When I think about traveling the first thing that comes to my mind are the family vacations in Europe my family does every year as long as I can remember. I associate summer with going to Italy or France, Winter with skiing in Austria or Switzerland and Fall with staying at the German coast. But what does traveling really mean to me? What does traveling mean to all of us? Nowadays I think traveling is often seen as something „Insta worthy“, it didn’t happen if it isn’t uploaded on Instagram. And of course I do this too. I do post my travel pictures for my friends to see and I love to look at their’s but I still feel like sometimes we should take a step back and think about why we are actually traveling and what benefits it brings to ourselves. We are not traveling for anyone else right? Traveling actually affects our mental health in a very positive way as explained in this article (insert link here). By breaking out of our routine our brains get to rest but not too much. They are still challenged by all the new impressions, food, music etc. we see everyday when we are in a different country or even just in a different city. Our brains get challenged in a good way and at the same time we are getting some rest. While traveling we can learn a lot about different cultures. My family went to Italy during summer when I was about eight years old and I remember having to go into literally every museum, church or monument. At that young age my parents often had to win me and my sister over with some ice cream to get us into the next attraction or on the next walk through the old cities. But I also remember that we started talking about the artists and the buildings I saw that year a couple years later in school. And I remembered a lot more about it than I expected. The older I got the more interested in other cultures I got and I was looking forward more and more to our family vacations and not only because of the ice cream, but because of all the different impressions I got and all the new things I tried and saw. It was pure excitement and it still is. Whenever we travel to a new place we get to experience so many new things. And not just that, we can also get to know new people, maybe even find new friends. And that’s, in my view, the best part about traveling. Traveling must not always be expensive. I feel like when you’re traveling on a budget, your experiences can sometimes even be better. My cousin made an Interrail Trip through Europe this summer, he stayed in cheap hostels, spend a lot of time in trains and even had a rat in his room in Paris, but when he came back at the end of summer, he told everyone that it had been the best trip of his life. He travelled with two of his friends, but they got to know many new people, they are still in touch with. I had a similar experience a few months ago. I travelled to the German coast and stayed in a really tiny village with five of my friends and even though the time we spend in multiple trains and busses nearly felt as long as the time we actually stayed at the little house and there was literally nothing going on in the village the whole weekend, it was one of the best vacations of my life. I had so much fun with my friends, we talked to the local people, walked along the beach and just had a great time breaking out of our routines. The relaxed and happy feeling most people develop while traveling can last up to five weeks after returning from your holidays. So I can only encourage everyone to go and see the world. Or even just your own country. Sometimes it only takes a two hour car ride to spend and amazing time with your friends or to make new friends. There is so much to see in the world, so much to experience and I don’t want to miss out on any of this. I am really thankful for everything I have already seen in the world and I am exited to see so much more.
Lina K For more on this subject: https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/how-travel-affects-mental-health
15 Comments
Clare
11/4/2022 01:51:04 pm
I have had so many conversations with my step-mom about this. Travelling is a gift, and those who get to experience are so fortunate. Like you said; you experience new cultures, food, music, people - it is life changing. You grow as a person understanding how different people live their life, it is an extraordinary thing! I love this post.
Reply
Luis
11/4/2022 01:52:01 pm
I liked a lot the topic of the blog and the way you have written it, especially the part that made reference to the urge that people seem to have about posting trips on instagram.
Reply
Gurleen
11/4/2022 01:53:24 pm
As a person who loves travelling and has travelled quite a bit, I certainly do relate to this. It was a really good blog!
Reply
paige
11/4/2022 01:55:24 pm
I really agree with this. I love to travel, and although I haven't been to many places I cherish the memories I made there. Thank you for sharing this blog!
Reply
Amelia Holifield
11/4/2022 01:55:30 pm
I really enjoyed your blog Lina. It was so easy to read and understand. I think you put a lot of good information in it and explained why you should travel really well. Good job.
Reply
Marin
11/4/2022 01:55:38 pm
This was a very well written article! It was enjoyable to read and made me wish i was on vacation! you brought up a lot of good points and it was really cool to learn about Thank you!
Reply
Melina Mohagheghi
11/4/2022 01:55:48 pm
I also believe travelling shapes a big part of our personalities. My family and I usually travel 2-3 times per year, and in all the trips I took I have learned something new.
Reply
Konstantin
11/4/2022 01:56:19 pm
Dear Lina, I fully agree with you. Vacation time is always special and I guess I always found new friends on vacations. Especially Europe is perfect to travel. Like you said we have the Also with Mountains and 2 hours away is the Côte d’Azur in France. Canada is like a big vacation for me now, so I guess it will be interesting to see what vacation look like for my host family.
Reply
aleyna
11/4/2022 01:59:16 pm
this is such an interesting topic that i completely agree with. i think that if you can afford it than you should do some form of travelling when ever you can.
Reply
Anooj
11/4/2022 01:59:28 pm
I thoroughly enjoyed the insightful paragraphs of this blog, and especially appreciated seeing someone else’s perspective on travelling. For me and the people I know, it’s mainly food. I know that I would go to Copenhagen just to try Noma, or go to New York to try Eleven Madison Park. When I was younger and travelled around Europe, I didn’t know much… but now that I’m older, I plan to try some crazy new experiences. I know my family is already looking forward to a trip to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Singapore next year.. as am I.
Reply
Paula
11/4/2022 02:01:34 pm
I really enjoyed reading this blog and hearing of those experiences. It makes me even more wanting to travel the whole world. And it kinda reminds me of the time I have now, here in Canada.
Reply
Eunseo
11/4/2022 02:03:18 pm
I really love your blog! I agree because I think there are so many things in this world that we need to see and experience everything.
Reply
Aimée
11/4/2022 02:04:24 pm
Dear Lina, so a nice blog. I really liked that you emphasize the benefits of traveling and also mentioned the many opportunities which come with it.
Reply
Quinn
11/4/2022 02:05:21 pm
I really liked your topic! I love traveling and learning about new places and cultures. You’re so right about when you're younger and don’t always appreciate it, but as you get older you realize how interesting different cultures are. You're blog was really well written, good job!
Reply
olivia
11/4/2022 02:13:00 pm
I loved this topic.i agree with we travel for ourselves not instagram.i love to travel with friends and family, even the smallest trips are the best with the right people!
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
|