What Inspires Me To Travel

Travel, the ultimate escape from reality. A few days of bliss, of relaxation, giving you time to reflect and think about anything and everything.

It means something different to every individual, although I believe there are similar values and ideologies behind it.

From a young age holidays were a time of fun, laughter and family memories. To this day, trips to America and France are some of my earliest memories that I value deeply. The chance to totally immerse yourself in a different country’s culture is something I’ll always enjoy and relish. From sightseeing trips to America, to skiing in Finland, there is always a part of each trip that’ll stay with me forever. 

I vividly remember the huge American cities and the friendliness and kindness of the American people, the fact that I actually learnt to ski, and still can to this day (I hope) says a lot about what sort of skills travel can teach you. Although these trips from my younger years are only in my memory from photos and from stories being told, these photos are invaluable snapshots of who I am and what has influenced me over the years.

Another way travel inspires me is that it allows me to be more independent. School trips to France and Germany were my first times being away from family and these experiences really helped to improve my confidence and my development as a person. It’s easy to see how the culture and country inspires you, but it’s important to realise how much travel can influence you and shape you as a person. From school trips, to gap year travels, you can definitely surprise yourself with what you can learn. These trips easily taught me as much about myself as I did about the country and the skills I learnt there.

Travel gives me time to appreciate the smaller things in life, the little things that you might not notice day to day. The beauty of the world and its surroundings definitely gives you some perspective. This escapism allows me to think clearly, to have a ‘break’ from what life usually is, it keeps me more positive and encourages me to want to travel more.

Also, the diversity of each destination, each country and even each city offers something new and different; food, music and art, the list can go on and on. It’s amazing to see what the world has to offer, from Scotland only a few hours’ drive away, to New Zealand, a plane ride halfway across the world. 

I think the key to becoming inspired is to always make the most of each and every travel experience you have. Get up and get out, see the world in a different perspective, almost through a different pair of eyes- you might only be there for a few hours or days! However, if you’re needing more of a relaxed holiday by all means do that, laze around on the beautiful beaches of crystal blue ocean and crisp white sand- your trip needs to be what you want as well as what you need, you need to make sure you get what you want out of it. Some holidays are just to relax and reflect, others are to explore and adventure, it just depends on what you need.