Nowadays, the world is so connected that we can visit any country within a day. And the pandemic has made us miss travel and appreciate our interconnectedness even further. This article offers a different perspective on why we like traveling in the first place.
A wind of change
When you visit new places, you see and experience a completely fresh world. You do not know anything about this new environment. You do not know how to get from one place to another; you do not even know where the best cafe bar is or what is the best park to visit.
Because you have no idea of your surroundings, you are super alert. You notice anything around you. In other words, you become more conscious. All those changes make you more aware and hence more joyful and loving.
That is one fundamental reason why we love traveling. We enjoy the changes in our environment and daily life as a whole. Because of those changes, we are more alert and aware. That means we can easier control our thoughts and feelings. After all, the more conscious we are, the more power we have over our interiority.
Inducing change in your life
Travel does not necessarily make you happy. That is entirely in your hands, whether you travel or not. The point is that travel creates a situation that helps you take charge of your inner world. But, is it necessary to travel or can we create similar conditions even if we are stuck in our home town?
Travel brings change. But you don’t need to travel to change something in your life. You are the one who decides what activities you will do during the day. Of course, there are things, like work, you cannot easily twist daily.
However, you are free to make changes in your personal life. You can try new things every day. For example, one day, you decide to spend your free time drawing. The next week you solve a 10,000-piece puzzle or read a mystery book.
Ideally, you would also change your work routine as often as possible. However, this may not be possible or even desirable. In any case, you are the master of your free time. You can start from there and see if trying new things can make you more conscious.
Seeking comfort
Changes boost your awareness. If you have the same daily routine, you risk becoming lethargic and compulsive. But when you try new things, you become more conscious. That is something you notice but does not necessarily mean you also understand.
We have seen that we like traveling because it brings changes and more awareness to our lives. However, it seems that we unconsciously try to create a routine in our lives. We want a day job, a particular time we go to the gym, a coffee after lunch.
There are different ways to explain why we do that. One possible explanation could be that our minds always seek comfort. If your mind does not know something, it will try to make a judgment and get familiar with it. It is a matter of security and survival.
So there is this natural tendency to create a routine in our lives. Even though this can make us feel secure, it may take away more than it can give. Like everything in life, balance is key. You can experiment and see what would be an ideal combination of habits and experimentation for you.
Takeaway: why we love travel
- When you travel, you become more alert because of the changes in your environment. That means you can easier control your mood.
- You are the master of your free time. You can start from there and see if trying new things can make you more conscious.
- Even though changes help us be more aware, we tend to create and seek a routine in our lives. Finding the balance between these two sounds like a reasonable first step
