35 Reasons to Travel

Reasons to travel

As another birthday arrives I am still like a little kid and gets excited I want presents, cards, cake and now I am old enough wine. Only joking I have been drinking for a few years now. 

I wrote this list on my 35th Birthday to explain all the reasons why I travel. I am now slightly older and I could add many more things to the list as travel is my life and I could ramble on about it all day. After going through cancer I now appreciate every birthday even more now, you never know if it is going to be your last so it motivates me even more to carry on with my travels and not put things off for too long.

Do you really need a reason to travel because here are 35 but to be honest all you need to remember is it is a big world out there and it is there to be explored so off you pop, what is stopping you. If something is stopping you from travelling then I am happy to offer some words of encouragement, I now have terminal cancer and I will not let cancer stop me from travel anyway I will shut up now and you can read my list of 35 reasons to travel.

Meet new people

I have met so many people from different walks of life, luckily most of them have been friendly there’s been a handful of nasty people but that’s all part of the experience, the important thing is to learn from the good and ignore the bad.

Try new foods when travelling

You might think I don’t if you read my posts and hear me talking about MacDonald’s but even these chains in different countries have different menus to the UK so technically I still am trying new foods. Anyway I only go here if I’m tired and starving and it’s an easy option. If I am going somewhere new I tend to google what local dishes they have and try them, I’ve tried whale in Norway, crickets in Thailand and cheesecake in New York to name a few

See new places

This is quite obvious if you are going somewhere you haven’t been before you are going to see something new. This is one of the best things about travelling, around any corner could be something exciting to discover.

Experience different cultures

When I was in Thailand and visited the long neck tribe it was so fascinating to see how different they live their lives compared to the other areas in Thailand or even the rest of the world.

It is however, important to respect the different cultures you should be aware of major do’s and don’ts like never touch a Thai’s head it is considered an insult, not that I go around touching many heads but I didnt know this before my visit.

Get out of your comfort zone

I never used to do this I used to only go to places I knew or stayed in the main tourist areas but now I push myself to try something that I wouldn’t normally do, it might only be something like a night tour but every time I try something out of my comfort zone it gives me the courage to try even more.

Buy tacky souvenirs

I remember when I was little and everyone went to Spain on their holidays and brought donkeys back. When I see things like this it makes me laugh, I can’t normally buy many souvenirs if I am travelling light. I get a postcard for each place I visit and write a few sentences on the back to remind me about the trip.

Sunbathe

Obviously only if in a sunny climate but even after touring the place you still need time to relax and of course get a tan.

Chill on a beach

Again a bit of R&R but you can also see lots seeing on a local beach watch the people passing by.

Read a book

So many people I meet on travels say they don’t have time to read a book when they are at home as there are too many other things to do. Whilst relaxing by the pool or on the beach is a perfect time to read a few chapter of a trashy novel. I also find a book invaluable when I have long bus journeys to make the time go. I have read so many good books whilst I have been travelling I think I absorb the story more than just reading at home.

Get lost

I have found some little gems getting lost or come across something I would never have found otherwise. Although it can be scary at times and is better to get lost with someone rather than on your own it is all about adventure. I have to admit I dont like getting lost when I am travelling alone and will spend more time making sure I know where I am going by doing my research sometimes it is nice to not know where you are going and just wander and explore.

Enjoy

No point doing something if your not going to like it go with your interests and likes to get the best out of your travels.

See unusual fruit and Veg 

I love looking around local markets and seeing local produce, sometimes its quite fun to try and guess what something actually is. I have recently been to Spain and they had tomatoes the size of my head.

Speak to people you wouldn’t normally

Say hello to the person sat next to you on the bus because everybody has a story.

Support the locals

If you see a person on the street selling a bit of tat maybe buy from them rather than the larger stores as this can help feed someone’s family. One of the things I love doing is getting a massage on a beach. I know these people probably haven’t had any formal training but I love a massage and its money in their pocket.

Make people jealous with picture

Nowadays everyone is posting their travels on social media. When I was at school people used to take their photos in and we used to look at them in class at break time but now you can look at them in real time. You can see what someone is doing half way across the world. It’s not about making people jealous it’s about sharing interesting places, honest!

Experience different climates

I used to only go to places that were going to be sunny, when you work and you only have a few weeks’ holiday you normally want it to be the best possible weather but one of my most memorable destinations was Austria and Switzerland in the winter, I had never seen snow that glistens and it was magical, yea it was a bit chilly but as long as you prepare for the climate you are visiting you will be fine.

Send postcards

No one does this anymore but what a lovely treat for someone at home, I love getting things in the post that aren’t bills.

See wildlife

I never used to be that interested in wildlife, I love pigs and that’s as far I was interested until I went to China and saw pandas and tigers, then on to Thailand and fell in love with the elephants. Now I love watching wildlife in their natural habitat and can’t wait to go and see hippos.

Cross something off my bucket list

My list grows everyday as I discover different places I think I want to go there do that.

Give advice to others

People ask me about what to do when you go to a particular place and I love sharing what I did that’s why I have started my blog.

Get freaked out by locals

Not too much in a scary way but I find people abroad tend to express their self’s very loudly it’s like their shouting and it can be quite shocking.

Make new friends

I meet people along the way and it’s so easy to keep in contact now especially with social media.

Forget about my worries

Travelling takes my mind away from my health problems it’s my escapism.

Appreciate life

Some of the things you see whilst travelling such as poverty can really make you appreciate what you have.

Puts money into the economy

Tourism is important for most economies it brings in money and it creates jobs so next time you pay for something think I am helping someone eat tonight.

Put a pin in my map

I have a large world map where I pin places I want to go and places I have been. its right by my bed so I can dream about my travels at night.

Gives you stories to tell

Everyone likes a good travel story.

Miss my mummy

Obviously I don’t go away to miss her, but I do appreciate her when I am away and cant wait to get home to tell her all about my adventures.

Learn new words

I try to learn hello, goodbye, thank you, please and where’s the toilet before I go to a place. I’m not very good at learning languages but have these written down with me. I also find google translate a good tool to have, especially when looking at menus as you can put in the word to make sure you’re not ordering something strange.

Share experiences with others

I love hearing about others travels it gives me ideas of where I want to go too next especially when they have been to somewhere that I have never heard of.

Make new contacts

Once I tell people that I’m a travel blogger they open up to me. I have met authors, pilots, missionary volunteers, other travel bloggers. I swap business cards as you never know who you can help out in the future and also who you can call on for a favour.

Gain confidence

I am like a totally different person now I have been travelling, I have come out of my shell a lot I talk to random people whereas a few years back I was quite shy around new people. Also building up my blog has given me the confidence to communicate with others especially brands I want to work with – what you don’t ask for you don’t get, there’s no harm in asking for something the worst thing that can happen is they say no.

Gives me the knowledge to write

I dream of writing a novel I’ve got about 5 different ones on the go I might get them finished one day.

Become a better person

This is partly due to the travelling and also the other things that has happened in my life but I feel that I am a nicer person. I admit I was a bit of a bit@% when I was younger but now I appreciate other people’s feelings more, I’m polite and I’m trying to be a more positive happy person and people are telling me this is coming across.

Have lots of fun

You will learn things you will laugh you might even cry but the main thing is to enjoy your travels!

If you enjoyed this post about reasons to travel then you might find these interesting

10 reasons to book a cruise : Read Here

Read more about me to find out why I love to travel : Read Here 

Have I missed any reasons to travel let me know. If you enjoyed this article please share and pin