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We are stuck at home right now due to COVID-19, but we yearn to leave the house and have some type of exciting adventure. I find that even just taking a trip to the store is exciting for me right now… Although Matt and I are trying to make the most of it, we hope that it doesn’t last much longer. To help pass the time, we’ve compiled some thoughts on why we think you should travel. Get ready to book your next adventure!
It’s something to look forward to.
About a week ago, I had a meeting with my life coach. In preparation, she had asked me to ponder, “What is the reason that you go to work each day?” I reflected upon my childhood and the many weekends that I spent going on adventures with my family.
When I was a young teenager my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer. While we didn’t have a lot of money to go on big trips, he always found free or cheap adventures for us to go on as a family. Whether it was the PEZ museum, the San Francisco sand castle competition, or geocaching on various hikes, each Saturday was family adventure day. It gave me something to look forward to each week.
This philosophy has stayed with me. Matt and I value experiences and memories so much more than material things, so that is where we try to spend our money.
During those long 10-12 hour days of work, it is such a blessing to know that I am working towards our next trip, even though we don’t always know where it is going to be to. It motivates us to work harder when we know that in a short while we will be able to forget about work and relax on the beach, in the mountains, or while exploring a new country.
You will challenge yourself.
Whether you are an avid traveler or a rookie, challenging yourself in any aspect of life is critical. You will surprise yourself by doing things you never would have thought possible. Maybe you are scared of fish and never thought you’d be swimming among them in the Caribbean ocean. It could be that you are shy and reserved and find yourself going out of your way to learn about a new culture. Maybe, it’s just getting on a plane and traveling somewhere for the first time.
About a year after we got married, Matt and I took a cruise with my family to the western Caribbean. While in Grand Cayman, we went snorkeling at one of their reefs. I was fine looking at fish through glass or from a boat, but being in the water with slimy, wriggly fish and having them touch me was one of my worst nightmares.
It took me a solid 20 minutes before I would even get off the back of the boat and enter the water, and another 20 minutes before I wasn’t nervous every time one of them got close. However, by the end of the several hour excursion, I was totally comfortable being right next to the fish and observing them from inches away. Just last year we visited another coral reef in Cozumel and schools of fish surround us. I actually found myself swimming after them trying to get a closer look.
Whatever the challenge, having a new experience in a new place can test your limits. You will have more confidence in yourself when you accomplish something new. Just remember, when you are out of your comfort zone, that is when you are challenging yourself – and it is a good thing!
You can live in the now.
When we first got married, Matt and I were expecting some pretty specific plans and timelines to live by. We planned on having kids within the first 2-3 years, Matt graduating from BYU and getting into medical school, and us moving out of Utah. Life had other plans. We have so far been unsuccessful in having kids, and Matt took longer to graduate, due to full-time work at the hospital, and is just now getting started on applying to medical schools. Some of these were our own doing and decisions, but regardless, we have decided not to dwell on what we hoped our present would be, and rather live according to how our present is.
So much of Matt’s and my life revolves around the now. We have little control over the future, but we can control what we do with our time now, and we choose to make the most of it. Choose to live in the now and take control of your life. Enjoy every moment and make them count.
You’ll see new things and have amazing adventures.
Do you really want to stay in your little corner forever? You can see one of the Seven Wonders, or create new wonders of your own. Each place that you go will give you a unique, new adventure. Think about all the wonderful memories you will have by experiencing something out of the ordinary.
One of our favorite adventures was rafting on the Pacuare river in Costa Rica. This river is ranked #4 for best white water rafting in the world. With class 4+ rapids, it was far more extreme than any previous rafting I had done, but was absolutely incredible, and the canyons we traveled through were breathtaking, to say the least. One of the waterfalls that we passed is even featured in the original Jurassic Park movie, to give you a sense of how beautiful the scenery was.
These kind of experiences are impossible to have without traveling, and they bring a zest to life that little else can replace.
It creates an opportunity for you to expand your knowledge.
Matt and I believe that immersion is one of the best ways to learn. Going to Washington D.C., we knew that public transportation was the best way to get around. However, neither of us had ever used public transit and so we arrived in Washington with little idea of how to us the metro. We had little idea of how much bus rides and train tickets cost, how to use a metro card, or even the rule of not looking crazy people in the eye that are sitting in the back of the bus talking to themselves… By the end of the week though, we were getting around like locals, and gained a new set of skills and knowledge that we doubtless would have learned from our lives back home.
Time away allows for a chance to strengthen relationships.
Not every trip has to be a big one. As I said earlier, while growing up, my family made it a priority to spend every Saturday together. While of course my siblings and I fought just like in any other family, we also created countless new memories and had opportunities to bond that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.
in our marriage, Matt and I have made it a goal to spend at least one night away every three months to bond and reconnect. There is a local bed and breakfast that we enjoy going to, and when we don’t have a big trip planned, we try to find a weekend to just get away from the distractions around our house and focus on our relationship with each other.
It’s good for your humanity.
We have interacted with so many amazing people from our travels. From a tiny coastal village in Honduras, to a rainforest town in Costa Rica. We have come to learn that so much of the world’s population is good at heart and really no different from us, despite differing beliefs. As we learn to respect others and their differences, we can learn to better love those we interact with on a daily basis and better love ourselves.
You will have increased happiness and satisfaction.
As life moves along, it is so easy to get into a rut of daily living. Each day is so similar to the last that they blend together and time flies by. We all need something that breaks up this monotony and traveling is great way to do it.
Traditionally speaking, many people tend to spend their discretionary money by going shopping and buying something new. This brings a sense of euphoria and happiness, but it is far from lasting. In 2014, Cornell University conducted a study on how experiences bring greater long-term happiness than ownership. Additionally, paying for experiences can bring happiness to the purchaser before, during, and after the experience. In comparison, owning a material item typically only brings happiness after the purchase. If you are interested in reading the study synopsis for yourself, go here.
While adventuring often takes more planning than simply going to the mall, have you ever been on a vacation that didn’t make you happy? I hope the answer is no, and if not, then we need to change that.
You will have increased love and appreciation for your life.
By seeing the simple happiness of people around the world, we come to appreciate that happiness does not come from material things. Happiness increases as our love for others increases. We come to learn what is truly important in life and what we can live without, many of those things we would probably be happier if we didn’t own in the first place.
Traveling gives us the opportunity to realign our priorities and find out what is important. One of Matt’s professors at BYU shared a powerful example of happiness when he told of two men whose lives changed drastically around the same time. One of them won the lottery for tens of millions of dollars, and the other suddenly became a quadriplegic from a car accident. They measured these men’s happiness directly after the accident, and clearly the millionaire was much happier with his circumstance. But within five years, the quadriplegic man was far and above happier with his life than the millionaire, who had even contemplated suicide.
This story is a powerful example that our happiness in life has so much less to do with what we own and how much money we have, and everything to do with who is in our life, how much time we spend with them, and who we serve and who we let serve us.
We hope that within the reasons listed above, you have found at least one that you agree with and want to put into practice. Traveling is good for the soul and helps you become a better person, while exploring the world, meeting new people, and finding joy.
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