Wikipedia says that travel is the movement of people between relatively distant geographical locations for any purpose and any duration, with or without any means of transport.Travel is most commonly done for recreation or to visit friends and family.
The word "travel" originates from the Middle English word "travailen" (to toil), which comes from the Old French word "travailler" (travail).
But WHY do we travel?
Well, without getting too philosophical about it, people travel to get away from themselves, to redefine themselves and to escape from daily routine.
Scientists discovered that even a slight modification from everyday routine like taking a different route to work can help to better cope with stress and even stave off Alzheimer's disease by reprogramming very complicated brain connections known as pathways. Traveling to faraway destinations is an even better way to get rid of stress and depression.
We run in a daily rat race knocking off barriers and jumping over obstacles.
Week after week nothing seems to change.
We wake up, go through the daily routine and by the end of the day collapse exhausted in bed to wake up and receive another dose of the same the following morning.
Is there more to life? Is there a more fulfilling way to live? What IS happiness after all?
If you, like millions of others, wake up with these type of questions going through your head, you do need a getaway. Travel provides you with a safety valve before things deteriorate to the point of eruption. If you need to change something in your life, travel will help you with this. Most like you will discover beautiful places where people are friendly, where a soft whisper of ocean waves will lull you to sleep and a breeze will tenderly caress your suntanned skin. There will be no boss, no deadlines or pesky customers to deal with.
Travel will revamp your brain and will shine a different light on things you used to take for granted. All of a sudden you will discover that the earth is full of people who, like you, go struggling through the day, lose their loved ones and depress about problems that are not worth a sweat.
"Do I still care about these things I was so overly concerned about just two weeks ago?" you will ask yourself.
Will distance make the heart grow fonder?
If so, you will know that a person walking and sleeping next to you is all have in this life. If not, well.... Don't file for divorce just yet. However, there was research done on the subject that confirms the idea. People do make decisions on importance of their relationships after coming back home. Who is this person meeting me at the airport?
Is he or she the one I yearn to see first upon my return? The answers to these questions can determine the future of a relationship.
If you feel your life is missing something, if you are bored and tired and nothing helps - book a trip instead of taking antidepressants. Seeing and taking pictures of the places you had only the knowledge of from National Geographic, savoring new cuisines, communicating with people in their native languages, absorbing unknown cultures are a few more reasons to a life enriching experience called travel...
So THIS is what I am about to embark on....travel...
