To travel is to go somewhere where you have never been before, or someplace you have been but seeing it with new eyes; it could be as close as your own backyard, your hometown, or a neighboring town, or as far as having to; cross over oceans & seas, fly for several days or long hours to be there.

SO WHY DO WE TRAVEL?

• To get out of our comfort zone, escape, and unplug from whatever the heck we are familiar with
• To get over a tragedy; be it the loss of a loved one, a heartbreaking relationship, or a divorce, well travel is the ultimate healer to them all
• To rethink our life & look at it from a different perspective; it’s not easy to sit down and reflect on our lives, but while on vacation we can just chillax, and have all the time to do so
• To gain momentum & have our balance restored; we are humans who cannot survive without breaking the routine every once in a while, and travel does much more than that
• To fall in love again; it doesn’t have to be with a significant other, it could be with our; life, job, hometown, neighborhood, friends, well it could anything
• To explore new sights, enjoy them, and see the places that other people are talking about; well it’s always better to see than to hear
• To discover our true self; when traveling we are sometimes put under so much pressure, and in so many situations where we have to figure a solution, and that helps us know who we truly are
• To learn & grow; I truly believe that travel is the best school where one can learn, and grow

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO TRAVEL

• They constantly save for their “unscheduled, unknown, unplanned” next trip
• They embrace the spontaneity that the journey brings, and constantly push themselves beyond their limits
• They price everything in flight tickets, ex: they think to themselves that a flight ticket to Beirut is about the same price as a night gown, and so they’d go for the flight ticket, and forget about the dress
• They’d do anything to save for future travels, and if out of money yet while wanting to travel they’d do whatever it takes to fund their trip
• They get too excited about writing their “out-of-office” auto-reply
• While on holiday they cannot control their thoughts from planning their next
• After every holiday they dread for another to recover from post vacation blues
• Whether broke, or out of vacation time their trip planning mode is always on
• When they share photos on social media, it’s not that they want to brag about it, or make others jealous, but because they are keen to share the awesomeness they are experiencing, to push the other do the same
• They have a never ending travel list that keeps growing no matter how hard they are committed to executing it, and this list excites them in a way, and depresses them in another as they are impatient to fulfill it, yet not knowing how or when
• They are always in a dilemma of; traveling somewhere where they have never been before, or same old places but with new eyes, and a different itinerary
• They get homesick, yet they never want to go back
• Their favorite thing to do is sharing their travel experience, and trip-advising others
• Put the word “travel” in a sentence, and they’re instantly excited
• The smell of new places gives them butterflies
• They are curious to learn, appreciating the greatness of whatever they see, and open to the world
• Whether it turned out in their favor or not; they genuinely like to savor new foods, to go local, & to try out-of-the-box things
• Their smart phone is filled with travel, and money saving apps
• They just read too many travel tips and planning hacks, are knowledgeable of destinations they haven’t been to, and always have a long list of references, apps, and websites to use

IS TRAVEL ADDICTIVE?

I guess that Michael Palin’s quote says it all;

Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life. 

IS IT HEALTHY TO SURRENDER TO SUCH AN ADDICTION?

Travel is probably the healthiest addiction one can ever have, science has revealed that buying experiences meaning “travel” is way more fulfilling, and rewarding compared to buying material things.

Remember how thrilled you were when you traveled to Paris, how you have enjoyed every single moment of it, and how the very thought of it, memories, or photos always manage to put a big smile upon your face, now compare it to your excitement when you bought the long saved for high-end purse which maybe made you happy for a couple of months, maybe a year, and that’s the extent of it!

So the next time you save money think twice before spending it, go for something that has a long-lasting effect, rather than a short term one. Travel, Travel, & TRAVEL..

Travel as much as you can. As far as you can. As long as you can. Life’s not meant to be lived in one place. – Unknown 

Now is your turn to tell us are you addicted to travel? do you have more reasons to travel, and when was the last time you traveled? Let us know in the comments below..

Ready for your next vacation? Start right here!

About the Author

Passainte Assem

A former lawyer, travel junkie, and adventurer from head to toe. Whether broke or out of vacation time, always on the lookout for the next destination. Keen to share her travel stories, planning tips and photographs to give you a real sense of place.