You learn so much about other countries and cultures when you travel.
Travel helps you figure out who you are.
You make new friends when you travel.
And couples who travel have stronger romantic relationships.
How can you not fall in love even more with your partner when staying at one of the most romantic hotels in Venice or in a dreamy overwater bungalow in Bora Bora?
This reason alone should be enough to inspire you to travel.
But, wait, there are even more good reasons to travel!
Reasons to travel
Several years ago at a local joint SATW and TMAC travel writers’ meeting, Katherine O’Shea-Evans, a journalist and former Associate Editor at Travel + Leisure spoke on travel trends and the business of travel writing.
Her comments on the guilty pleasure of travel resonated with us.
Sometimes it’s hard for us not to feel a little guilty pursuing our dual passions – travel (especially luxury travel) and travel writing/photography.
Perhaps you too feel a little guilty sipping mai tais on Maui, when so many people in the world have so much less than us?
Shouldn’t we be doing more to help “save the world” instead?
But there are many benefits of traveling.
Travel in and of itself is good. It’s good for you – so long as you don’t stress too much and actually enjoy your holiday – and it’s good for the world, especially if you travel responsibly.
So ditch the guilt, and check out these 5 really good reasons to travel!
1) Travel creates and supports jobs
About 1 in 10 jobs around the world are supported by travel and tourism – almost 320 million jobs in 2023, in fact.
Now, don’t you feel good slurping spaghetti in a Tuscany trattoria, knowing you’re supporting your server’s job?
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2) Travel bridges cultures
Travel opens your eyes to new cultures and helps you understand the world better.
It fosters tolerance and empathy. It also helps people in other countries understand where you come from.
You’re a good ambassador for your own country just by being a “nice” person when you travel (i.e., you’re patient with restaurant servers, you tip the chambermaid and you’re polite to touts and shopkeepers).
3) Travel supports the world economy
Travel and tourism represent more than 10% of the world’s GDP (gross domestic product).
The contribution to global GDP is more than double that of the automotive industry.
And wouldn’t you rather swim with whale sharks in Mexico, explore Mallorca or spot Komodo dragons in Indonesia than buy a new car?
4) Health benefits of traveling
There are other benefits of travel too.
You catch up on your sleep (no alarm clock going off) and sleep quality improves when you go on holiday.
Studies also show that active vacations (like golf and hiking trips) help reduce job stress. And getting some sun in winter (hello Mexico!) helps combat SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) if you live in sun-deprived northern climes.
After sailing the Caribbean or visiting magical European castles, you’re likely to return home refreshed and better able to tackle whatever the world throws at you.
5) Why travel? It’s fun!
Do you need another reason why travel is important?
Travel brings joy into your life and re-connects you with your family. Aren’t some of your happiest moments those of building sand castles on a holiday beach with your children, or exploring a new city, hand-in-hand with your significant other?
That happiness is contagious…
In the words of Pico Iyer
“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves.
We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate.
We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed.
And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again — to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.”
~ Pico Iyer, “Why We Travel”
Our top travel tips and resources
Hotels: Booking.com is great for scoring a “wow” hotel – or at least a decent one – at lower rates than the hotel’s own website. We especially like Booking’s flexible cancellation policy!
Vacation homes, condos and rentals: We prefer and use Vrbo (Vacation Rentals by Owner).
Flights: To book the cheapest flights, search on Google Flights or Expedia. (Just be aware Expedia tickets may be non-refundable.)
Airport lounge access: We love (and have) Priority Pass for comfy lounge seats, free snacks and drinks, complimentary WiFi and sometimes even showers and spa services!
Tours: For the best local food, walking and other guided tours, plus skip-the-line tickets to attractions, check out Viator (a TripAdvisor company) and GetYourGuide.
Car rental: Renting a car is often one of the best ways to explore off the beaten path. Discover Cars searches car rental companies so you get the best rates.
eSIMS: Stay connected affordably with Airalo eSIMS covering 200+ countries and trusted by 10 million+ users, including us! (No more huge roaming bills!)
Travel insurance: SafetyWing is designed for frequent travelers, long-term adventurers and digital nomads. It covers medical expenses, lost checked luggage, trip interruption and more. We also have and recommend Medjet for global air medical transportation.
Travel gear: See our travel shop to find the best luggage, accessories and other travel gear. (We suggest these comfy travel sandals for city walking, the beach and kicking about.)
Need more help planning your trip? Check out our travel tips and resources guide for airline booking tips, ways to save money, how to find great hotels and other crazy useful trip planning info.
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Photo credits: 3, 6, 7, 10 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase
About the authors
Luxury travel journalists and SATW, NATJA and TMAC “Best Travel Blog” award winners, Janice and George Mucalov are the publishers of Sand In My Suitcase. Between them, they’ve traveled to all 7 continents. See About.
Find destination guides, global food-and-wine stories, luxury hotel reviews, articles on cultural explorations and soft adventure trips, cruise reviews, insanely useful travel tips and more!
Susann
Saturday 9th of January 2016
Thank you for the inspiration, these are really 5 good reasons for travelling. Regarding number 4, I think I read somewhere that even the planning of a trip could make you healthier. :)
Janice and George
Saturday 9th of January 2016
Well, we certainly spend lots of happy time planning our trips - and it feels good doing so! So, yes, we'd agree with you on that!
Irene S. Levine
Tuesday 3rd of December 2013
Absolutely loved this inspiring post---both the pictures and the text!
Janice and George
Tuesday 3rd of December 2013
Why thank you!