Why I love travelling!

This is quite an impulsive post, it’s probably going to get very personal but it might give you a little insight into why I started this blog which has had over 1500 views thanks to all of your endless support. (I’m still amazed!) Also I know the featured picture is the typical ‘Gap Yaaah’ picture but I have barely any pictures of myself travelling that aren’t me pulling weird faces! Sorry!!

Its obvious I love travelling, if you ever have a conversation with me, I will talk about amazing places I’ve been… Not because I want to show off but just because I want to let more people discover them. I love France and Spain, but I hate the way people don’t expand their horizons away from the classic package holidays or never leave their hotels when there. If that’s how you like to relax then go for it but why eat British food when you’re in the middle of Spain, home to paella and tapas. However this isn’t going to be a rant – everyone is entitled to their own reasons to travel and I find it relaxes me to just continuously explore.

The main reason I love to travel is that travelling to different countries around the world takes me out of my comfort zone but as a person that is where I feel most comfortable. To be exploring new shops, cafes, cities are the things that just make me tick. I use travelling as a way of helping my depression and other mental health issues as it gives me a sense of freedom that just helps. (there is no magic cure to chemical imbalances in your brain) With some of the unlucky people who have anxiety and depression, I have been told that the anxiety of travel is their worst idea but for me to overcome my depression I like to experience somewhere new.

Even when I just want an adventure with no spare time or money to jet off. I will pretend to be a tourist in my own city and go round the museums and city centres. I don’t dress up as a tourist and walk around with a map but I will look up why there is a certain statue and who those people were. To me it feels like so many people are absorbed in their own cycle of work, days off, family life and being constantly busy – that when they do have time off, its spent just sleeping or resting at home. I urge you all on your next day off to walk around and admire the architecture in your high street, just look above the shops and you’ll be surprised or walk around the countryside.

 

I think another lovely idea is to go on a short train trip to some village or town near to yours and just explore. (I live in Cardiff and love going to Barry Island – not just for Gavin and Stacey)

Another reason why I love travelling is how it makes you appreciate what is around you. In a world of technology and peoples crazy lives – just slow down and enjoy everything around you. It sounds like I’m writing a mindfulness guide but I promise you should admire the places around you. Going to so many places has made me appreciate how beautiful my home is but that will never stop my love for travelling. Also not having signal in most European countries or Wi-Fi, it means I can just enjoy what’s going on around me.  It’s nice to sit in a café and watch the world go by rather than be updated on news headlines or ‘celebrity’ fashion disasters.

I love travel because it makes me appreciate places and love even the roughest of places. I also love how it pushes me out of that bubble of familiarity and lets me feel free. Go for an adventure even to a field near your house and you will feel 100x better!

I also love travel because it opens your mind to new ideas, cultures and people. Have you ever heard this quote

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page”. It used to be on the wall in my geography class at college and has stuck with me for the couple of years since. Travel just makes you see the difference between your culture and others but in an appreciative way (at least for me personally)

I hope this answers some questions about why I love travel so much and gives you some insight into how my crazy brain works. Safe travels!