Hi, everyone! I am back into the swing of things after a month-long vacation to the Philippines, Thailand and Ethiopia. Naturally I now have to blog about “why one should travel”. For a while in the beginning of my professional life, I did not enjoy traveling. I did not understand why I needed to leave home because I love being home on that lazy Sunday, watching Netflix, reading a good book and/or drinking a delicious pot of tea. It was just recently when I had learned to appreciate traveling and I’m now going to tell you why.

1. You grow up.

After my third year at university, I went to Switzerland for a yearlong engineering internship partially to force myself to travel. It was great because I learned a lot on my internship (personally and professionally) and I got my Euro-trip out of the way. And to put it simply, I grew up.

There’s a lot of responsibility in preparing for a trip like finding the right accommodation, knowing what to pack, budgeting and planning what to do when you’re at your destination. At the time I was a snooty student and would not be caught dead with an unglamorous pair of sneakers and a bulky backpack. But I had to grow up and get a pair (of sneakers) and buy a backpack because one cannot walk all around Europe in stilettos especially with all the cobblestone roads. (It is dangerous and painful. Do not try it.) So in that way I also grew up because there is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing sneakers and a backpack.

2. It puts your life into perspective.

Traveling puts your life into perspective especially when you visit third world countries. I’ve seen so many people that have so little and are still living their lives happily and to the best of their ability. It made me realize that my life’s minuscule problems are trivial and truly are #FirstWorldProblems. You gain an appreciation for your life along with all the blessings and challenges life brings.

You also realize how small you are compared to the entire world. Jett and I were looking at a map of Ko Phi Phi Don in Thailand and we were wondering how large it was compared to the rest of Thailand, so we zoomed out … and zoomed out … and zoomed out! We saw how small Ko Phi Phi Don was to the rest of Thailand and especially to the rest of the world, which reminded me that we are just a tiny spec on this massive planet and that our problems are not the end of the world even though they sometimes seem so.

3. It is motivating.

Every time Jett and I return from traveling we are exhilarated and motivated. We want to achieve more so that we have the funds to travel more. We realize that there is so much more of the world to explore and experience, so we are inspired to work harder in order to play (and travel) harder. And it helps if you go to one of the wealthier nations and see all the beautiful cars, private yachts/jets and designer fashion that you one-day want to acquire, as well 🙂

Those were my reasons on why I appreciate and enjoy traveling. What are yours? Please let me know by commenting below! Thanks for reading and I hope to see you next time.

❤ Isabel