1. You can take a car, bus, train, plane or boat and be in a completely different environment.
Sometimes it really amazes me that I can board a plane or really any other mode of transportation and be in a completely different place when I get off. This is especially noticeable when I get off a plane. The landscape is different, the smells are different, sometimes the people are different. It’s such an exciting start to any journey…that first moment when you realize you aren’t “home” anymore. The possibilities are endless…it’s laid out before me. I’m going to explore!
2. You get a different perspective and meet new people by visiting new places.
I love meeting new people. I will go to a restaurant and sit at the bar just so I have the wonderful opportunity to meet and talk to new people. If you’re by yourself, which I usually am, sitting at a table isolates you and keeps you within yourself. Sitting at the bar opens you up to new conversations and new perspectives about life and culture. I like to be around people when I visit a new place. I’ll go to farmer’s markets, festivals, marketplaces, restaurants, cafes, etc. and indulge in the culture and people of this new place I’m visiting. I’m into wine so I tend to go to wine and food festivals. One of my favorites is the Newport Food & Wine festival in Rhode Island. It’s a fun day of meeting people, sipping wine and tasting some great food. Plus, it’s held at one of the Gilded Age mansions, the Marble House. I beautiful, grand mansion once owned by the Vanderbilt’s with a lawn that extends to the ocean. Breathtaking!
3. You get time to relax and rejuvenate or learn or connect and make memories.
For me, travel has meant a time for me to relax, enjoy, and learn something new. It really depends, to a certain extent, on where your destination is. A beach vacation is definitely about relaxation, rejuvenation and enjoying the sun. If I’m feeling stressed in my everyday life, I usually look to a beach or island to get away from it all. Most other destinations, for me, are about discovery and learning. For example, I go to Napa/Sonoma to take in the vineyards and learn something more about wine and the winemaking process. I’d go to Europe to learn about its history, visit museums and take in the culture. Those are just a couple of examples. But I have to say, most of all, I want to create memories and experiences that I’ll never forget. Traveling does this for me every time.
4. You get to explore new food and wine experiences.
I love to try new wine from different wine regions. My favorite thing to do is locate any vineyards or wineries where I can do a tasting. I love this! Tasting rooms are very social and you can share your thoughts and tastes of the wine produced there with people from the area or people visiting. It’s always a fun experience. Before I go somewhere, I like to research the restaurants in the city or town. I love local as opposed to chain restaurants. It’s a much more regional and homey experience. I go on Yelp and find all the places that look good and head out to immerse myself in the environment. Again, usually sitting at the bar and engaging in conversation with people about any range of topics. If this intimidates you, talk about the fact that you’re a visitor and looking to get some insight into where to go and what to see.
I went to a champagne bar once in Sonoma to taste some of the champagnes and sparkling wines. I sat at the bar and met a woman who was from Germany and had just moved to Sonoma. She didn’t know anyone, but we connected over a glass of bubbly. It was a fun conversation and one I would never have had if I hadn’t sat at the bar.
5. You get to have an adventure and escape.
Life is filled with exciting possibilities but there is nothing better than an adventure to a new place. If you need an escape from your everyday existence, even for a weekend, then jumping in or on a transport and going someplace different will help you clear your mind, relax and gain a new perspective. I believe that even if you go someplace that’s busier than where you are, it will help you see things differently. I live in New England and I will sometimes hop in my car, drive to the train station and head to New York City for the weekend. It’s much more of a crazy, busy place but just the change and the excitement of being there changes something in me.
If I need more of a Zen experience, I’ll head for an adventure to someplace for a longer amount of time and it will typically be a plane ride to get me there. So, sometimes it’s about adventure and sometimes it’s about escape and relaxation.
So, I love travel for all the reasons I mentioned. Think about why you travel and what makes you happy because that’s really what it’s about. Find your happiness and take off on an adventure for relaxation, discovery or reinvention and create those memories!
Cheers!
