“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

A lot has been said about travel and life. But, why is it so special?

Saint Augustine says, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” Well, in today’s day and age, when everything you need to know is at the click of your mouse, why spend so much only to know what Google or Wikipedia can tell you.

Because, if you haven’t done it yourself, you just haven’t experienced it fully. All those pictures in guide books, travel blogs and magazine articles are just that. Pictures.

So, here are a few compelling reasons why one must travel.

1. Enhance your knowledge. Travel makes for a great teacher. Isn’t learning the only reason why every kid must go to school. Travelling helps you learn so much about the world we live in. The culture of each country you visit. The history about how a place was and how it became what it is today. Why a certain practice is followed in a certain part of the world and not in others. Architecture students all over the world are encouraged to travel to places of historical importance to learn the architecture of that place. The stories come alive and you know more than what any history lesson could help learn.
2. Make memories. You certainly can’t watch an amazing sunset sitting in that air-conditioned room overlooking the construction site. Go out with your dog, boyfriend, daughter, father or just alone. These are moments that you shall cherish long afterward they are actually over.
3. Explore yourself. Travel to a new place helps you discover facets about yourself you never knew existed. Learn a new language. Learn a new skill or a new recipe. You may suddenly realize that you are good at something you never previously knew anything about. Meeting new people, understanding their rituals and customs would change your perception of the world, needless to say, making you a more aware individual. Once, you realize there is so much more happening in the world, and after you have experienced it yourself, the experiences are not just enriching but infact, enlightening. Your viewpoint and perception changes, and this unwittingly creeps up in your personality. Ever heard of someone coming back from their travels a different person. They just explored themselves.
4. Experiences. Travel gives you experiences that transform you completely. It helps you be independent, manage your finances, try new cuisines, conquer new fears and generally, gives you life’s tough lessons but in the most fun way possible.
5. Beauty. The world has so much more to offer than what we may come across in our routine lives. You may have a breathtaking view of the city skyline from your work desk. But there is so much more that your travels can show you. A lifetime wouldn’t be enough to explore and visit the beauty that our world has to offer.

Stars in the Water at a Maldives Beach

So, don’t worry about being too young or too old. Don’t worry about being too caught up with your daily life or not having enough money. You don’t have to beat Phileas Fogg. Travel to the next city if you have to . Scrimp and save if you have to. But, do indulge in the pleasures that travelling can offer.

Couldn’t be more truer than that.