What I love about travelling
August 6, 2015
I love to travel without expectations and with an open mind. Exploring nature, meeting people, learning about different cultures. Questioning and discovering as much about the world and life as I can. Being open for what unfolds on my path. And I love to write books and blogs to share the things I learned and discovered on my travels. Here are 10 things I love about travelling:
1. Trip planning
Preparations are great! Picking your destination, do all the research, check out travel blogs, making a bucket list of must sees, searching for flights. Preperations for a new trip give me the feeling that everything is possible.
2. Widening my perspective
Not all knowledge can be gained from school, books or watching documentaries. The best way to learn is to experience it yourself. The more you travel, the more you get exposed to new situations and different cultures. This widens your perspective and helps you to understand new concepts and cultures.
3. Understanding a new culture
Every culture is unique and every culture has something to offer to you. Travelling in a group doesn’t give you the chance to really experience a culture. That’s why I love to travel alone: you don’t just ‘meet’ people, you get invited in their homes. You just don’t visit places, you get the opportunity to immerse yourself in a different culture and really learn about all the aspects, traditions and beliefs.
4. Meeting new people
Most of the time I travel alone, wich makes it easier to connect with new people. Nothing is better than getting around with the locals. It’s the best way to discover a countrys hidden gems.
5. Collecting experiences
A husky trail, looking into a Silverbacks eyes, swimming with two adult male Humpback whales. All once in a life time experciences. I love to collect happy moments like this. And the more you travel the more experiences you collect.
6. Immerse myself in history
As a historian I tell you; history isn’t boring. It’s an adventure. It’s travelling in time. Historical sites around the world work like a timemachine. They give you the feeling you stepped out in another life, another world, another existence. Visting a ‘skipsaetning’ in Denmark made me sail with the Vikings, seeing the Black Princes grave in Canterbury made me gallop beside Edward on one of his campagains and when I was in Avebury I didn’t see stones, I met storytellers.
7. Travelphotography
That’s what I think is one of the best things about travelling: capturing the beauty of nature or the spirit of a country. Looking at life through a lens makes you look closer. It changes your point of view. It enriches your perspective as you are looking for the bigger picture. But at the same time you also have an eye for details. And best thing is: whenever I see those photos again they put a smile upon my face.
8. Getting out of my comfort zone
As I said before, most of the time I travel alone. And especially on solotravels you’ll have to coop with situations and find solutions on your own. And yes, many times you’ll have to step out of your comfort zone. Maybe at the moment that’s difficult and awkward, but it will give you great life experiences or at least great travel stories to tell, like my dinner in Beijing.
9. Getting lost
While travelling I have the time and the mindset to get lost. I get lost in the sound of the waves or the whispers of the rainforest. I get lost in the beauty of the desert or I step back in history. And this makes me feel like an explorer.
10. Exploring nature
But what I love most -travelling and at home– but can not catch in words, is the feeling of nature at it’s best. Sucking in the beauty of nature and feeling a part of it. Being one with nature, feeling the connection. And fortunately you don’t have to travel for it: you can always explore nature in your own country.
Travelling enriches your life. It helps you grow. Every now and then you need to escape life routine and step out of your comfort zone. And you know what: after travelling you will appreciate your daily life more.
And? What do you love most about travelling?
