a friend