After I left college my buddy V. Reddy Kancharla and I took a 3 month trip throughout Europe and into Northern Africa in what turned out to be the trip of a lifetime. Since that trip I caught the travel bug and each year I try my best to hit the road in search of discovery and exploration. Back then I did my traveling with a backpack and staying in hostels whereas now it is more about a suitcase and hotels, despite this and despite my age, I don’t think that there is ever a moment when people pass the point where they can go traveling and here is why I think that it is something that everyone should experience at least once in their lives.
New People
Living, working and existing in the same place for a long period of time makes it much harder to meet new people yet when you hit the road, you almost can’t get out of the way of making new friendships and relationships. Many of my best friends are those who I have met on the road and I have buddies in over 20 countries around the globe.
Introspective
When you see different cultures and people in different situations, it really makes you pause for thought about what you want from your life and how you want to do it. Equally, being away from home gives you the time to have these thoughts an to consider what areas of your life you are not happy with and which areas you are happy with.
Healthy
It has been scientifically proven that those who travel live for longer and that they become more immune to diseases because of the various bacteria which they have exposed themselves to whilst traveling.
Exploration
What is there not to love about seeing some of the world’s greatest sites, during my years I have seen Christ the Redeemer in Rio, penguins in Antarctica, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and watched the sunset over the plans of Africa to name just a few. Who wouldn’t want to witness these incredible and iconic images that the world has to offer us!
Character Building
At times travel can put you into a situation where you are scared and forced to make a choice, it can test you in terms of how much you trust people and it can force you to feel a wide range of emotions. After experiencing such emotions, your character becomes far stronger as a result and you can take this stronger character back to your normal life when you return. There is no age at which your character or your personality stops to change or be altered and whether you travel at 18 or 58, you can enjoy this amazing benefit of world travel.
So no matter how old your are, or what walk of life you are from, why not pack up your bags and go out to see the world.
