How Travel Enriches. Inspiration No. 1
We have all heard of the many benefits of foreign travel and many of us know of them through our own experiences venturing abroad. In these posts I will be sharing different ways that travel has enriched my own life over a period of time.
You learn things about yourself that may have otherwise been hidden from you in your usual surroundings.
When we travel, and especially when we do it alone, we are freed of the following:
- our usual environment
- our usual comforts
- our usual way of doing things
- our usual expectations of things, and
- the usual people we are around
Why is this good? When we are stripped of the familiar, we are able to see things from a fresh perspective.
It could be that while wandering off alone, you hear yourself thinking, I enjoy being an introvert. It’s actually fun and adventurous. Or, if you are more of an extrovert, you may hear yourself saying, I don’t actually need people around me all the time to enjoy myself.
In addition, you may come to enjoy certain things that previously seemed foreign to you. Several years ago, I made a move from working in NYC to living in Italy. Not being in a rush all the time and slowing down frequently, as is common in Italy, was a big shift in lifestyle for me which occurred after I made that move. It’s something I’ve managed to retain in my lifestyle back at home in the US. I now know that prolonged moments of slowing down are essential for me in order to enjoy my life more fully and to keep my creative juices flowing.
I hope these initial thoughts will inspire you to reflect on and celebrate the benefits of travel you have experienced in your own personal journeys.