Traveling makes us happy and has benefits for everyone for several reasons, especially because of increasing our welfare.

There are endless benefits obtained on a personal level when we decide to leave our warm comfort zone and embark on a project that requires us to place ourselves in the world just as we are.

There’s a change happening when we break our routine and choose to buy experiences, not things. This memories and experiences will stay long term helping us grow happiness and personal confidence.

Because there is nothing you can buy in the shopping that compares to the joy you feel when you are planning a trip (well, maybe there’s something….a plane ticket!), or the happiness you felt the day when visiting the Taj Mahal for the first time or when climbing that mountain in Peru.

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of traveling is that even bad experiences end up being positive and entertaining travel stories afterward, they  reveal the power that experiences have on bringing joy to our lives.

Traveling makes us happy because it offers a unique opportunity: despite the fear to situate ourselves out of what we are used to, we choose the unknown, we choose to give us the opportunity to live intensely while being 100% ourselves and to experience the same reality along with the rest of the world, this will make you smile even years after.

Getting involved on a long-term journey is an act of trust that will certainly lead some changes.

Whether you like it or not, who will leave for that adventure will be different to the one going back from it.
You will live new experiences daily, you will be exposed to different cultures, sharing with different and unknown people and having new experiences that will lead to a new point of view, different than it was before leaving for the journey.

Off course, not every trip will lead to profound changes in everybody, the kind of trip I’m talking about is a journey to ourselves, and I love to do this while I go to a new place to discover. Because it’s there, outside the known and familiar environment where it may come easier to connect with your innerself, it’s easier to hide your truth when you already have a shared story and people already know being a certain way. It is much easier to be yourself and be free of the idea that others have of you when you’re in the middle of a city where nobody knows you, and this freedom turns into happiness.

 

Have you lived that great moment when you look around and you don’t understand a word about who speaks and walks beside you?

It is at that moment when you are forced to relieve yourself from all social and emotional tools you’ve collected so far and apply them. You are then forced to apply everything you have read and believed and put that into practice. You will learn a lot if you want to, and above all, you will notice that you can do much more than you previously thought you could and that, eventually, will add points to your daily happiness level, because you’ve gained something you can now share with others: confidence.

You’ll never forget what you will learn if you connect with yourself and the world. Here is my selection of what has been most important to me as learning in these 15 years of traveling the world:

1. TO FLOW

When we start a journey without a limited time or route, inevitably we will be exposed to unexpected situations we can’t control. it is then when the smartest and healthy approach would learn to let go, to not fight the current.

This can be applied to several aspects, from accepting the culture of the place you visit or the weather being different that you expected.

Flowing with your life eliminates the feeling that events we do not like are threats. By learning to flow and not struggle against life, you’ll learn to live with your emotions and fears, to accept them and to interpret life differently. You embrace that everything that happens in your life will give you the tools to learn from the diverse situations and live each day welcoming them.

2. CONNECT

The most beautiful moments I’ve lived on the road have been when a connection with others happens. People who have selflessly offered me his help or support will be forever in my memories.

Solo traveling to an unknown destination has also been a powerful way to connect with nature and myself.

3. SELF-AWARENESS

We are in the world to learn to love and know ourselves and when you are in a place where nobody knows you, you have nothing to pretend, you have nothing to hide. There is no one to tell you “you don’t dress like that” or “you don’t like to do that” or whatever ‘but’ keeping you far from being authentic. Living in a place where you are a complete stranger is an opportunity to live honestly, perhaps as you’ve never done before.

I see loneliness as an opportunity, meaning you can see yourself and your emotions, without the intervention of others.

4. FLEXIBILITY

During a trip unexpected things happen, situations that require your adaptation, being open to new circumstances and to take advance of opportunities.

5. TROUBLE SOLVING

Anyone who has traveled and has never had any problem raises your hands and let me hug you and give you a prize! Until today, I have not met a traveler who has never found a bit of trouble on the road, as we can find at home.

Like the hotel looking beautiful in pictures was full of cockroaches when arrived, or the bus he was broken in the middle of the trip and plans for that day had to change drastically, or you ate something that did not sit so well with your body and had to spend several days in bed … and we could continue with this forever … there will be many circumstances happening outside from what you planned and you WILL HAVE TO SOLVE FAST AND BY YOURSELF.

6. CONFIDENCE

Every time I go to a new destination I am filled with few doubts and fears. Yes, even those who have traveled many destinations have once in a while this kind of thoughts.

Many will tell you that you are not able to travel alone, that it’s dangerous, you’ll miss your family, or you can lose your money or job forever, but there are things you win while traveling and can’t achieve otherwise.

When you realize what you’ve been able to do despite the fear your awareness about you are able to do will grow.

Traveling adds confidence and courage because you can leave behind the fears constantly stopping you from getting out of the comfort zone.

7. VALUE OF RELATIONSHIPS

Being away from your home, your family and your friends you will see clearly the relationships that are really valuable in your life.

Something happens on being nomadic and is that it’s us who are technically the ones leaving behind our families and friends and many of them will go away while you’re having your life on the road. It’s then when you can appreciate the relationships that are really part of your life, those in which distance is not important true friends are able to stay in time despite the physical distance.

You will meet many people while traveling and is very easy to engage in conversations with people in random places such as a supermarket or a taxi and turn into best friends…. for a week. This will lead you to, at some point, to value the few meaningful and honest encounters and those relationships will be the ones you will keep and value more in your life.

8. DETACHMENT

Long-term traveling can teach you to be free, without anything limiting you since you’re constantly changing places and friends.

The easiness to connect and meet people during a trip makes it difficult to keep all these new friends, then one of the things this life journey has taught me is to enjoy the moment, to understand that this is the only day we have.
It’s easy to get lost thinking about what will happen when you can’t share with that person you know so well now, or that person doesn’t want to take that step to stay with you, think there are millions of wonderful people who might want to keep you in their lives as a valuable treasure and are happy to have you at their side.

9. LIVE THE PRESENT MOMENT

How often have you felt that life escapes you? How many days have not enough hours or you see yourself counting the minutes to go “reality” while you’re at the office?

Travel is an invitation to live life being present. Life is now and while traveling you’re constantly living a present moment

Being out the usual schedule keeps you alert and prepared to survive in an unfamiliar environment. You have to be connected and, above all, you have to be present.

Many times while living inside a routine you do too many things without thinking.

We tend to lose the sense of wonder and everything sounds and when everything looks too familiar we get lost thinking about what will happen within a few days when it will be finally the weekend or we get lost remembering what happened months or years ago.

It’s easy to get lost in thoughts and memories and not enjoy the present moment, which is really all we have. When traveling and not being immersed in the false safety of routine we are bombarded with new information and our mind is capable of being in the present moment….JUST LIVE.

10. EMPOWERMENT

Travel connects us with the world and with whom we really are, it can become a tool to finally take control of one’s life. You no longer have as many fears as before departure, or if you still them you’ll then face them better.

 

 

 

Travel make you happy too?