7 reasons why travel is food for the soul

“Traveling – It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”

There is nothing better than the feeling I get when I’m sitting in an airplane, ready for takeoff and the wheels on the plane start spinning. It’s the certainty that a new adventure is on the way and I get to leave everything behind for a couple of days and just be…be me, be happy, relax and enjoy. I am of the firm belief that nothing heals the soul quite as well as traveling. It gives you new energy and makes you focus on the important things in life. I have realized over the past few years, that I cannot function properly without leaving the city for a couple of weeks. I get that itch to travel and I need to scratch it. As it is, I wasn’t able to travel for more than a year due to work, I was stuck at the office, and my mood plummeted as the months went by. I felt my mojo being drained from my body. The minute I got on the first plane, I had a huge smile on my face and I was happy again. On the surface, travel means visiting new places and taking in the scenery. In depth, traveling means so much more. In fact, the shopping addict in me has acknowledged that traveling gives you more and longer lasting satisfaction than going shopping. Buying material things satisfies your cravings momentarily. But traveling gives you memories to last you a lifetime, memories you can go back to when you have a low point. A bag will still be a bag in a couple of months and the rush will long be gone by then.

What I want to tell you is that traveling has many benefits, some of which I want to impart to you, to get you to rethink your investments and carve out time for vacations.

7 reasons to travel and feed your soul

1. Traveling brings you in contact with bits of history and new cultures. I myself love history. And when I get to walk the paths I have read about in my history books, I honestly feel honored to have that opportunity. Not only that, each museum, each church, each monument helps me settle an information in my head, it gives me an image to go with the memory. Walking through Rome, I was awestruck by the weight of the historic landmarks you see throughout the city. It makes you giddy, to walk the roads legions have walked thousands of years ago.
2. Traveling is the easiest way to learn a language. When you visit foreign places, you need to leave your comfort zone. Even if you travel in style, you still need to get used to new food, new languages and different cultures. That makes you more understanding of differences between people and strenghtens your cultural knowledge. I love flying to Spain, I get to exercise my Spanish with native speakers so each time I’m there, I learn something new. 
3. Traveling is good for your health. When going on vacation, you disconnect from your reality. Your stress level decreases as soon as you change scenery and your daily problems are forgotten. That helps you maintain a healthy spirit and intelect in a refreshed body. Also, even planning a vacation leads to a better grip on depression, so imagine what a trip does to somebody afflicted. I can tell you it does wonders for me. I know my trip to Florence two years ago helped me come out of the funk I was in and that’s when I realized I needed to make some changes for myself.
4. If you travel with your partner, it is the best way to get to know them. If you are starting out a relationship, spending all day every day with your significant other means getting to know their habits, seeing their behavior and the way they interact with people in a new setting. My grandma used to tell me: before you get yourself a man for good, see how he behaves when you travel together and when he’s drunk. So yeah, good advice there, advice I’ve been following. So far so good.
5. Traveling opens your eyes and shows you who you really are. While on a trip, you get out of your daily routine and see how big this world is, how small you actually are and how privileged some of us are to lead the lives we do. Your reactions to different situations will show you who you are and give you the opportunity to get in touch with your flaws and strengths as well. And this will help you capitalize on your pros when the time comes (job interviews or even relationships). I now know I rock at communication and intercultural relations. I have a talent for working with people and each time I’m out there, I solidify my belief.
6. Travel gives you the sense of accomplishment. If you are a dreamer and you dream big, travel feeds the competitor in you. Not everybody is lucky to have a job that changes up every week. Most of us have office jobs that tend to get repetitive as time goes by. Being able to pick a country and cross it off your list feeds the competition in you. It is very satisfying. So I have travelled through Europe until now. And I love to take out a map and see that I’ve seen most of it. That means now it’s time for new adventures outside of Europe. 
7. Why travel? Because you can! It has become easier and easier to travel over the last twenty years. Planes are so accessible at the moment, having a lovely trip does not mean spending all your money. In the era of Booking, Airbnb, Uber and all the low cost airlines, there is no excuse to postpone traveling. And if you have the opportunity and the money, do it. Even if you don’t, make the time. You won’t regret it.

I’m writing this article while getting ready for a long weekend in Athens. I was planning a fashion article today but I think this will help make you think about your plans for the next months. Before you buy another pair of shoes, a bag or a perfume, think about that money being enough to book an Airbnb appartment in a different country for 5-7 days. Because in 2 years from now, the perfume will be long gone and the shoes will be outdated. But the memory you have of standing in front of the Sagrada Familia, of visiting the Sistine Chapel, of maybe skydiving in Mexico or chilling on a beach in Puerto Rico will be just as vivid in your mind. 

So my darlings, safe travels and let me know which destination you picked out.