Why Travel Is Worth It: 12 Ways It Can Change Your Life

I was looking through photos from some of my past trips recently and found myself reliving all kinds of memories: places I’d forgotten about, people I’d met, things I’d tried, and even a few travel mishaps.

And it got me thinking about how much travel has added to my life.

Sure, I travel because I love seeing new places. But some of the biggest benefits have had very little to do with the destinations themselves.

Travel has pushed me outside my comfort zone, challenged some of my assumptions, introduced me to people I never would have met otherwise, and taught me quite a bit about myself.

Here are 12 ways I’ve found that travel can enrich your life, too.

1. Travel Gives You Something to Look Forward To

There’s something exciting about having a trip on the calendar.

It doesn’t have to be an elaborate two-week vacation overseas. A day trip or weekend getaway can give you something to anticipate, too.

Once I start planning a trip, I find myself imagining where I’ll go, what I’ll eat, what I’ll see, and what unexpected things I might discover along the way.

Sometimes the anticipation is half the fun.

2. Travel Helps You Relax and Recharge

Daily life can get pretty repetitive. Work. Errands. Chores. Appointments. That never-ending to-do list.

Travel gives you permission to break out of your normal routine for a while.

You can sleep late. Spend an afternoon wandering around a new town. Sit on a beach. Take a hike. Eat somewhere you’ve never tried. Or do absolutely nothing.

You don’t necessarily have to travel far to get that change of scenery, either.

Sometimes simply getting away from your everyday environment can help you return home feeling refreshed and ready to tackle normal life again.

3. Travel Reignites Your Curiosity

One of my favorite things about arriving somewhere new is that suddenly everything is interesting.

What’s down that street? What’s that building? What do people eat here? What’s the story behind that statue? Why does everyone seem to be lined up outside that restaurant?

I want to see everything.

That’s also one reason I don’t like planning every minute of a trip. I want enough flexibility to follow my curiosity when something catches my attention.

Some of my favorite travel discoveries have happened when I wasn’t looking for them.

One of my favorite sayings is “Never lose your childlike sense of wonder.” I heard it when I was watching Under the Tuscan Sun and it’s something I try to live by, especially when I travel.

Kids can be fascinated by things adults barely notice. Travel has a way of bringing some of that curiosity back. A building, a tiny side street, an unusual sign, or something completely ordinary to the people who live there can stop me in my tracks simply because I’ve never seen it before.

I think that’s one of the things I love most about traveling. It reminds me to pay attention and stay curious.

4. Travel Helps You Understand Other Cultures

It’s easy to form opinions about people and places you’ve never experienced firsthand.

Travel gives you an opportunity to listen, observe and learn.

Years ago, I traveled to Israel with a man I was dating who had grown up there. Before that trip, I’d sometimes hear him talking loudly with his father on the phone and think they were arguing.

He’d tell me, “We’re not yelling. That’s how we talk.”

I wasn’t entirely convinced.

Then I went with him to Israel.

During a family gathering, I watched him and his uncles launch into an animated political discussion in Hebrew. The volume kept getting louder as everyone tried to make his point, often talking over the others.

And suddenly I understood what he’d been telling me.

I also remember visiting people’s homes and being struck by their hospitality. Regardless of their financial  circumstances, we were welcomed and immediately offered a generous spread of food and drinks.

Experiencing another culture firsthand taught me things I never could have learned by simply reading about them.

5. Travel Can Help You Understand Yourself Better

Travel often comes with something we don’t get enough of at home: time to think.

You might be sitting in an airport, riding a train or driving for several hours with nothing demanding your immediate attention.

I’ve found that when I stop actively trying to solve a problem and let my mind wander, ideas and solutions often bubble to the surface on their own.

Travel also puts you in unfamiliar situations, and those situations can reveal things about you.

What stresses you out? How do you handle uncertainty? Are you more independent than you thought? What do you actually enjoy doing when no one else is deciding for you?

Sometimes getting away from your normal life gives you a clearer view of it.

6. Travel Encourages You to Try New Things

I am scared to death of heights.

So naturally, I went ziplining in Costa Rica.

My boyfriend wanted to do it, and I didn’t think it was fair for him to miss the experience because I was afraid. So I strapped myself in and went.

My heart was pounding during those first few lines.

But I did it.

Would I do it again? Maybe. Maybe not. 😂

But I’m glad I pushed myself outside my comfort zone and proved to myself that I could.

Travel gives us opportunities to try foods, activities and experiences we might never consider at home.

And sometimes we discover we’re capable of more than we thought.

7. Travel Creates Memories That Last

I’ve always taken a ridiculous number of photographs when I travel.

Years later, I can look at one and remember where I was, what was happening around me, and sometimes even the sounds and smells of the place.

That’s one reason experiences have become more important to me than collecting more stuff.

A souvenir may eventually end up in a drawer. But an experience can stay with you for decades.

And occasionally, looking through those old photos reminds me of an experience I’d almost forgotten, which is exactly what inspired this article in the first place.

If you want your travel photos to better capture those memories, professional travel photographer Ralph Velasco shared his tips for taking better travel photos.

8. Travel Builds Confidence and Problem-Solving Skills

Something will eventually go wrong when you travel.

A flight gets canceled. A road closes. You miss a train. Your reservation disappears. The weather ruins your plans.

You figure it out.

Then something else happens on another trip, and you figure that out, too.

Every time you successfully deal with one of those situations, you have another piece of evidence that says:

I can handle this.

That confidence doesn’t have to stay on vacation. The ability to assess a problem, consider your options and change course is useful everywhere.

Traveling alone can be an especially good confidence builder. If you’re curious about trying it but aren’t sure where to start, check out my tips for traveling solo with confidence.

9. Travel Teaches You Patience

I once had a flight home from Florida delayed five times.

Was I thrilled about it? Absolutely not.

But getting angry wasn’t going to make the plane leave any sooner.

So I settled into the gate area and started talking to the people around me. I ended up meeting some lovely people and having some great conversations.

Travel frequently reminds us that there are things we simply cannot control.

Flights get delayed. Lines are long. Traffic happens. Weather changes.

You can let those things ruin your trip, or you can adjust.

10. Travel Reminds You That Most People Are Good

One of my favorite travel memories happened because something went wrong.

I was in San Diego, away from my hotel, when my phone died just as I was trying to order an Uber.

I went into a nearby restaurant and asked the bartender if he could call me a cab.

Another man overheard the conversation and told me a cab would probably cost more. He asked where I was staying, pulled out his phone, and ordered an Uber for me.

I offered him cash.

He refused.

When the car arrived, he walked outside with me, checked the license plate, introduced me to the driver and made sure the driver knew where I was going.

Then he sent me on my way.

He didn’t know me. He didn’t owe me anything. He simply saw someone who needed help and helped.

I’ve encountered that kind of kindness more than once while traveling.

11. Travel Helps You Connect With People

Travel is one of my favorite conversation starters.

I discovered this in an unexpected way when I was driving for Uber.

One of my passengers had a French accent and I asked him where he was from. He told me he and his wife had recently moved from Paris. I mentioned that I’d traveled through Provence (a region in southern France), and we started comparing places we’d been.

When I mentioned Aix-en-Provence, it turned out he was born there.

Suddenly two strangers sitting in a car had something in common.

That’s one of the wonderful things about travel. You don’t have to be traveling at that exact moment to benefit from it.

The experiences you collect become stories and connections you can carry with you long after you’ve come home.

12. Travel Can Help You Live With Fewer Regrets

This may be the biggest one for me.

I don’t want to reach the end of my life thinking:

I wish I’d taken that trip.

I won’t remember every dollar I spent traveling.

I’ll remember the people I met. The meals I ate. The places I wandered around. The things that made me laugh. The things that went completely wrong and became great stories later.

I’ll remember the experiences.

That doesn’t mean spending money irresponsibly or booking every trip you dream about tomorrow.

It means recognizing that experiences have value, too.

I’ve found that being intentional about saving for travel makes it much easier to say yes when the right opportunity comes along. Here are four simple ways to save for travel.

If there’s somewhere you genuinely want to go, start figuring out how to make it happen. Maybe it’s saving a little at a time. Maybe it’s using your PTO instead of letting it sit there. Maybe it’s starting with a weekend trip somewhere close to home.

You don’t have to do everything today.

But you can take the first step.

Your Future Self Will Thank You

One of the biggest things travel has taught me is that there will never be a perfect time to do everything.

There will always be another expense. Another obligation. Another reason to put something off.

So plan responsibly. Save where you can. Prioritize the experiences that matter to you.

And when you can take the trip, take the trip.

Your future self just might thank you for it.

What has travel added to your life? Is there a benefit I missed? Tell me in the comments.