Why I Travel & Why You Should Too

Travelling has so many positive aspects to it, so I've outlined the main reasons that motivate me to travel the world

I never knew I was obsessed with travel and travelling until I first went to Singapore and Malaysia back in 2012. Now I’m absolutely addicted and there is no cure for it. You just need to indulge yourself, and I’m happy with that. There are a number of reasons that influence my decision to travel. Money and time might always be on my side but the reasons below are so much stronger than convenience. It’s easy to say oh I can only afford this or I only get weekends off work. But travelling can be so much more than going abroad. Why not visit a part of your country or city that you’ve never visited before? Here’s why I travel and some reasons why you should too.

Travel Pushes You Out of Your Comfort Zone

One of the great things that I love about travelling is that it forces you to get out your comfort zone. The majority of us have a daily or weekly routine. We work, shop, eat, sleep, repeat (some of us blog, too!). But once in a while it’s great to throw a spanner in the works. Personally, new environments and situations get me excited. I love to get outdoors, challenge myself, experience new experiences, understand new cultures and basically improve my worldly perspective.

One of the biggest trips I’ve taken was to South East Asia. Going to the other side of the world gave me the opportunity to live like I had never done before. I ate pad thai, I spent thai baht, I rode a tuk tuk, I wore traditional thai clothing, I met new and interesting people (locals and fellow foreigners) and visited some of the most beautiful temples I had ever seen before. I was even abandoned in a Cambodian Crocodile Farm once. All things I couldn’t have done in Scotland.

Learn About History First Hand

Travelling also let me do some of the craziest activities, including visiting sights that enlightened me about either the history of the country of society itself. I’ve been lucky enough to visit places like the Chu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam, the Killing Fields in Cambodia and Auschwitz in Poland. Before, I had only ever read about these places and the events that took place. But going allowed me to experience their history first hand; and nothing can compare to the real thing. At Auschwitz, our guide was a woman whose grandfather had lived and died in the very concentration camp which we were being guided. The personal accounts and the emotion in our guide’s storytelling just made it all the more harrowing.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Discovering new countries and ways of life

It might seem really obvious, or maybe you haven’t really thought about it. But travelling abroad lets you experience new cultures and new ways of life. You might be so set in your ways that you don’t realise people on the other side of the planet don’t live their lives the same way as you. Like, have you ever thought about how a normal day for an average worker goes in Thailand, I bet it’s not the usual 9 to 5. And in Singapore, did you know it’s illegal to chew chewing gum. Think yourself grateful next time you’re munching on your Hubba Bubba.

You get to try different food that you probably didn’t know existed

I’m a really fussy eater, I’m a Plain Jane as my mum would say. But there’s still something fun about trying new foreign and exotic food where you’re travelling or on holiday. Or even tasting authentic food can be an experience. Like having pizza and pasta in Italy is so much better than what you get in the UK (although there are some pretty decent Italian restaurants!). But be careful, once you find something that you love, you will be forever trying to replicate it at home to no avail. The joys of travelling!

Oscypek cheese krakow

I love airports and airplanes

There’s just something amazing about being in airports that gets me so excited. I don’t think I can quite put my finger on it yet. Maybe it’s because the airport and airplanes are synonymous with travelling, with moving, with adventure and of course escaping from your daily routine. (It’s certainly not the overly priced food and drink, or the long security queues!).

When you step back for a second and actually take a look at a plane for what it really is, a flying machine that carries hundreds of people 39,000 feet above the ground! How amazing is that?

Travelling has so many positive aspects to it, so I've outlined the main reasons that motivate me to travel the world

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