Why Do You Travel? 16 Reasons to Get Out There and Explore Our Amazing World

I travel for a lot of reasons.

I travel to experience new things. To try new foods. To see new places. To become a better person. To get outside of my comfort zone. To overcome fears. To meet new people. To practice the languages that I speak. To learn.

I travel because experiences are more important to me than things and that’s where I want to invest my time and energy.

As a child, my parents took my brother and I on a lot of family trips. And while I didn’t appreciate them then – they were a disruption to what I was used to – I appreciate them immensely now. I may not remember the trips in their entirety, but I remember bits and pieces of them and it’s easy to see how those moments, those memories have shaped who I am today.

I know my reasons for travel, but I wanted to know yours. I asked and you answered. Here are just a few of the reasons you shared.

16 Reasons to Travel, Get Out There and Explore Our Amazing World

To Meet New People

Via Nate C. “I  travel to befriend and experience people. Period. I’m not a foodie. I’m not a backpacker that spends a few days in a string of dots on a map. I get burned out by sightseeing quickly though I’m a big history buff.”

— Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 10 novembre 2017

“I  travel to befriend and experience people. Period. I’m not a foodie. I’m not a backpacker that spends a few days in a string of dots on a map. I get burned out by sightseeing quickly though I’m a big history buff.

My ideal travel experience is to pick one city and plant myself there for at least 3 months (average duration of a tourist visa). 3 months has proven to be enough to build a social circle, get acclimated to the slice of life of a place, and open myself to experiences. So languages are such an integral part of why I travel. But what’s cool is how I can have the travel experience I just described in my own city.”

– Nate. C

To Experience a New Culture

To be part of the world, learn through experience, observe people and cultures, peace

— Jayne Ⓥ 卫静恩 (@_pettals_) 2 novembre 2017

Via Dayla B. “Experience other cultures. Listen to other cultures viewpoints.”

— Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 6 novembre 2017

RT @BickleyRivera I am always very intrigued by getting to know other cultures as it relates to love, peace, food, and all things good!

— Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 6 novembre 2017

RT @NeetoCheeto Love new experiences and learning about another culture first hand.

— Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 6 novembre 2017

To Connect with History

RT @GiniB I like to experience the adventure and history of new places.

— Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 6 novembre 2017

“Travelling, like reading, is a way for me to feel as if I had a time machine. Yes, I do love to discover other cultures and meet people from everywhere, but I also have an active imagination that can transport me for a few seconds, minutes or even longer to another period of time. I was amongst the court of the King Henri IV when I visited the Louvres, a worker on the Great Wall of China, a philosopher listening to Socrates talk in the Ancient Agora, a witch during the trials in Salem, Ma (USA), etc.”

– Hélène L.

To Have a New Culinary Experience

Via Ian K. – “I travel for food. It’s basically the only reason I go places.”

— Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 6 novembre 2017

Via Lauren G. “I travel for one word: food. But also because we live in a small world. Traveling makes it smaller.”

— Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 10 novembre 2017

To Escape

RT @RandyGunter; To break the routine (often referred to as recharging the batteries.)

— Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 6novembre 2017

RT @laura_limon1; When I was able to travel, my main motivation was music (concerts or festivals) and then I loved visiting local spots.

— Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 6novembre 2017

To Learn

RT @gentryalex13 Languages are the reason, particularly the less common languages. Along with food, adventure, history, people, experiences.

— Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 6 novembre 2017

RT @jhugsint  I travel so that I can show my children that the entire world is their playground.

— Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 7 novembre 2017

Via Lance A. “[I travel out of] curiosity.”

— Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 10novembre 2017

To Do

“I go to places where I have friends and/or something to do. Philippines for a course. Greece for medical check-ups and to catch planes. Turkey I first went to for a holiday but also to help me pray more informedly for Turkey. Then I went to find Kurdish speakers who would talk Kurdish with me for the Add1Challenge. Now I go to meet friends and practise Kurdish, and a little Arabic and Turkish. Germany originally for a work camp. Now to keep in touch with friends. Also this year for a Sorani course – Eastern Europe.  I try to learn a little of the language of the country before I go there. It accumulates as I make repeat visits. Unfortunately never managed more than a few phrases. Of Tagalog, and didn’t attempt the other languages of the Philippines. Once there, I enjoy meeting the people, learning more about the culture, enjoying the food.”

– Nicky

Via Nicky “I go to places where I have friends and/or something to do.”

— Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 8 novembre 2017

“For a lot of years I did not travel. My world was pretty much in a 20-30 mile radius of my home. Every time I travel my “world” gets smaller. There is so much to do, so many places to go and people to meet. I could stay within my 20 mile bubble but where’s the fun in that.” 

– Gary M.

RT @langlearnlib; Every time I travel my “world” gets smaller. There is so much to do, so many places to go and people to meet. I could stay within my 20 mile bubble but where’s the fun in that?

— Eurolinguiste (@eurolinguistesk) 8 novembre 2017

Thank you to all of those who shared the experiences with me to create this post!

Now I’ll turn it over to you.

Why do YOU travel?

What gets you moving and exploring new places?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.