I Ignored the Importance of Meaningful Travel and Regret It
How to find meaning and purpose in traveling.
With the world at our fingertips, it has become increasingly easy to connect and disclose our lives with others. All of a sudden, we find ourselves sharing everything online. As a result, this need to participate on the internet has made the concept of traveling even more fascinating.
How often are we told to travel because it will change our lives?
Nowadays, travel content is so easily accessible. YouTube and Instagram have become the biggest platforms for travelers to share their experiences. Social media has successfully propagated the idea that traveling leads to significant life-changes.
However, some travelers show the result rather than the journey. This means that some of them choose to present the glamour and prestige of traveling, instead of the realities of it. They portray leisure and luxuries, meanwhile withholding the inconveniences. But the narrative is the same: You will be able to discover your life’s purpose and attain a sense of fulfillment when you travel.
Now that I have traveled long-term myself, I have realized that there is often a lot more that people choose not to talk about. And while their claims may be true, I believe there is not enough conversation on the struggle involved to get there.
I have started my traveling journey back in January of this year. Six months later, I do not feel as though I have a new and profound outlook on life. I would even argue that I am still the same person I was when I began this journey. Even though I have learned the value of investing in experiences, I feel like this realization is hollow at best for something so supposedly life-changing such as traveling.
To better understand my reflections, let me break it down into two thought processes.
The Intention: Escaping the mundane
“You can’t escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
— Abraham Lincoln
