Travelling :- The Most beautiful Part of my Life.

Travel My Passion

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore. Dream. Discover.    – Mark Twain

                       Everyone keeps saying how important it is to travel. So what's all this fuss about? Why do people travel and love travelling?

More importantly: why should we travel more?

                      The benefits of traveling are not just a one-time thing: traveling changes you physically and psychologically. Having little time or money isn't a valid excuse. You can fly for cheap very easily. If you have a full-time job and a family, you can still travel on the weekends or holidays, even with a baby.

What travel taught me is that all we have is the present. All we have is this moment. 

                     So, whenever I travel, I don’t think of the time that it takes me to get there as any less valuable as the time I’ll spend when I’m there. In the end, it’s all the same.

In our daily lives, we often let the days roll past with alarming indifference. 

The summer becomes autumn, and autumn becomes fall, and each season brings the same level of surprise. We say things out loud like, “I just can’t believe it’s fall already,” myself very much included. 

However, when I hear myself say that out loud, I always take a moment to do what I call “a scan of the season.” I think back to all the special moments that I’ve had during those few months, when I had travelled. Perhaps not surprisingly, very few of those moments occurred on an average day in my routine

I may not have a bulging wallet, or the finest  shoes, but my memories from travel make me feel like the richest person on the planet. Someone can steal my most valuable thing, or try to repossess my home, but nobody – nobody – can take my memories.

Travel is important to me because I can say I’ve been to a certain amount of places. Travel is important to me because it provides a zest to my life that I can’t get elsewhere. 

                        I learn new languages, and try new foods. I sleep in houses with ceilings I don’t recognize, and sometimes don’t sleep at all just to catch a glimpse of the sun right as it decides it’s high time for everyone to get up. I take leaps of faith without quite caring if I’ll fall, and I climb mountains and understand that the moment atop of the summit isn’t as important as the sum of the climb and descent. 

                        Travel is important to me because it’s a constant reminder that in the grand scheme of things, I’m only here for what amounts to the blink of an eye. And I, for one, intend to spend this all to brief moment with my eyes wide open.

 

To travel is to experience. Traveling forces you to see and experience new things. Since there is only a limited of time at each destination, you’d want to make the best use of time and take in as much of the experience as possible.  

On my recent adventure to Ladakh, I tried on the beautiful traditional Ladakhi robe called Goncha and walked around in it. It was such a fun and memorable part of the trip.  

                       Travel gives you perspective, when you have a chance to step away from the daily grind. The things that are troubling you can suddenly seemed more manageable, or even small, when you can put things into perspective.

As the old adage goes, sometimes you just need to stop and smell the roses. See the sunrise. Feel the sunset. Ponder at the meaning of our lives and the direction in which it is heading. Figure out if it is time to change the sails of our ships.

Travel often brings out a lightheartedness out of situations. 

                       Travel reminds me of how kind people generally are, and how we are more alike than we are different.  In Thailand, a local asked us if we needed any help when we had been staring at a giant food menu board for some time.  We simply hadn’t made up our minds with all the choices in front of us.  Still, it was a wonderful gesture.

                      Travel allows you to appreciate more: the things you miss while you are away, and the things that are right in front of you: A sweet smile. A hearty laughter. A kind gesture. A warm hug.  A warm bed. Precious time with family and friends.  

                       In Goa, the owner of the Anjuna Flea Market  was excited to see my family dressed up in the traditional attire. The reason?   She recently lost her mother, so she was happy to see us traveling together as a family.  It’s one of those things you don’t think about much, but it meant more when seen through a different lens.

                        The encounter reminded me of something that I had always promised myself to remember:  To have a grateful heart.  When we are grateful, we see beauty illuminate more brightly all around us. We appreciate more of the simple joys and the wonders of discovery.  We see, or rather we choose to see, the best of everything and in everyone.

These are some of the reasons why I love to travel. Travel reminds me of the simple things in life.  To give me the perspective I need.  To re-energize me when I feel weighed down.  To see the world through refreshed lens.

I hope I never forget all the reasons why I love to travel.  Should I forget, I hope this blog's reminds me.

Travel means different things to different people, but I know one thing it isn’t:  It isn’t ever boring.

“I travel solo by choice not only because it gives me the freedom I need and want -- the freedom to decide when, where, and how to move -- but also because it constantly tests my abilities to deal with the challenges of being on the road by yourself. I have learned so much about myself and about others from my solo travel that I don't see any need to change my travel habits soon. Solo travel is not for everybody, but it is definitely perfect for few.”

~ Khushi