There’s something magical about travelling, doors open, we see with fresh eyes, a kind of alchemy happens; we become immersed in new and interesting experiences and learn about ourselves while understanding others, pushing new boundaries that change who we are. Here’s our top 5 reasons we think adventure and travel (even being a tourist at home) is such good food for the soul.

1. Why travel? Simply because you can; travelling needn’t be expensive, it certainly doesn’t have to be 5 star, in fact it’s probably a lot more fun if it’s not. Nothing beats that earthy real feeling of connecting to a place without all the glitter and glam. When we experience a place and its people at the grass roots, it’s far more of an authentic kinship. Don’t look for excuses not to travel, look for opportunities to go! It’s a much smaller and closer world today than even a generation ago, most cities and countries are accessible with ease and frequency and being mobile is a part of the character of how we live. Let’s never regret not doing the things that call us. The world is at our fingertips, taste it !

2. Happiness is infectious; travelling just makes you happy. Our spirits are as high recalling memories to others after the trip as when we are anticipating the journey. When we travel we smile (most of the time), we open our eyes and open our hearts. We socialise, create relationships, we connect with the people we travel with and those we meet along the way. We try new food, drive on the wrong side of the road, visit places we’ve seen only in our dreams. And it makes our hearts sing!

3. We learn a little more; we are given a wonderful chance to learn more about the world we live in, how people connect with their culture and how it shapes their communities. We learn about history and art and kings and queens, about food and families, about music, spirituality and social structures. We learn mostly how much we still have to learn about the beautiful diversity of life.

4. It’s a great leveller; walking in another’s shoes, or at least seeing the lives of others gives us a healthy dose of perspective. Maybe its even a chance to count our blessings. The people we meet along the journey all influence us in some way, we expand our awareness and reorganise our thinking. We’d both say that we’ve never travelled without feeling something shift. You gain something from every place and every person and it’s always a breath of fresh air!

5. The world is a beautiful place; there’s always something wonderful to set your eyes upon. When you’re in the thrum of everyday life travel breaks the monotony, pulls you out of a rut and gives you wonderful surprises! We all know people who only started travelling later in life, who never boarded a plane until they retired yet the wanderlust strikes them just the same. It’s funny how some countries and cultures tantalise us more then others, in some strange way we are drawn to them and when we visit them we feel a gentle familiarity. The world is full of voices calling us, after all life makes the best stories, answer the call, go!