I haven’t been traveling that much. It’s not that I didn’t want to. As someone who’s been away from family since I was a teenager, most of my vacation has been prioritized towards visiting home. Often times meeting in a third spot was difficult, so this meant that unless the family had a trip planned within my visit, I’m not really traveling to new places.

Now that I’m closer and traveling home is not as big of a journey, I’ve been able to make smaller trips at a higher frequency. Sometimes if timing works well I don’t have to take any time off for a trip home, allowing me to save up more leave that I get to spend other ways.

I have traveled to several places since then but I’m just getting started. Going to new places has really highlighted and brought to real life for me the benefits of travel that everyone talks about but I have not experienced as much. There are some aspects that are key to making sure it’s a positive experience for me personally. In this blog I want to document the new things I’ve discovered about traveling and the parts I value most.

Relaxation

I like traveling flexibly, with no set itinerary. I usually have a set of places to go or things to do. And then if any of them requires appointment I might have them scheduled ahead of time, but otherwise things are just decided on the fly.

I don’t like to have tight travel schedules and be chasing the next thing on the itinerary all the time, because that can make it feel task-like and not as pleasant. It might even start feeling like work if the chasing lasts long enough. I went on the trip to be away from work, not to work some more.

For these reasons, I like to keep the schedule flexible. I can go at it more intensely on a day when I feel up for it, or go slow if I just want a laid back day. Spontaneous adventures also often lead to unexpected rewards and unforgettable experiences.

New perspectives

Traveling stimulates me in different ways which can in turn help center me a bit. One is it sends me to a new town or surrounding, where I see people, things, and ways of life that don’t usually come before my eyes. After learning about how people live their lives in a different corner of the world, I return home feeling in awe and refreshed like I have a new set of eyes.

Second is travel removes me from troubles I’m facing in real life, both physically and mentally. This allows me to temporarily escape from worries, and even if my mind can’t help but wander back, I get to consider things or situation from a distance. This can provide clarity from a more big picture point of view and return my potentially lost attention to what truly matters.

Reflection

This one connects with new perspectives a little bit in that the new perspectives or stimuli I get often expand my imagination in very positive ways. I might see items that I want to bring home or even customs that I want to incorporate into my life. All in all, the people, things and places I come across on a trip often expand life’s possibilities in my mind and help me reflect on my own life journey.

Traveling to a place and living there can be quite different, but the inspiration from traveling can lead me to make huge changes to my lifestyle. In the case of Tokyo, the several visits I made to the city across many years certainly contributed to my decision to move here.

Appreciation for human contact

Good company during travel reminds me of the importance of human contact. I’ve found that the more attention I give to whoever I’m on a trip with, the more I am able to get most out of it. Being 100% in the moment, in the refreshing surrounding of a new town mixed with familiarity of the company, in the smooth flow of a conversation that I can feel deepening our connections, feels like I’m giving into universe, existing in the most natural state and in a warm embrace of some higher power.

Even if it’s a solo trip, I find myself focusing on interactions with people I come across such as hotel front desk staff, store clerks, or bus drivers, noticing little things and appreciating them. Sometimes I end up in a spontaneous conversation with someone at the same hotel or restaurant, and iI almost always get something positive out of the exchanges.

There is something simple and relieving about chatting with a fellow traveler or patron about however much they want to share. I can also choose how much I want to share, There is no pressure, just refreshing and sometimes eye opening. It often reminds me that we’re supposedly meant to live in groups and interact with each other. And it also reminds me that, even though I enjoy and value my alone time a lot, I can get some good energy from people too and should maybe not be so antisocial sometimes lol.

Conclusion

These are some valuable things I get out of travel. For it to serve its purpose and be enjoyable for me, I try my best to ensure the different aspects are covered. That includes not keeping the schedule too packed, making sure there’s some slow activities (can be as simple as even just a walk in a neighborhood), focusing on the people around me and staying in the moment.

If any of them are too off, the travel can become draining for me and have opposite effect. While keeping those in mind, I look forward to seeing more of the world and experiencing different scenery, cuisine, people and customs. Further more, I’m excited to discover new parts about myself and new possibilities in the process.