TAKE A BREAK & EMBRACE THE OUTDOORS
Travelling is one of the most talked and written about hobbies when it comes to millennial and Gen Z. Who does not love travelling? It provides ample benefits which outrun the cost involved once you develop a liking for it.
As a child, my parents used to take me many places with them. It was anywhere from visiting a nearby scenic spot to different states in the country. I loved visiting people, relishing local delicacies, listening interesting stories, the cultures and happily take away home invaluable memories for life. I am not sure if I was born an extrovert or an introvert but I have developed the balanced personality — an ambivert (a mix of both).
As a young girl, I never shied away from talking to people and gelling with them within a short span of time. I was one of those in school who would always welcome new students in the class and make them feel at home. That was one reason behind having many best friends and popularity among seniors and juniors (no tone of boasting here). This may have been due to exposure with many people since I was very young. My father being a professor at that time, our home used to be filled with students from diverse backgrounds. I learned different languages apart from my mother tongue just by being with them. At that time I was not even formally enrolled into any school i.e. I must have been just three or four year old. Like I said, I had ample opportunities to travel from a very young age- inter district, interstate and country. It made me understand the many benefits at a later age though I was enjoying the fruits since the beginning.
There are many advantages of travelling, significant among them are:
1. EXCITEMENT: The very thought of getting out of your house to explore a new environment makes people excited. It brings different imaginations into play- the logistics, fooding, lodging, people, culture, nature etc.
For instance, as a child, I suffered from serious motion sickness while travelling in a bus. But I also remember, managing to travel for 8–12 hours in bus without throwing up when I interacted with co-passengers or when my sister and I would play imaginative stories of being travelers exploring scenic beauties while on the go. We would sing songs and create stories which filled me with so much excitement that my heart would win over my mind and we would reach our destination surprisingly without throwing up.
2. HAPPY HORMONES: When we experience a new place and a new way of living, it automatically releases many hormones in our body mostly the happy hormones like dopamine, serotonin, endorphin, oxytocin. Regardless of who you are travelling with- company or solo, one is bound to experience the positive benefits from such release. Of course, some people may also experience stress and anxiety when things go wrong in the journey but that is not always the case.
3. MEMORIES: We form so many memories which can be cherished for life. It enriches our life with interesting stories, experiences and lessons. When you meet someone new, you have fairly good content to share with them as well. This makes us appear lively, wise and interesting in people’s eye.
4. GROWTH OF PERSONALITY: Personality, in laymen terms is the combination of qualities and characteristics of a person which makes him/her different from others. Travelling improves personality of a person because it leads to increase in confidence, mindfulness, liveliness, tolerance, empathy, appreciation, open mindedness, charisma, and wisdom etc.
5. BETTER CONVERSATIONALIST: Humans by nature are social animal. Now, imagine a situation where you may have to strike a conversation with someone new and your knowledge is limited to only two-three topics. Unfortunately, that person may not share the same interest as yours. In that case, both will have nothing much to talk about. So, the key is to increase your area of interest. Travelling is one sure way to increase your area of knowledge without much mental exercise so that you can be a better conversationalist.
6. REFRESHMENT AND HEALING: Travelling is therapeutic in nature. If you ever feel down, try to dress up and go out into the nature or visit any interesting place. Whether you spend time alone or catch up with friends, you are sure to forget whatever was disturbing your peace of mind for the time being.
Many people realized the impact of socializing and travelling when they were confined within their houses due to restrictions imposed by Covid 19. Such incidents took a toll on mental and physical health of many.
7. HUMBLE AND GRATEFUL: Often when travelling, you might come across people and places that will make you realize how blessed your life is. We tend to take so many things for granted that we forget to appreciate those simple things and the people who make our lives beautiful. Travelling humbles us and we are filled with gratitude.
For instance, it was only through travelling to distant countries that our freedom fighters and social reformers such as Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, Lala Lajpat Rai, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Vivekananda etc came across the advanced and scientific development in western societies and realized the backward our Indian society on many aspects.
8. IMPROVES MEMORY POWER: I could easily relate and resonate with many people and facts taught at school and colleges because of the opportunity to experience them first hand already through travel. This helped me understand and retain concepts easily.
For instance, Difference between Nagada and Dravida Schools of temple architectures, various festivals, art and culture, literatures, geographical facts and so on.
9. MAKES YOU CREATIVE: These days you can see many vloggers flooding YouTube with their travel vlogs. They record the videos, edit them, design them and then release them online. All of that requires creativity. Even if one is not born creative, over time they learn and become better. Many have already become a popular face just by travelling and vlogging.
If you are still not able to make up your mind about travelling, I believe you are happy spending your life in a routine monotonous way which is not bad per se but robs you off the many riches of life that waits to offer you.
Hope you enjoyed reading this blog :)
