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the journey, why do we travel ?

The journey.

It takes a lot of courage to step up to our comfort zone and travel the world. Some people need a bit of encouragement or push to go that extra step into the unknown. Once a friend said why do you want to go overseas when we live in one of the best countries in the world and we got everything here, but i think he missed the whole idea of why we travel, to create great memories and friends.  There are always fears associated with travel what you read in the newspapers and tv so sometimes they don’t give a true picture, I was in Israel when all the bombings were being reported and yet i didn’t notice any difference to everyday life there. Sometimes ordinary everyday life or a personal tragedy gets too much to cope with either boredom or overwhelming pain, for you a trip overseas will help ease your mind as you can see past your own little world and helps you refocus your mind as they use to say it broadens your mind. The destination is a fixed dot, the journey connects the dots and is what happens while trying to reach a destination, and is full of surprises and shocks, possibilities and impossibilities, tears and smiles, friends and strangers, hope and despair and a dream to reach the destination. While a destination is full stop to all these ot is just as important as the journey.The entire process of packing your bags, closing your front door, and leaving on a journey has a certain level of excitement.

 To Find Love

Do you live in a small town and find it difficult to make friends? then venture forth! You’ll at least come across someone who shares your ambition to travel and explore various cultures. While travelling gives you plenty of possibilities to meet new people, it is not a guarantee that you will find the love of your life. But i don’t know how many stories that i have heard of people meeting on their overseas trip unexpectantly.

A chance to unwind and re-energize

However, sometimes it’s all about unwinding.
Most of us have hard jobs or daily schedules that keep us busy, so we long for a week or more to just relax.
Anything you want, like the thought of waking up to a lakeshore or a lovely cityscape, without having to prepare breakfast, supper, or do the dishes. If it’s your heart’s desire, you can make your travels about having breakfast in bed or taking afternoon swims in a lake. You don’t have to check off every thing on the tourist map. You forget about that person annoying you at work or an overbearing boss.

Escape the Boredom

No matter who we are or where we come from, we all yearn to travel occasionally—once a year or more—so that we can escape our daily routines and discover a new place, city, or nation.
And while the epidemic undoubtedly dashed many traveler’s travel plans and caused disruptions in the travel and tourism sector, did you know that in 2019, foreign visitor arrivals reached a global peak?
A survey estimates that there were around 1.47 billion foreign trips in 2019. 
Journey and destination can not be separated. Without destination journey means you are lost while reaching destination without journey means you didn’t move an inch. Destinations can change (they can become obsolete and new ones appear) while the journey doesn’t (it’s the same one and it continues). Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you alot about the destination finding enjoyment in the planning of the trip is all part or the journey.

journey or just a trip

Destinations are a place on the map, the journey is the best part of travelling. Without destinations, any road can take you anywhere, and at the end, the only thing that will matter is the way how you traversed the road: the journey.
Destinations will make you proud. The journey will make you wiser and stronger. Destinations come and go. The journey is one and unique, the person you travel with the people you meet on the way can get you to know someone better or more deeply, seek and learn his/her journey and not his/her achievements what upsets them , their outlook on life, Many people have come adrift or separated because they did not prepare themselves for the journey only the destination.
Everybody has some similar achievements, but the journeys are unique and distinct. Enjoying the trip is a state of mind that should be attached to the journey, and not to the destination: the destination will give you a sense of ephemeral achievement, the journey will give you happiness.To enjoy the journey it is better to be mentally prepared the ups an downs they are all part of it .

Creating memories with the people you just met.

If you meet people on the way to somewhere they can join up with you and can make the trip even more enjoyable, because each person has different insights to the journey and we can all learn from this. Also you can even meet up with them in their hometown when on another trip and onnections like this can be quite fruitful. When you are going, you never know whose path you will cross or how similar we are to one another. This is one of the main benefits of volunteering while travelling. It serves as a reminder that everyone wants to have fun, fall in love, spend time with friends, eat delicious food, and relax with calming music. When visiting more remote regions you  might meet someone who challenges your worldview or you might make a new buddy who you keep in touch with.

Admiring people from a different perspective in a foreign culture.

Listen to their stories, understand the implications behind the aspects of their culture that you are interested in, and use that understanding to broaden your mindset about this culture

Tasting the best food you have never tried before.

going to a totally different place and culture soaking up all the different smells, looking at different people and foods. The smell can often take you back to a place you have been before , like lemongrass back to Thailand.not just the hotel food but maybe take a risk and try the street vendors food, but find out what you are eating first. There is a fear about eating the unknown especially when your travelling and about ruining your trip with bowel problems. But i think tring other foods especially vegertarian food canbe rewarding . Most cultures use different spices and herbs to good effect.

Breaking away from what we know and forming new memories.

can improve your mental health and bring clarity to other things. Everthing seems bad in your local area and when you go overseas it brings back a new appreciation of where you live.Most of the time, we go on vacation because we want to make wonderful memories for both ourselves and the people we choose to travel with.

And when I say memories, I don’t just mean the ideal Instagram or Facebook post.
Making memories from shared experiences and adventures—even those that didn’t exactly turn out as expected—is the goal.
We arm ourselves with tales and anecdotes while we travel, including tales we have heard from fellow travellers or locals, tales and folklore of the places we have visited, and tales we have made up on our own from experiencing real-life experiences.

It might be about first-time encounters with elephants, such as an– an elephant that you can ride on or doing tricks or have a wash in the river by the mahout, about witnessing an incredible sunset, of trying unfamiliar but delicious food straight from a street vendor…memories and stories that come sprinkled with a little bit of adventure.

Learning, and unlearning.

Travel might also be motivated by a desire to expand one’s knowledge.
It can involve picking up a new language, getting to know another way of life, or trying out an intriguing food.
Understanding new practises, other lifestyles, religious beliefs, and traditions will help you arm yourself with knowledge that goes beyond the classroom.
Isn’t that the reason why we were encouraged to take field trips and vacations to historic locations when we were in school?  When you recognise that people from all over the world are still like us but they live in a different culture and your mindset may have certain biases but when you go there you have to change your point of view. Like you thinl that all Iranians hate us due to their Government propaganda, but when you go there the people are warm and welcoming.

When you have made the journey to your destination you now can relax and take verything in.When I travel to soak in the different sights, smells, and cuisine of a place, the following is what I do :

Battling the creep of western culture merging into the whole world.

Why people travel is that they want to experience something different unless you are a business traveler you want all the comforts of home. Try to stay near the locals mot stuck in some high rise place in the centre if the city.Try to walk as often as I can to explore different lanes and bylanes of the city.
Sample some local cuisine after taking recommendations from the locals

Is it about the sights or landmarks or about seeing another amazing culture on earth.

Follow it up by visiting the city’s hidden gems, and other local recommendations.
Photos
Not only the journey photos but the destination ones.  But don’t forget only spend a small amount of time taking the photos as this can ruin the whole experience of travelling and prevent you from  feeling the culture or the people but your whole mind is intent on getting a great shot.

One of the best ways to understand and appreciate another culture is by listening to those who are a part of that society.