As my life gets busier, it’s becoming increasingly hard to travel as frequently as I’d like.  And while I know I still travel a lot more than the average, it’s still something that no matter how hard it gets to find the time, I make time for it because what travel brings to my life goes beyond what I would have without it.  Nick and I have had perhaps the craziest and busiest few months recently than we ever have, between insane work hours and responsibilities, family dramas and just general life stuff, we’ve found ourselves completely exhausted, both physically and emotionally.  And during those crazy times, it was travels on the horizon that kept me sane.  Travel for me is spiritual, it’s a mental escape from daily life that I often find I need at various points throughout the year.  And while travel is amazing for all sorts of reasons, these 5 reasons I make time to travel still ring true even as my life gets busier and busier.  Even though it’s time and money that sometimes seems frivolous, travel is still what makes my life whole day after day and here’s why.

1. It makes me more creative.

Being in a creative field, I’m constantly being asked to come up with new ideas.  When you’re in the thick of the craziness and you’re being asked to come up with one more creative idea, I draw on my travels for inspiration.  Travel, beyond anything else, is a constant source of creativity for me that is often hard to pull out of daily life.

2. It’s an education.

I truly believe that as we age, we must keep learning.  We must keep looking for new information and educating ourselves however we can.  Travel is an education, in a way that nothing else can quite teach you.  Travel will open your eyes and make you look at the world completely differently than you ever have before.

3. It’s a stress reliever.

For me personally, travel is a huge stress reliever.  Once I’m on that airplane headed somewhere far away, suddenly my whole outlook changes.  Whatever stress I have going on in my daily life, suddenly when I’m wandering the streets of Paris or driving through the stunning countryside of Iceland, everything else just melts away.

4. It makes us look at things we miss in everyday life.

In daily life, we often don’t have time to stop and really take in what’s around us like we should.  We’re busy trying to make a living, work everything into not enough time in the day and we don’t spend the time really taking in everything.  Travel allows us the time and flexibility to really take in the world around us, to really see what’s in front of us and that makes our bodies and minds slow down and be healthier emotionally.

5. It makes me a better person.

Travel, no doubt, makes me a better person.  With every trip, big or small, I come home with a new perspective, a new lesson learned, a new way of looking at things around me.  Seeing the world will forever change you, for the better.