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100 Love Travel Quotes to Inspire You For Adventure

Table of Content

Traveling and love share an incredible connection. Both journeys take you to places you’ve never been before, fill your heart with unforgettable moments, and create memories that last a lifetime. Love and travel intertwine like the threads of a beautiful tapestry, and the result is a life enriched by adventure, companionship, and discovery.

In this collection of 100 Love Travel Quotes, we’ll explore the profound ways in which love and travel intersect. These quotes capture the essence of exploring the world with a loved one, cherishing the shared experiences, and finding romance in the most unexpected places.

Love Travel Quotes

• “Adventure is always better when shared.”
• “Traveling with you is my favorite adventure.”
• “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Unknown
• “Exploring the world with you is my idea of a perfect date.”
• “Love is the compass that guides us in our travels.” – Unknown
• “Our love story is written in the places we’ve been.”
• “Love knows no borders.”
• “With you, every destination is a dream come true.”
• “We’re not lost; we’re exploring together.”
• “Traveling with you is like a romantic movie.”
• “You, me, and the open road—what more could we ask for?”
• “Love and adventure are the best travel companions.”
• “In your arms, I’ve found my favorite place in the world.”
• “Together is our favorite place to be.”
• “Love and travel go hand in hand, for they both lead to unforgettable journeys.”
• “Our love is the greatest adventure.”
• “Every moment with you is an adventure of a lifetime.”
• “Traveling together is a journey of love.”
• “With you, every day is an adventure.”
• “Love and travel—two incredible journeys combined.”
• “Exploring the world is better when you’re holding my hand.”
• “Life is short; let’s travel the world together.”
• “You are my greatest adventure.”
• “The world is more beautiful with you by my side.”
• “Love grows as we explore.”
• “With you, every place feels like home.”
• “Our love story is a travel diary.”
• “Together, we’re writing the best chapters of our lives.”
• “Love makes every journey sweeter.”
• “My heart is always on an adventure with you.”
• “Love is the ultimate souvenir of our travels.”
• “Adventures are better when shared with the one you love.”
• “The best part of any journey is being with you.”
• “You are my favorite travel companion.”
• “Our love knows no boundaries.”
• “Love is the greatest adventure.”
• “Love and travel—my two favorite things.”
• “Exploring the world, one love story at a time.”
• “I’d travel to the ends of the Earth with you.”
• “Our love is an adventure waiting to happen.”
• “Our love story is a journey, and the best is yet to come.”
• “Adventure is calling, and love is leading the way.”
• “I love you more with every adventure we share.”
• “Our love is like a compass; it always points us in the right direction.”
• “With you, I’m at home anywhere in the world.”
• “You are the destination of my heart’s journey.”
• “In your arms, I’ve found my paradise.”
• “Together, we’re making memories all over the world.”
• “Love is the greatest adventure, and you are my favorite companion.”
• “Our love story is the most beautiful journey I’ve ever been on.”
• “Exploring the world with you is a dream come true.”
• “In every journey, love is our guide.”
• “Life is short; let’s travel often and love deeply.”
• “With you, even the longest flights feel short.”
• “Adventure awaits, and I want to share it with you.”
• “In your eyes, I find the beauty of every place we visit.”
• “With you, every day feels like an adventure.”
• “You are my favorite adventure.”
• “Love makes every destination special.”
• “Together, we’re collecting moments, not things.”
• “Traveling with you is the best kind of escape.”
• “With you, every sunrise is more beautiful.”
• “Exploring new places with you is the greatest gift.”
• “Love and travel are the keys to a happy heart.”
• “You are the map to my heart’s journey.”
• “In your smile, I find the warmth of every destination.”
• “With you, I’m on a perpetual adventure.”
• “Our love story is a journey that will last a lifetime.”
• “Love knows no distance.”
• “With you, every journey is a love story.”
• “Our love is the compass that points us to new adventures.”
• “In your laughter, I hear the echoes of our travels.”
• “You are my favorite adventure buddy.”
• “Together, we’re creating a lifetime of memories.”
• “With you, every moment becomes an adventure.”
• “Our love is the most beautiful journey.”
• “Adventure is calling, and I want you by my side.”
• “In your love, I find my home.”
• “Traveling with you is my greatest joy.”
• “With you, I’m living my dream adventure.”
• “Our love is the destination of a lifetime.”
• “Love and adventure make the perfect pair.”
• “You are my heart’s true north.”
• “Together, we’re making the world our playground.”
• “With you, every day feels like a new beginning.”
• “Our love story is an adventure I cherish.”
• “In your love, I’ve found my greatest treasure.”
• “With you, every place feels like a fairytale.”
• “Love is the greatest adventure, and you’re my favorite partner.”
• “Our love story is written in the footprints of our travels.”
• “Adventure is the spice of life, and you’re my favorite flavor.”
• “With you, every journey is a work of art.”
• “You are the reason I believe in love at first sight—of a new destination.”
• “Our love is like a well-traveled road, filled with memories and adventure.”
• “In your love, I find the strength to explore the unknown.”
• “With you, every journey feels like an epic adventure.”
• “Our love is the passport to a world of happiness.”
• “Love is the journey, and you’re my favorite travel partner.”
• “With you, every day is an adventure worth living.”

As we conclude this exploration of 100 Love Travel Quotes, we’re reminded that love and travel are the twin flames of life’s grand adventure. They push us to step outside our comfort zones, connect with others on a profound level, and savor the beauty of the world around us.

If you’re wandering through bustling cities, relaxing on sun-kissed beaches, or trekking through remote landscapes, may these quotes be a source of inspiration and motivation. Let them serve as a reminder that love and travel are not only destinations but also incredible journeys that enrich our lives and shape our souls.

So, embark on your next adventure with an open heart, create lasting memories with those you love, and let the magic of travel and love continue to inspire your life’s story.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an inspirational quote about travel and love.

An inspirational quote about travel and love might be: “Traveling with the one you love is like writing a beautiful novel together, filled with adventures, chapters of laughter, and pages of love.”

What does love to travel mean?

“Love to travel” means having a deep passion and enthusiasm for exploring new destinations, seeking adventure, and embracing the enriching experiences that travel brings.

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Why I Love Travelling – a personal story about how travel changed my life

Aug 6, 2022 | Feature | 0 comments

If you’re still wondering why I love travelling so much, then read on for my personal story about how travel changed my life! It’s hard to imagine where it all began because I wasn’t raised to see the world. But once the floodlights switched on and I had a taste of travel, there was no coming back. Travelling has opened my eyes to new cultures and different ways of life and shown me an endless amount of natural beauty. It has changed me as a person for the better and given me experiences that I will never forget.

There are special memories in life, like when I met my wife for the first time, my kids were born, and we bought our first house and truly felt like adults. But for me, some of my most cherished memories are from my travels. I love the adventure and excitement that comes with planning a trip, not knowing what lies ahead but being confident that it will be amazing.

Hey, not that my wedding day over 16 years ago and the day my kids were born don’t top the list; of course, they do. However, there is something about getting away from every day and exploring our big beautiful world.

From the first time I stepped foot on a plane as a young adult, I was hooked. I loved everything about flying; the anticipation of takeoff, the views from above, and finally touching down at a new destination. The sense of freedom and adventure that comes with travel is unlike anything else. And I knew that I wanted more.

So, why do I love travelling? For me, it’s all about the experiences. Each new place I visit presents an opportunity to learn something new, see things from a different perspective and make memories that will last a lifetime. 

Whether watching the sunset over the Himalayas in Nepal, I was hiking the jungle in Borneo or enjoying a coffee in a Bali cafe. While travelling, I will always create memories that I will treasure forever.

The sunrise from Chisapani in Nepal.

Why do I love travelling, and how did it change my life? Let’s go back a bit before I even saw another country outside of Australia. By the end, you’ll understand why I love travelling and how I can’t stop.

Unless a virus takes control of the world, naturally.

I never travelled internationally growing up.

I don’t think I am alone in this because international travel is undoubtedly more convenient in modern times than in my youthful years in the 80s and 90.s. But my family never went on holidays overseas, except for domestic trips to Sydney from Melbourne. That was fine, Sydney was superb, and the memories were strong, especially the beachside area of Manly. Yet, international travel remained a mystery. 

However, going overseas was a pipedream growing up. It all changed when I got my first real job and joined the Australian Army.

My first overseas trip came about a deployment in the Army.

On my first overseas trip, I didn’t even have a passport. I didn’t need one getting deployed to another country with the Army, so that’s always a remarkable fact I like to mention from time to time. How is this for a little fun fact?

Anyway, my deployment was peacekeeping in East Timor, and I was there for just three months. It was a fantastic experience and one that changed my life in so many ways that I am forever grateful for.

However, it wasn’t a holiday. Besides being based in the hills of Bobonaro with fantastic views near the Indonesian Border, there wasn’t a lot of time to be a tourist.

Visiting South Korea is when travelling truly opened my eyes.

Okay, my first real trip overseas with an official passport happened in 2005 when I visited Seoul, South Korea, with my Korean girlfriend. Spoiler alert She became my wife, and we’ve been married 16-plus years now, so happy ending and all that.

But this is where I had what I like to call my ‘travel epiphany’. I hadn’t given travel much thought, but being in Korea and seeing the sights of Seoul, exploring the city region and seeing impressive palaces and temples and so forth was genuinely fantastic. I loved it; I was beginning to get the travel bug.

The Gyeongbokgung Palace must be on your list during your vacation in Seoul.

A travelling Halt as Marriage and Kids took over.

Unfortunately, a trip to South Korea would be the last trip abroad for eight years, that’s right, eight years! Because we got married, had kids and bought a house, the critical stuff required in adulthood. Which is excellent, I love being a husband and father, but the travel itch was still there. I often researched for trips, but timing and financings were not there.

But why do I love travelling? Especially when I barely touched the surface in the travel stratosphere.

It’s hard to explain why I love travelling so much because it is an indescribable feeling whether you travel a lot or not.

But as circumstances changed, kids grew older, and we had a bit more money, we finally started to travel again.

And I haven’t stopped since!

Travel restarted with a trip to Fiji.

Suppose I ever think about why I love travelling. In that case, the paradise islands of Fiji in the Pacific stand out because it was here on the beaches of Fiji that I realized that I wanted to travel more. That I needed to see more places and explore this big wide world we live in.

However, it was not only the stunning beachside resorts and cocktails that helped too; the locals were the kindest people I had ever met. They had this unique way of life and culture that I wanted to learn more about.

If a tiny island country could get me enthusiastic about the rest of the world, I was keen to see what other countries had in store.

I was visiting a boutique island in Fiji.

Then Asia came calling again, and I never looked back.

Fiji got the blood pumping for travel. Therefore it was time to travel more frequently. With Asia being the most affordable place to travel from Australia, it became my haven for a trip.

Over the years following Fiji and before the virus hit the world, which took travel to a halt, I visited terrific destinations.

I return trips to South Korea, expanding further than Seoul and seeing beautiful destinations in Muju, Busan and Jeju. I had several trips to Bali, Malaysia and Thailand. I’ll never forget my tenth wedding Anniversary in Koh Samui, Thailand, where it became the Island of Love.

I became well-travelled in Asia, but what stands out the most was two adventures of different kinds. Firstly, in 2017, was the volunteering experience I had in Vientiane, Laos, where I tried my hand at teaching English to school kids and monks.

The second unbelievable experience was hiking in Nepal, just outside Kathmandu, and seeing the unbelievable Himalayas with my two eyes. It was better than any picture I could see on social media or television.

The continent of Asia is spectacular for many reasons, and I’m excited to see what else is out there in this big wide world. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll conquer Europe or even Africa! And that’s why I love travelling, it changes you as a person, witnessing experiences of different cultures in different destinations.

Happy and smiling from a high vantage point in Koh Samui in Thailand.

My most memorable trips to this date

Hiking in Nepal, volunteering in Laos or having a wedding anniversary in Koh Samui all stands out, but what indeed is the most memorable trip. Well, I can tell you, it’s none of the above.

• Kyoto in Japan – Japan is incredible, and Kyoto is a beautiful city to get lost in for a few days. I saw the best tourist attractions, the Fushimi Inari-Taisha and the Kinkaku-Ji, to only name a few best places to visit in Kyoto. The temples, the food and the culture make this place very special to me.
• South Korea – Whether it’s Seoul, Busan, Jeju, or Gyeongju, there’s an excellent reason I’ve returned to Korea on numerous occasions . It’s a beautiful country with something new, whether the food, the nightlife, or just exploring a new neighbourhood.
• Nusa Lembongan in Indonesia – The beautiful island of Bali, Nusa Lembongan is the perfect place to relax and escape the hustle and bustle of city life. With its turquoise waters, white sand beaches and coral reefs, it’s easy to spend a few days on the island and cherish life and what is around you.

Paradise awaits any traveller on arrival in Nusa Lembongan.

How my love for travel opened my world to travel writing

The love of travel inspired my blog, Fair Dinkum Traveller, which started in 2016. It’s a place where I share my personal travel stories, itineraries and tips to help others explore this big wide world we live in.

I have visited some unique places as a travel writer and influencer through writing. I’ve written about travel destinations, especially my immense love of Asia and my home country in Australia.

I’ve been very fortunate to have articles published in well-known travel publications, giving me more opportunities to quench my thirst for travel.

But why do I write about travel? I want to inspire others to get out there and explore this big wide world we live in. I want others to know that seeing the world is possible, whether you’re from a small town or city.

And that’s why I love travelling, because it changes you as a person, witnessing experiences of different cultures in different destinations.

How did you catch the travel bug? Please let me know in the comments below.

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• Romantic Getaways

50 Romantic Quotes About Travel and Love to Inspire Your Next Adventure

Share the love — these travel-themed quotes make perfect posts for globe-trotting couples.

Travel nourishes a relationship in many ways. Discovering new cultures and encountering unfamiliar points of view can feed your curiosity while drawing you closer as a couple. Whether your romance is in its infancy or you have 20 years of marriage under your belt, there is always a way to share new experiences with your love — especially when you’re traveling together.

The crossroads of adventure and romance have inspired many writers and artists to share their observations and words of wisdom. To help you find the perfect caption for your Instagram posts on a couple's trip, here are 50 of our favorite quotes about travel and love.

Quotes About Travel and Love for the Hopeless Romantic

“I would like to travel the world with you twice. Once, to see the world. Twice to see the way you see the world.” — Anonymous

“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.” — Paulo Coehlo

“Here's to all the places we went. And all the places we'll go. And here's to me, whispering again and again and again and again: iloveyou.” — John Green

“Will you give me yourself? Will you come travel with me? Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?” — Walt Whitman

“Love is never hurtful; it’s never about forgetting who you are, it’s about exploring yourself more.” — Ankita Singhal

"But I love your feet only because they walked upon the earth and upon the wind and upon the waters, until they found me.“ — Pablo Neruda

"We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” — Anaïs Nin

“Surround yourself with people who make you hungry for life, touch your heart, and nourish your soul.” — Anonymous

“We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.” — Katie Thurmes

“Come on, fly with me, we'll float down in the blue.” — Frank Sinatra, "Fly Me to the Moon"

“It doesn’t matter where you are going, it’s who you have beside you.” — Anonymous 

“I would not wish any companion in the world but you.” — William Shakespeare

“Life is short and the world is wide. The sooner you start exploring it with the person you love, the better.” – Simon Raven

“I'm your cherry blossom, baby, don’t let me blow away. I hope you haven't forgotten Tokyo wasn't built in a day.” — Kacey Musgraves, "Cherry Blossom" 

“Travel opens your heart, broadens your mind, and fills your life with stories to tell.” — Paula Bendfeldt

“Baby, you’re my open road, you can take me anywhere the wind blows.” — American Authors, "What We Live For"

"A city becomes a world when one loves one of its inhabitants." — Lawrence Durrell

Quotes About Travel and Love for the Adventurous Couple

“Why should a relationship mean settling down? Wait out for someone who won’t let life escape you, who will challenge you and drive you toward your dreams. Someone spontaneous who you can get lost in the world with. A relationship, with the right person, is a release, not a restriction.” — Beau Taplin

“You’d be surprised who the love of your life turns out to be. After all, Adventure fell in love with Lost.” — Erin Van Vuren

“Sometimes, reaching out and taking someone’s hand is the beginning of a journey. At other times, it is allowing another to take yours.” — Vera Nazarian

“Date someone who is a home and an adventure all at once.” — Anonymous

“Take only memories, leave only footprints.” — Chief Seattle

“I've fallen in love with adventures, so I begin to wonder, if that's why I've fallen for you.” — E. Grin

“So, come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned.” — James Matthew Barrie

“As soon as I saw you I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.” — A. A. Milne

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” — Jack Kerouac

“Respond to every call that excites your spirit.” — Rumi

“What we find in a soulmate is not something wild to tame but something wild to run with.” — Robert Brault

“A couple who travel together, grow together.” — Ahmad Fuadi

“I never sat by the shore under the sun with my feet in the sand. But you brought me here and I'm happy that you did.” — Miley Cyrus, "Malibu"

"I love your feet because they wandered over the earth and through the wind and water until they brought you to me." — Pablo Neruda

“Traveling is the best thing any couple can do. That’s how we had the idea of the honeymoon. Newly wed couples going to a new place on their own so that all they could have is each other.” — Salil Jha

Quotes About Travel and Love for the Reluctant Romantic

“To lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced life.” — Elizabeth Gilbert

“Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” — John Steinbeck

“Never to go on trips with anyone you do not love.” — Ernest Hemingway

“I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” — Mark Twain

“No road is long with good company.” — Turkish proverb

“We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.” — Robert Louis Stevenson

“Home is not where you are from, it is where you belong. Some of us travel the whole world to find it. Others find it in a person.” — Beau Taplin

“One of the great things about travel is you find out how many good, kind people there are.” — Edith Wharton

“And if travel is like love, it is, in the end, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end.” — Pico Iyer

“Love is the food of life, travel is dessert.” — Anonymous

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” — Henry Miller

“I don’t want to be tied down with someone; I want to be set free with someone.” — Anonymous

“Traveling in the company of those we love is home in motion.” — Leigh Hunt

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson 

“Travel brings power and love back into your life.” — Rumi

“In life, it’s not where you go. It’s who you travel with.” — Charles M. Schulz

“Travel, trouble, music, art, a kiss, a frock, a rhyme — I never said they feed my heart, but still they pass my time.” ― Dorothy Parker

The People You Meet While Traveling

The people you meet while traveling can be a major part of each and every trip you take. Often times, some of the moments that rank at the top of my memories of my trip along with the things I saw in different destinations are the amazing individuals I’ve met along the way. Sometimes these are fellow travelers, sometimes they’re locals or even hosts. The crazy thing is that these people can change your trip, or even your entire life, in ways you could never have imagined.

The Person Who Starts it All, The Inspirer

The Fellow-Travelers You Meet While Traveling

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”  – Tim Cahill

Some of these friendships fade almost as quickly as you make them. Not because you don’t have a genuine connection with them, but some friends are just meant for a certain period of time and you keep in touch, but on a potentially on a more surface level. Others, become lifelong friends that you have this crazy connection with. Years later, you’re planning visits or having in-depth conversations with them just like you see them every day.

“The conversations, like many others I had with people on trains, derived an easy candor from the shared journey, the comfort of the dining car, and the certain knowledge that neither of us would see each other again.” – Paul Theroux

There is just something about travel that allows you to open up and be vulnerable. This vulnerability comes from the nature of travel itself. You have to be open to new opportunities, experiences and people to truly absorb a culture and the feel of a destination. However, when you open yourself up like this, you also welcome in like-minded travelers. This isn’t to say that every fellow-traveler you meet up with will be someone who jives with you. However, the ones that do will be the person who introduces you to new experience they’ve discovered or be someone you can share these new and exciting things with. You will forever feel a connection to these people because they’re the only ones who will understand the experiences you shared in a new land.

The Generous Travelers

The Locals Who Help You Out

“One of the great things about travel is that you find out how many good, kind people there are.” – Edith Wharton

The Locals Who Share with You

I’m lucky to say I have so many examples of this: couchsurfing hosts, other friends-of-friends or family members we hadn’t seen in forever, but they welcomed us all the same. I’m just so blessed.

The People Who Will Drive You Insane While Traveling

The Person Who Has Done it All : This is the person who has a story to top yours or nothing you tell them shocks them because they’ve been there/done that. As much as we all haaaaate this person, it’s so eaaaaasy to be this person in different situations.  The Full-Time Partier : You know exactly who I’m talking about. They’re the person who flew 1,000 miles to get wasted every single night.  Then they sleep all day missing out on anything else because they’re nursing a hangover just to start all over again that night. The Guilt-Tripper : This is the person who will try to make you feel like shit for missing a full moon party or for skipping something because you just need down time, alone time or just flat-out don’t want to. The Local Scammer : Unfortunately, this is a person you’ll meet often on your travels. They’ll try to overcharge you. They’ll try to take you to a place where they receive a kickback, etc. However, try to take it all in stride. Put up a bit of a guard, but don’t think everyone is out to scam you.

I think Anthony Bourdain said it best when he said “I think food, culture, people and landscape are all absolutely inseparable.”  This is exactly how I feel about travel, and about the people you meet while traveling.

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About Paige Wunder

Paige Wunder is based in the Ozarks where she lives with her husband. When she's not hiking in the mountains or planning a backpacking trip, she's taking a road trip or sampling some delicious craft beer. She loves sharing her adventures both big & small.

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Meg Jerrard

I also love to think back on the people I’ve met while traveling, so I loved this post! Every now and then I got through my photos dating back as far as 10 years, and it’s amazing to look through the photos of old friends, even if you were only friends for a day and had just met. The quote from Edith Wharton is one of my favorites, because you really do see how kind and welcoming and friendly people are when you’re traveling. And I think this opens up your heart as well.

Bea Adventurous

The people you meet whilst travelling for sureeee is one of the best things about it! I loved reading your stories here and feel it’s so important to not be judgmental when travelling as everyone is different!

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10 Reasons I Love Traveling (and Why You Will, Too)

• August 2, 2023
• 6 minute read

It’s no secret that most people desire to travel much more often than the normal 9-to-5 gives them time for. Traveling is a transformative experience that enriches our lives in countless ways. From discovering new cultures to pushing the limits of our comfort zones, the thrill and adventure of traveling offers an escape from the ordinary.

In this blog post, I’ll share ten compelling reasons why I love traveling, and I’m certain that these reasons will inspire you to embark on your own adventures.

Here are the top 10 reasons I love traveling!

Affiliate links are used in this post. for more about affiliate links, check out my disclaimer policy ..

1 || We get to experience new cultures

This is perhaps the most rewarding aspect of travel. Sadly, it’s lost on many people, especially nowadays, as social media is flooding with people just looking for a good photo or to be able to say they’ve been there. Don’t be that way! Actually immerse yourself in these new cultures and you will absolutely fall in love.

It also teaches you empathy and increases your overall social intelligence. Embracing different cultures broadens your perspectives in unimaginable ways and fosters a deeper sense of appreciation for the diversity our world has to offer. These encounters not only introduce you to new customs and traditions practiced around the world, but also creates lasting memories that will shape your understanding of the world and the people living in it.

• This one is a large reason why I loved my time at Oxford, England . Immersing myself in their way of life for 5 weeks really grew my appreciation for slow travel, whereas before, I was a 100% advocate for fast-paced travel.

2 || It takes us out of our comfort zones

We all have our familiar boundaries that we feel safe in, and once we reach adulthood, and get into a routine, we don’t often stray outside of them. However, living this way leads to remaining stagnant, to getting comfortable and not continuously trying to grow. Stepping outside the bounds of our familiarity is where our personal growth happens. Even if you don’t realize it, we all have more growing to do. It never, never stops!

Travel only enhances, and often speeds up, this growth! It challenges you to face the unknown and forces you to face uncertainty. Perhaps you travel to a country with a language barrier, or head to an adventure capital like New Zealand to bungee jump . Whatever you end up doing, it’s the act of embracing these challenges that ultimately fosters personal growth. This can result in increased resilience, adaptability, and confidence.

3 || Traveling hones planning and organization skills

This is definitely one of my favorite reasons I love traveling! Planning a trip requires meticulous organization and attention to detail. Sure, you could wing it by not creating an itinerary, doing little to no research, and leaving bookings for the day off, but that’s asking for chaos. While you might enjoy the trip, things will inevitably go wrong, and you’ll hit constant bumps along the way.

For me, I plan as much as I possibly can. My guides here on the ErickaRheanne blog (such as my guide to visiting Massachusetts ) are so in-depth to avoid any problems or complications. And so many trips have gone perfectly because of this intensive planning and attention to detail.

From crafting itineraries to booking accommodations, transportation, and activities, traveling sharpens these planning and organizational skills. The ability to research, budget, and prepare for a journey not only ensures the overall travel experience goes as seamlessly as possible but also proves invaluable in terms of our personal and professional lives.

• My continuously growing planning skills are evidenced through my extensive, comprehensive travel guides, such as this one on Alaska .

4 || It teaches us skills applicable in life and career

Building upon what I said earlier, traveling teaches us valuable life knowledge and skills that can help us greatly in other areas of our lives. Traveling teaches you how to improvise, communicate effectively, and adapt to a variety of different situations.

All of these skills are transferable and will continue to benefit you for the rest of your life. This also boosts your confidence and assurance in further ventures you might pursue.

5 || It boosts our happiness and gives us something to look forward to

Anticipation is an extremely powerful emotion. It can literally impact your mental health even in the worst of times. Travel fills our hearts with excitement and joy.

The mere thought of exploring new destinations, indulging in local food, and immersing ourselves in breathtaking landscapes can instantly lift our spirits and add happiness and worth to our lives.

Planning a trip also gives you something to look forward to and keeps your mind off of areas of your life that cause you stress, anger, or sadness. Travel can also be a selfish activity (in a good way!) that forces you to think about yourself and put your desires first even if you’re the type to put everyone else ahead of yourself.

6 || It frees us from the constraints of regular life and allows us to escape reality

Sometimes, the routine of daily life can get monotonous. Or, for some, daily life might not be anything like what they imagined for themselves. Traveling can liberate you from the demands of work and responsibilities by offering a reprieve via escapism.

As you immerse yourself in new surroundings, you’ll experience rejuvenating freedom and return to your daily life with more energy, or perhaps a new outlook.

7 || Traveling opens us up to new friendships and romantic connections

Whether you’re traveling with friends or family, or going solo, visiting new places can open you up to reconnections or new connections. Whether it’s a romantic encounter in a charming city or a meaningful friendship forged during a group tour, these connections can enrich your life in ways you never imagined.

8 || It helps us reflect and get in touch with our feelings and emotions

There’s something about travel that really gets us in touch with our innermost thoughts and emotions. Sometimes, we end up confronting and reflecting on things we didn’t even know were festering deep inside.

Traveling offers us a unique opportunity to disconnect from the hustle of everyday life and reconnect with ourselves in meaningful ways. This times allows us to reflect on ourselves and our life, then reassess how to approach our lives and direct our potential futures when we return.

9 || It lets us experience rare, inspiring moments of awe and adrenaline

One of my absolute favorite feelings from travel is the awe I feel at the truly amazing beauty of some destinations. The feeling is best when it’s completely unexpected.

This occurred when I hiked Arthur’s Seat while I was in Edinburgh, Scotland . I actually was not too thrilled about the idea leading up to it, because I figured it was “just another hill” and what could be so great about the view from up there that I couldn’t get in the United States? Boy, was I wrong! It ended up being my FAVORITE part of my 5 weeks of travel throughout in the United Kingdom .

Any kind of adventure that spikes my adrenaline is also a big reason to love travel. Whether you are standing on the glass of the Skywalk at Grand Canyon West, or bungee jumping in Queenstown, New Zealand, or whitewater rafting in Colorado, adventure awaits you everywhere.

All these experiences can leave you breathless with excitement and wonder, and what better feeling is there than that?

10 || Traveling aids us in personal transformations and allows us to live out our dreams

Ultimately, traveling has a transformative power unlike anything else. It can truly make you more open-minded, adventurous, and fulfilled. The memories you make while traveling will continue to shape who you become, and will give you the additional courage you need to chase after your dreams, and the life you desire.

It can also simply just give you a sense of purpose and renew your vigor for life.

And those are 10 reasons I love traveling and why I think you will, too!

Through travel, you can experience self-discovery while also creating unforgettable memories. These experiences can teach you invaluable skills that encourage growth in your personal and professional life while also increasing your mental health.

There’s so many other reasons I love traveling that I didn’t list here. And if you’re ready to bite the bullet and find your own reasons to love travel, I’ve got tons of information on planning your upcoming travels.

• Ericka Rheanne

Hi! I'm Rheanne, a travel addicted booklover from the midwestern US. So far, I've explored 49 U.S. states (only Hawaii left!), and a few other countries. One of my favorite parts about travel is the planning, but I know it's not for everyone! It can often be overwhelming and stressful. I aim to provide you with as much ready-to-use travel information and trip planning as possible to alleviate some of your worries!

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80 Travel Quotes for When Wanderlust is Your Real Valentine

Happy Valentine’s Day! If you don’t already know, I’ve been single my whole life. While Galentine’s Day is for my favorite gal pals, Valentine’s Day is for love. And if I have to think about it, my true love at the moment is travel. So I thought I’d round up some of my favorite travel quotes to help illustrate why.

Use ’em for your next Instagram caption. Jot them on a handmade card. Do what you will with them. Just know that instead of buying a new outfit for a hot February 14th date, I spent time recording and researching 80+ quotes all about how much I love travel.

You’re welcome.

80 Travel Quotes to Help Explain the Obsession

Quotes with no known author.

These are quotes I’ve seen all over Pinterest, tumblr, blogs, and more, and they don’t have any attribution or the author sometimes quoted doesn’t seem to exist. And this is after quite a few pages of Google searching with different Keyword variations. If you  do know the original creator, please let me know, and I’ll edit.

1. For the ones who dream of stranger worlds.

2. Always take the scenic route.

3. Say yes to new adventures.

4. I want to make memories all over the world.

5. Don’t just exist, live.

6. Chase the sun.

7. Escape the ordinary.

8. Chase adventure.

9. Be a seeker of everyday magic.

10. Take me anywhere.

11. Let’s go somewhere where the stars kiss the ocean.

12. Born to chase the moonlight.

13. Oh darling, let’s be adventurers.

14. Go where you feel most alive.

15. And so the adventure begins.

16. Wander.

17. Wander often. Wonder always.

18. Collect beautiful moments.

19. Up in the clouds, on my way to unknown things.

20. Choose your own adventure.

21. You’ll never know until you go.

22. Escape and breathe the air of new places.

23. It feels good to be lost in the right direction.

24. Blessed are the curious for they will have adventures.

So… sometimes this one is attributed to someone named Lovelle Drachman, but when I tried to google who they were, nothing came up. If you know the name and can pinpoint it to a book, article, etc, let me know!

25. Find your wild.

26. Born to roam.

27. Put down the map and get wonderfully lost.

28. Adventure awaits.

29. Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport.

30. Adventure is worthwhile.

This is another one sometimes attributed to Amelia Earhart or Aesop, but I couldn’t find any support for this.

Quotes with Authors

…Or from movies! These are quotes that  do have an author, and I could track down where they came from. Surprisingly, many of them are completely misattributed all around the interwebs. You have no idea how many Google Book excerpts I’ve searched through to try and find not only the author but where s/he said or wrote it! I initially started listing them from my Pinterest board only to quickly realize how many of them were just wrong.

Other quotes are popular for one specific sentence, so I thought I’d expand on them a bit and find more context. Enjoy!

31. “I’ve heard her called a quitter for leaving and aimless wanderer. But not all who wander are aimless, especially those who seek truth beyond tradition, beyond definition, beyond the image.”

– Mona Lisa Smile

Hands down one of my absolute favorite quotes  ever  from one of my favorite movies ever. It’s spoken by Kirsten Dunst’s character at the end, and I always tear up.

32. “To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world. You are surrounded by adventure…”

– Freya Stark,  Baghdad Sketches

33. “…If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.”

– Jane Austen,  Northanger Abbey

34. “Once in a while, it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.”

– Alan Keightley,   Into Every Life a Little Zen Must Fall

35. “The more I traveled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.”

– Shirley MacLaine,  Don’t Fall Off the Mountain

36. “You don’t have to be rich to travel well.”

– Eugene Fodor, book of same name

37. “Do what you can with what you have where you are.”

– Squire Bill Widener

A lot of people think this is Theodore Roosevelt, but he’s actually quoting Squire Bill Widener in his book  Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography

38. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime…”

– Mark Twain,  The Innocents Abroad

39. “Anybody can be an explorer if they want to be. You can be an astronaut if you want. Figure out what you want to do, and then go do it.”

– Helen Thayer

She said this to Susan G. Hauser in an article called “Step by Step,” which appeared in  Alaska Airlines, May 2008

40. “As a traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own.”

– Margaret Mead,  Coming of Age in Samoa

41. “Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.”

– JK Rowling,  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

42. “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. God Himself is not secure, having given man dominion over His works! Avoiding danger is no safer in the longer run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold. Faith alone defends. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.”

– Helen Keller,  The Open Door

43. “The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing to… find the place where all beauty came from.”

– C.S. Lewis,  Till We Have Faces

44. “Stuff your eyes with wonder. Live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. Ask for no guarantees, ask for no security, there never was such an animal.”

– Ray Bradbury,  Fahrenheit 451

45. “A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policies, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.”

– John Steinbeck,  Travels with Charley: In Search of America

46. “We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams. Wandering by lone sea-breakers, and sitting by desolate streams; — world-losers and world-forsakers, on whom the pale moon gleams: yet we are are the moves and shakers of the world for ever, it seems.”

– Arthur O’Shaughnessy, “Ode”

Fun fact: Usually the quote, “We are the dreamers of dreams,” is attributed to Roald Dahl because Gene Wilder in  Willy Wonka.  However, it comes from this longer poem by Arthur O’Shaughnessy.  

47. “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”

– Jawaharlal Nehru

He said this to Jason A. Mechey in the book,  Building a Life of Value: Timeless Wisdom to Inspire and Empower Us .

48. “Travel sparks our imagination, feeds our curiosity, and reminds us how much we all have in common.”

– Deborah Lloyd, former Kate Spade creative director

I don’t have where she said this specifically, but the original pin I found it on was from Kate Spade.

49. “The purpose of life…is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt,  You Learn by Living

50. “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

– Sarah Frances Brown

Most people, myself included, always thought this was a classic Mark Twain quote, but it’s not! It’s from Sarah Frances Brown, who’s H. Jackson Brown Jr.’s mother. His book  P.S. I Love You ,  where the quote appears, is about all her advice.

51. “I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those who had the courage to go forth into it’s expanse, to seek real knowledge of life amidst it’s perils.”

– Charlotte Brontë,  Jane Eyre

52. “Well, not just one wish. A whole hatful, Mary. I know what I’m gonna do tomorrow, and the next day, and the next year, and the year after that. I’m shakin’ the dust of this crummy little town off my feet, and I’m gonna see the world. Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, the Colosseum…”

–  It’s a Wonderful Life

53. “But that’s the glory of foreign travel, as far as I am concerned… I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything… Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.”

– Bill Bryson,  Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe

54. “All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost…”

– J.R.R. Tolkien,  The Fellowship of the Ring

55. “How you live your life is up to you. You have to go out and grab the world by the horns. Rope it before it ties you down and decides for you.”

– Sarah Reijonen,  Country Girl: Letting Love & Wanderlust Take the Reins

56. “I travel not to go anywhere but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.”

– Robert Louis Stevenson,  Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes

57. “There are map people whose joy is to lavish more attention on the sheets of colored paper than on the colored land rolling by… It is not so with me. I was born lost and take no pleasure in being found…”

– John Steinbeck,  Travels with Charley

58.”We travel, some of us forever, to see other states, other lives, other souls.”

– Anaïs Nin,  The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol 7

59. “We travel because we need to, because distance and difference are the secret tonic to creativity. When we get home, home is still the same, but something in our minds has changed, and that changes everything.”

– Jonah Lehrer, “ Why We Travel ” via  The Guardian

60. “It is good to have an end to a journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

– Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Left Hand of Darkness

61. “A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”

– John A. Shedd,  Salt from my Attic 

This one is usually linked to Albert Einstein, but it’s John A. Shedd in his book,  Salt from my Attic . I couldn’t find the book on Amazon, but it’s on Google Books, and  Quote Investigator has a whole piece on it.

62. “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”

– Terry Pratchett,  A Hat Full of Sky

63. “KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS! So… be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way!”

– Dr. Seuss,  All the Places You’ll Go

64. “You belong among the wildflowers, you belong in a boat out at sea. Sail away, kill off the hours. You belong somewhere you feel free.”

– Tom Petty, “Wildflowers”

65. “Ideally, travel broadens our perspectives personally, culturally, and politically. Suddenly, the palette with which we paint the story of our lives has more colors.”

–  Rick Steves,  Travel as a Political Act

66. “Now more than ever do I realize that I will never be content with a sedentary life, that I will always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere.”

– Isabelle Eberhardt,  The Nomad: the Diaries of Isabelle Eberhardt

67. “We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place, we stay there, even though we go away. And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there.”

– Pascal Mercier,  Night Train to Lisbon

68. “Never did the world make a queen of a girl who hides in houses and dreams without traveling.”

– Roman Payne,  The Wanderess

Basically this whole book seems pretty quotable.

69. “If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them – wherever you go.”

– Anthony Bourdain,  Medium Raw

70. “It’s a curious emotion, this certain homesickness I have in mind… We are torn between a nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known.”

– Carson McCullers, “Look Homeward, Americans,”  Vogue, Dec 1940

71. “One can only really travel if one lets oneself go and takes what every place brings without trying to turn it into a healthy, private pattern of one’s own.”

– Freya Stark, cited in “A Marvelous Bright Eye” via  Cornucopia 1992

72. “Gonna travel, gonna travel wild and free. I’m gonna pack my bags because this great big world is calling me.”

– Elvis Presley, “Harem Holiday”

73. “A curious word, wanderlust. I’m ready to go. I’ve already gone…  Everywhere . I’ve been everywhere. I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.”

– Susan Sontag, “Unguided Tour” via  The New Yorker (Oct 1977)

74. “The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.”

– Samuel Johnson,  Letter to Hester Thrale, 9/21/1773

75. “I’m not sure what I’ll do, but — well, I want to go places and see people. I want my mind to grow. I want to live where things happen on a big scale.”

– F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Ice Palace”

76. “Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria’s mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all.”

– Anthony Bourdain,  Kitchen Confidential

77. “Homegrown alligator, see you later. Gotta hit the road, gotta hit the road. The sun it changed in the atmosphere, architecture unfamiliar, I can get used to this.”

– George Ezra,  “Shotgun”

78. “I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.”

– Melody Truong

Ha! When I was looking up this quote, I thought it would just be a John Green quote from his book,  Paper Towns . It’s not! And even Green didn’t realize til much later. However, he made a whole video about it, giving a shout to the original creator, Melody Truong,  and arranging to give her proceeds from a poster he’d been selling with the quote both moving forward and retroactively.

79. “To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, to gain all while you give, to roam the roads of lands remote, to travel is to live.”

– Hans Christian Andersen,  The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography

80. “Is there anything, apart from a really good chocolate cream pie and receiving a large unexpected cheque in the post, to beat finding yourself at large in a foreign city on a fair spring evening, loafing along unfamiliar streets in the long shadows of a lazy sunset, pausing to gaze in shop windows or at some church or lovely square or tranquil stretch of quayside, hesitating at street corners to decide whether that cheerful and homy restaurant you will remember fondly for years is likely to lie down this street or that one? I just love it. I could spend my life arriving each evening in a new city.”

And there you have it! 80 travel quotes that you know will be accurate  and inspiring. Any you think I’m missing? Let me know!

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Travel is my one true love (and here are 10 reasons why)

There are few things in the world more powerful than the connections us humans make with one another. But connecting with travel is a whole different thing entirely.

While travel may never be the plus-one at your next family wedding, the connection you make with it is incredibly pure, honest and almost spiritual. In my opinion, it’s one of the most reliable and powerful relationships you can make in your life. Like any good partnership, travel will continue to support you, surprise you and, above all, bring out the best in you. It’ll probably piss you off a few times too.

1.  Travel always keeps things interesting

Never a dull moment, a relationship with travel ensures excitement at every turn. Rather than feeling tied down to one place or one way of living, you can always move on to the next adventure. Everywhere you go, the next adventure is waiting for you, and you can take as long as you need to get there.

2. Travel will always be there for you

Whether you’re pining for the one that got away or bouncing back from a long-term relationship, there is no denying that saying goodbye to love is tough. With travel, however, this dynamic is entirely different. You can be as committed or as casual as you want. Whether you dive into a nomadic life on the road or choose to spend a couple weeks a year in a foreign land, travel will be there waiting with open arms.

3. Travel grows with you

We all go through phases in our lives—some more regrettable than others. Rather than telling you, “you’ve changed,” travel loves you in all your shapes, sizes and hairstyles. It is unconditional, understanding, and tirelessly accepting.

4. Travel surprises you

Walt Disney said it best: “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” Our greatest joys come from life’s little surprises.  On our travels, there are new paths waiting at each and every turn.

5.  Travel doesn’t disapprove

Let the “meet the parents” stage be a thing of the past. Say goodbye to that awkward dinner at which you try to convince your loved ones to see what you see in them. The group drinks where you turn to your best friend and say, “Aren’t they great?” We are drawn to places for reasons beyond our control, reasons we shouldn’t expect any one else to understand. And that’s absolutely okay.

6. Travel keeps you humble

No matter how great or terrible the events of your life may seem, it just takes getting lost in a distant destination to put things in perspective. Somehow, travel will remind you of your tiny place on Earth, while being careful never to make you feel small. It builds you up whilst simultaneously keeping you humble.

7. Travel is the perfect match

They say true love has no face. We can’t help who we fall in love with, and the same goes for travel. The adventurous-type may seek thrills in the Andes or Himalayas, while the die-hard foodie may find solace in Italy or Spain. In travel, we have boundless freedom to seek our perfect match. There is no settling when faced with an endless amount of incredible options.

8. Travel connects

There are places on this earth have a profound knack for staying with you forever. Whether it’s the sun rising over Angkor Wat or the temples of the Taj Mahal, there are places you recount over and over again, soliciting the same level of excitement each and every time.

9. Travel is honest and authentic

Travel is patient, kind, and will not hide itself from you. You may not get to know a destination right away—like any good relationship, it takes time and work before you reveal yourselves to each other. But once you do, you know you’ve found something honest and authentic: your one true love.

10. Travel lasts forever

Old or young, this love is truly timeless. At first we may find our young hearts running wild for months on end with nothing but our backpacks. As our love matures, we may find comfort in the canals of Venice or the islands of the Galapagos. Regardless, this love is ever lasting and will be by your side at any age.

Feeling inspired?

Maya Markowitz

Digital Marketing Manager for Intrepid Travel USA, Maya has lived in Australia for one year and is attempting to join her colleagues in the travel century club. In her free time Maya enjoys sweating at Crossfit, snowboarding in Lake Tahoe and taking metal working/jewelry classes.

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WHY DO YOU LOVE TO TRAVEL?

Worldwide thoughts and quotes on the benefits and beauty of travel.

Carolyn Canetti

I polled my friends and family from all over the world on why they love to travel. Here are their responses:

"I think the exposure to new places and new people can be really reviving personally and also eye opening to see how other people live. To see how life functions, whether human or natural life, in other places is really humbling. It's easy to have your status quo at home, but as soon as you're in a new place - all bets are off. You can do anything, and are so willing to try new stuff to push your own boundaries purely because you're in a new place."

"I love to travel because not only is it the ultimate adventure but it also exposes you to new types of people, different ways of living, and opens up your mind. I just like to walk around in beautiful places that resemble the shire from Lord of the Rings while exploring new culinary terrains."

-Matty G "Traveling reminds me that my life isn't the only one I could live and that in the grand scheme of things, I'm pretty unimportant to this world we live in. People get so caught up in their daily lives and forget that they can be somewhere or someone else tomorrow if they'd like. There are no limits in the grand scheme of things except the ones we create for ourselves. Traveling helps make sure I don't forget that ."

"Travel puts me out of my comfort zone and inherently breeds challenge . I'm a firm believer that challenge leads to curiosity, maturity and growth."

"I use travel as an escape from daily life. Having future trips already planned brings me joy and gives me something to look forward to. I've never regretted a single trip I've taken ."

"I love to travel for a few reasons. First, you automatically become a naturally curious being . You are a traveler, tourist, backpacker, etc and even the most basic thing on a trip becomes an adventure - like catching a bus between cities. Second, you are hyper aware of your surroundings and appreciate the beauty or intrigue of a new land and culture! Third, when I travel and then return home, I see home in a whole new light . For example when I studied abroad in Buenos Aires and came back to NOLA, I realized there was so much more exploring of my own city that I needed to do and I was excited and motivated to do that, whereas before I was stuck in my daily routine."

"I travel to eat all the foods ."

" I love figuring things out . I love seeing new people."

"When I think about travel, I mostly think about traveling solo. I love it because it displaces you. In a state displacement you experience wonder, discovery, awe, discomfort. If you go with an open mind, you discover things about yourself, about others and about the world you would have not learned otherwise. It opens you up, turns on new lights so you can see and experience the world in a new way- even when you go 'home'. We get so involved in our current environments and lives - the chance to step out and explore and experience elsewhere gives us perspective and often provides new lenses with which we can see and think about who we are , what are doing with our lives and what we care about. The whole experience is filled with all these beautiful and crazy colors and feelings."

"I like the discovery part of it... I like to explore new things, new places, new views, new people, new everything...T here are many ways to explore new things, but traveling is the most satisfactory as it is the most comprehensive way as it encompasses many elements from views to people to foods etc. I also like getting away from the routine, and the daily chores and daily work and daily life and have a kind of a break from reality if you want... On the other hand with all the new crazy security issues, travel is not so "free spirited" anymore, as now one has to keep in mind and be aware and even worry a bit when traveling, when in the past the idea of travel was to get away from worries."

"I like to travel so that I don't have to text anyone for a week."

" It's fun ."

"People. Whether it's hiking a scenic overlook with old friends, or eating flatbread on the side of the road with new friends, you forge a special bond when you're both out of your elements. Every moment is an adventure."

"I love to travel to experience things and places that are completely unknown or different to me."

"Traveling somewhere new is an opportunity to really engage in being lost. You have to pay close attention to figure out what's your place, and how to act, and how to be respectful. You start to question and reflect on your own assumptions and behavior. You have a chance to represent your home , which both makes you consider other people's perspectives and better articulate who it is you want to be putting forth into the world." ​-Ella

"I love to travel for so many reasons. There is nothing like getting off a plane/train/bus and seeing the beauty of a new place for the first time . Sometimes, the outer beauty is overwhelming and I have to stand still and let time stop to try to take it all in at once. Sometimes, the beauty is less about aesthetics and more about that first conversation with a local when I am pleasantly overwhelmed by their openness and rich culture. I love walking several miles each day in a new place and thinking about who has walked there before me. It can be startling to realize that I do not know a single person for miles and miles, but I think that's part of what keeps it exciting. I feel the most 'alive' when I am exploring ."

"I love to travel to get away from the chaos of life, when I come home I've gained more perspective ."

"The world is full of interesting people, beautiful landscapes, incredible food, amazing music, and different cultures, and life is more interesting when you make time to enjoy as much of it as you can! We are lucky enough to have the ability to access all of this relatively easily, it's our responsibility to travel as much as possible and learn from other cultures."

“Because everything unimportant falls away - all the little stresses of New York. And I can just be. And learn. And see. And really truly lose myself in all the new things in a new different place.”

"I like getting out of the every day routine of things - it helps me get perspective on ma lyfe. And I like seeing how other people live and meeting the Matt Goodmans of other countries ."

“I love to travel because there's so much I haven't seen and every time I go somewhere new I learn about people and places I never thought about before and that's pretty neat. You can only see so much in a photo you gotta go live it to experience .”

“I love that a totally new perspective makes me reconsider my priorities and allows me to kind of recenter myself. Also food is delicious and I'm a sucker for taking pictures of things I've never seen.”

“I love moving away from the tourist trail and exploring where the locals eat, drink, dance and live. I find it so much more meaningful to see and immerse myself in that side of a city. It's nice to get away from the Aussie accents, English speakers and cameras, and just wander around and explore, and imagine yourself living there . I love everything about traveling, particularly trying new cuisines. I despise even the thought of eating at a Western fast food restaurant, when you have so many incredible and new foods to try. Even the experiences that are frustrating or difficult at the time, end up being some of the most memorable, and some of the most hilarious stories to share and reminisce about.”

“I love to travel because it excites me and energizes me ! It takes me out of my comfort zone and exposes me to cultures, landscapes and people that I find so inspiring.”

“Mainly to meet, experience, and learn from different people, for those wild unimaginable moments that just fall into place and make you question if your dreaming , for that crazy sensation of not knowing what's next, and overall for self reflection and personal growth.”

“I'd say I love to travel because I don't want to wake up one day when I'm 80 years old and say to myself I wish I had done that .”

"I like the feeling of adventure, like anything could happen ."

“ My first trip to Kenya made me examine and question how I live and what is important . It made (and continues to make) me wonder who is ‘happier’. I see such discrepancies between my life and others, although I live in a nice apartment with all of the ‘things’ I can desire - my life might be lonelier without a small community support system. So which life is ‘better’? This existential question is made sharper to me by traveling to countries whose cultures, customs and socioeconomic levels are different from what I grew up with and still. I also enjoy learning about the history of other cultures, why heritage and values result in suspicion to refugees and foreigners. This is a wake-up to me that not everyone (not most people) embraces diversity in every way . Much as I like to travel, I love to come home though.”

"I love the smells, tastes, sounds, sights and feelings of a place - new or familiar. I think my memories are closely interwoven with the scent of an event or a period of time so being able to catalogue a place by smell helps me remember the feeling of being there. Also food. Hooray for all the food and recipes that have been passed through generations, families and communities . I also love the feeling that I am somewhere removed from my everyday experience. It is exciting and relieving all at the same time. I love that traveling is not just one thing. Traveling can be fun. It can be invigorating, enlightening, powerful, relaxing, overwhelming, emotional or even a struggle.."

"The anticipate of travel is always the first exciting thing for me. The sheer idea of going somewhere far away. It's part coping mechanism, part restlessness, and part soul seeking. I love witnessing the way different people and cultures move through the world - how they interact with each other, love each other, how they make art, how they define community, what they value, what they fight for, and what they believe in spiritually . With every new encounter, you experience a new part of yourself."

“I love to travel because it takes me out of my comfort zone and I am always learning something new about myself and about that place each day I'm there.”

"For me it's meeting new people and learning about their different way of life - culture, traditions, food. And seeing what makes each place so unique ! Love finding a spot with a view that I'll always remember about that specific trip."

"I love the anticipation of a trip. Looking ahead, saving, planning, researching, all make the trip a greater adventure. I love the sense involved in experiences a new place, especially the taste. Every trip is magical and I feel fortunate; free to have wings at this stage in life."

"I can't remember a time when I wasn't dreaming about exploring a far away place. Trying to answer why I love travel is like trying to ask myself why I eat ice cream. I just love it. There's something so magical about getting the chance to live in each new place, surrounded by a new culture of sights, food and people."

"I love to see how other cultures eat and dance! Food and music is the best way to interact with people if you can't speak each other's language, and getting involved is the best way to show your appreciation . I also love challenging my own ideas about other cultures. It's so refreshing (and educating) to experience another side to what we see on TV, in movies and online.”

"I like to travel to understand history and learn how others live across the world. And for the food obviously ."

“I love to travel because I love to learn and meet inspiring people. It's important to educate yourself about different cultures and its pretty sweet to learn new skills (even if you pay for something 'tourists' do). Submitting yourself to the unpredictability of travel gives you experiences, some good others bad, that ultimately contribute to your world knowledge - even if it's only becoming a bit more aware of what is around you . Oh, and its fun learning dirty words in different languages.”

“I love to travel because it takes me outside of my culture and privilege and reminds me of great inequities in our world. Travel inspires me to learn more, think more and to better serve our world community. ”

“I rewatched Midnight In Paris last night. So I ask, 'is the age we are living in a golden age?' Certainly if Trump is president then No. But how would we ever know? The path towards the answer is to travel. Traveling allows you to drink with Hemingway, walk the path of Jesus, and gush over Joni Mitchell. I travel so I can debate and discuss this necessary question."

"My favorite part of traveling is being exposed to food, people, places, and things I've never experienced. To get that feeling of the first time is exciting ."

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33 Meaningful Reasons Why People LOVE to Travel

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“Do you like to travel?”

This is a question I’ve been asked so many times in my life.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with seeing the world. In high school, I joined all of the clubs that had travel opportunities to out-of-state conferences.

In college, I studied abroad four times – and planned solo trips and trips with friends in between!

You could say that I LOVE to travel – it’s also one of the reasons I created this blog! Traveling is in my blood, and I have two major missions in life: 1. see as much of the world as possible, and 2. inspire others to do the same!

There’s even a word for people like me. I’m a hodophil e , which means “one who loves to travel.”

I could talk all day long about why I love traveling and the fulfillment that traveling has brought to my life. And there are tons of other travelers out there that feel the same as me!

To put together this ultimate list of reasons why people love to travel, I worked with some fellow travel addicts to tell stories of what travel means to us.

You’ll find stories of personal growth, checking off bucket list experiences, and learning new things – all thanks to travel.

So, if you’re thinking about traveling the world for yourself, or are just wondering about how traveling can change your life, keep reading for personal stories of why people love to travel!

Table of Contents

1. Travel helps you check things off your bucket list.

Written by Sydney from A World in Reach

Growing up in a small, rural town, I dreamed of one day flying across the ocean, visiting world-class cities, and seeing the landmarks I had only seen on TV in real life.

I had always found Stonehenge and its history to be so fascinating, and I thought that climbing the Great Wall of China would be one of the coolest things anyone could do.

Seeing the Eiffel Tower in Paris sparkle at night was something I often dreamed about, as was walking through the hectic streets of Tokyo.

At the time, all of these experiences seemed like a pipe dream. How would I ever be able to afford to visit such faraway places?

But now, thanks to the gift of travel, I’ve been able to check all of these things and more off of my bucket list. And thanks to learning how to travel on a budget, I’ve been doing it cheaply while still maximizing my experiences.

Today, my bucket list is never-ending – each time I check something off, something new gets added. I’m still dreaming of seeing the Pyramids of Giza, going on a South African safari, and eating my way through Mexico City.

I wake up each day thankful for the experiences I’ve been given, and I look forward each day to checking the next thing off my bucket list.

2. Traveling gets you out of your comfort zone.

One of the things I love most about traveling is that it gets me out of my comfort zone.

To me, travel is one of the most rewarding and enriching experiences in the world. Hopping off a plane and being in a completely new environment is a feeling unlike any other.

When I get stuck in my day-to-day routine, I crave the excitement (and sometimes, chaos) of a travel day.

Traveling forces you to do something difficult – you might have to navigate a city with a language barrier, get accustomed to cultural norms totally different from your own, or figure out how to get a spare key to your accommodation when you got locked out of your Airbnb late at night with a dying phone battery (if you’re wondering why that’s so specific, it’s because it was easily my most stressful travel experience to date!).

Thanks to travel allowing me to get out of my comfort zone, I’ve improved my critical thinking and decision-making skills. I’ve also become a more empathetic person, and striking up conversations with strangers doesn’t seem so intimidating since I do it regularly when traveling.

Travel is an incredible way to broaden your horizons and expand your worldview. It challenges you to step outside of your comfort zone, confront your fears and insecurities, and connect with others.

If you’re ever yearning for an escape from the routine, start planning a trip.

3. Travel lets you try new foods.

I travel for a lot of reasons – seeing iconic landmarks in person, learning something new at museums and historical sites, and meeting new people from different walks of life.

One of my favorite things about travel though is all of the different food!

I’ve always been a foodie, and traveling has opened me up to so many unique dishes and cuisines that I can’t get at home.

Some of my fondest travel memories include eating my way through Ueno Market (one of the best things to do in Tokyo ), trying cuy (guinea pig) in Ecuador, and taking a Hawaiian cooking class in Oahu.

When I’m planning a trip, I always keep a list of foods to try and the best restaurants to visit. I also love taking local cooking classes so that I can learn how to make the dishes at home!

One of the #1 pieces of travel advice I always give others is to always try a new food , even if it’s something out of your comfort zone. You never know, you might end up with a new favorite!

4. Travel lets you escape everyday life and discover yourself.

Written by Kristin from Tiny Footsteps Travel

Traveling helps you discover not only new places but yourself.

Having grown up in a small town that I never left where I faced bullying at school, it was hard to imagine life outside of my reality.

At 12 years old, I got on a plane for the first time, to visit family in Sweden. This was my first taste of international travel, and it taught me more than just that there are beautiful, breathtaking landscapes abroad.

In meeting my extended family members, I learned that life could look different from how I grew up. Travel became my passion that fired my spirit, and became the dream at the end of the tunnel whenever I faced hard days.

I pursued traveling in my teens and early 20s. I traveled back to Sweden and also lived abroad in France, Germany, Mexico, South Korea, and Australia.

Overseas in far-off countries, it didn’t matter whether I was popular in school or not. I got to meet people as a whole new person and discover what I liked and who I really was.

I empowered myself by doing adventurous things, like skydiving on the beach in Australia.

Now as an adult, I love to give the gift of travel to my own two children. Our most recent family trip was to Costa Rica , which is the perfect destination with kids, a partner, or on your own.

5. When you travel, you get to learn about other cultures.

Written by Cristina from My Little World of Travelling

One of the main reasons why I love traveling is learning about other cultures. Although you can read books, watch documentaries or hear other travelers’ stories, nothing is better than experiencing the culture yourself.

Each destination I’ve visited has taught me something about a culture, but Mexico stands out for me. Despite Spanish being my first language, Mexican Spanish and culture are very different from Spain’s.

Visiting places like Chichen Itza and eating at local restaurants inspired me to cook more Mexican foods at home, learn more about its gastronomy, and made me curious about their traditions.

I also love that you can take new habits and traditions from other countries. Having traveled and lived in the UK , I adopted new habits like drinking tea and using words and expressions from regions like Yorkshire.

6. Traveling allows you to meet new, interesting people.

Written by Tammi from Wander Healthy

Traveling is a fantastic way to meet new and interesting people, especially for first-time travelers.

It puts you outside of your usual routine, providing opportunities to interact with people who share unique insights and experiences about the places you’re visiting. This is an easy and awesome way to learn about different cultures and customs.

Whether it’s chance encounters or shared experiences, you’re likely to interact with others every time you turn around.

It could be striking up a conversation on a train, meeting someone in a coffee shop, or attending a local event, but the possibilities for meeting new people are endless.

Staying in hostels or going on tours, my personal favorites, have a way of leading to conversations and lifelong connections with friends you wouldn’t have met otherwise.

Whether you’re backpacking through Europe, exploring Southeast Asia, or taking a road trip across the United States, you’re likely to meet people with interests and hobbies similar to yours, and your community builds naturally.

Traveling is the only thing that does this so effortlessly, letting you meet new and interesting people from all walks of life and create memories for a lifetime.

7. Traveling lets you see unique landscapes unlike any you’ve seen before.

Written by Sierra from Your Guide to Wandering

Traveling has allowed me to see landscapes found nowhere else in the world.

There are many places on earth that, without protection, would have disappeared with time. I’m grateful for our protected lands and historic monuments to allow me to experience nature and history from a first-hand perspective.

The ability to see fossils along my hikes in Moab, Utah, bike along 75-foot sand dunes in Cape Cod , or stroll the grounds of 12th-century castles in Portugal is invaluable.

Travel allows every day to be a different story and a different adventure. I don’t have to read about history or natural wonders just in books – I can experience them in real life.

Traveling to unique landscapes sparks our curiosity and childlike wonder. How were humans able to build the Roman Empire in ancient days with the most primitive of tools? How were the caves in Carlsbad, New Mexico formed over millions of years by just wind and water?

Travel constantly inspires me and keeps me exploring the bounds of history, science, and nature. What a privilege we get to travel and see such unique historical and natural places on Earth.

8. Travel helps you see things from a new perspective.

Written by Jo from World Wild Schooling

One of the things that I love most about traveling is the ability to see things from a new perspective.

Whether it’s a different culture, a new environment, or simply a change of scenery, traveling has a way of opening up your eyes to the world around you.

When we’re stuck in our daily routines and familiar surroundings, it’s easy to become complacent and forget about the wider world.

Traveling helps to break us out of this bubble and expose us to new ways of thinking and living. It allows us to see how people in other parts of the world approach life, work, and relationships.

For example, I was surprised to find out that in Phuket, Thailand, buses have no glass in the windows due to the consistently warm climate. This may seem like a small detail, but it highlights the unique ways that different cultures adapt to their surroundings.

Similarly, my jaw dropped when I first visited Brussels, Belgium , and saw that all signs are bilingual, even the subtitles in cinemas (yes, this means 4 lines of text!). This reflects the country’s complex linguistic history and the ongoing efforts to maintain both French and Dutch as official languages.

9. Travel can make you feel alive.

Written by Michele from Adventures Abound

Traveling makes simple experiences feel momentous, it sparks creativity, and it makes me come alive!

My first time going to another country was when I studied abroad in Costa Rica , and I realized that even the smallest experiences like taking a bus to a cool landmark or walking to a neighborhood festival were suddenly interesting in a new country.

I loved meeting new people, learning about the culture and the language, and traveling around to see beautiful nature in Costa Rica. Even just taking a bus to go visit a coffee farm felt like the most fun adventure.

Once I went on that trip, I was bitten by the travel bug as they say.

I started seeking out ways to feel like I was exploring and that often meant getting out around where I lived.

It’s so fun to explore little towns, peruse around farmer’s markets and shop with local vendors with the lens that I am traveling like I would if I were further from home.

10. Traveling allows you to see art in the world’s best museums.

Written by Lisa from Waves and Cobblestones

One of the reasons that I love to travel is that it gives me the opportunity to visit world-class art museums and spend time looking at fabulous pieces of art up close.

It’s quite a special way to experience art when you can look at a statue from different angles to note and admire all of the fine details.

If you can, always walk around a sculpture to view it from all sides. You just can’t appreciate it in the same way from a photo.

In some museums, the way that the art is displayed improves the viewing experience. In the Musée de l’Orangerie (one of my favorite Paris attractions ), Monet’s Water Lilies paintings are displayed in a unique oval room for an immersive panoramic viewing experience.

Visiting museums is one of my favorite things to do when I travel. And it’s also a great option for a rainy day!

11. Traveling strengthens friendship bonds.

Written by Kristin from Global Travel Escapades

One of the biggest reasons why I love to travel is because it allows me to strengthen the bonds I share with friends.

My friends and I traveled together right after graduating from university.

Although we somewhat knew each other before going on the trip, we didn’t really know each other!

But on this trip, we spent over a week laughing our butts off, dealing with stressful situations, and generally going on all kinds of crazy adventures around French Polynesia together.

There was no shortage of mistakes during this intense period, but we all came out on the other side for the better!

Fast forward almost two years later, and we all still speak so fondly of that time together. In addition, we went from mere acquaintances to the best of friends.

So, for me, I love traveling because it helps strengthen the friendships and relationships I have with others!

12. Travel helps you learn about history and its impact on places you visit.

Written by Diana from Travels in Poland

Traveling has always been my passion, but when you visit a place where you really feel something you can’t explain, it can transform your perspective on travel.

This happened to me when I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau .

My family is Polish and my grandmother, who was there with me, couldn’t get herself to enter the camp fully for several hours. She lived through the occupation and knew people shipped off to the camp. I realized how deeply this impacted me when I visited.

I’ve long been captivated by the way events shape societies, leaving indelible marks on the fabric of their being.

Stepping onto the hallowed grounds of Auschwitz, I felt the weight of the past heavy on my shoulders.

My grandmother’s eyes, glistening with unshed tears, told a thousand stories. This was where she lost family and friends, their lives snuffed out by the unimaginable cruelty of the Holocaust.

It was in walking onto these grounds that I grasped the true power of travel: the ability to connect with the past, witness history firsthand, and gain insight into the myriad of ways it continues to shape our world.

Through this poignant journey, I found a renewed appreciation for the transformative potential of travel, and a deeper understanding of the impact places have on people. Learning not only about history, but about the way it has shaped our world, and how we can learn from it.

13. Traveling helps you find a home base.

Written by Mal from Where To Stay Bali

Traveling was always my passion, but since I quit my career in finance and my conventional life in my home country, traveling has a whole new meaning for me.

Slow travel has become my way of life and a search for somewhere I can one day settle.

Since the beginning of my digital nomad life, I’ve lived part-time in Greece, Albania, Mexico, and the Netherlands.

I loved each of these places for different reasons – for their weather, culture, food, and people.

But, there has been one place that felt different to me, more special, a place that I want to keep coming back to. I found a place in Bali , which is now my second home.

If you keep an open mind during your travels, you may also find a place like that – a second home that can change your life!

14. Travel gives you the chance to study and learn in a new culture.

Written by Amber from Amber Everywhere

I love to travel because it allows me to experience new cultures and ways of living.

In particular, I had wonderful experiences studying abroad when I was in college because it gave me a chance to learn and live in a new place.

I stayed with a host family during my first two trips abroad, once in Guatemala and again in Jordan.

Living with a local family gave me a chance to experience the culture, try different foods, and see entirely different parts of those cities that I would’ve otherwise found.

Studying abroad also gave me a chance to travel slowly, and I stayed in each place long enough to have a favorite restaurant or route to take to school.

There were smaller cultural nuances that I learned, either because they were explained to me by locals or because I just picked them up as I went.

15. Travel teaches self-confidence and self-acceptance.

Written by Chelsea from A Wandering Redhead

I want to personally thank travel for the self-love and self-acceptance that it has taught me. 

Pre-travel, I was shy, people-pleasing, and disbelieving if someone called me pretty. 

Post-travel, I am confident, I love my body and what it can do for me, and I’m overall more radiant and bubbly. 

Without travel, I may have never started my self-love journey and I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today. 

I love the progress that I have made and believe that everyone should solo travel at some point in their life.

16. Traveling fulfills childhood dreams.

Written by Colleen from Then We Walked

As a girl, I would watch Whicker’s World on our black-and-white TV.

Every week, Alan Whicker would appear on screen like a traveling James Bond, complete with his very correct English accent, and transport me to a new exotic corner of the globe.

I was enthralled. It lit a flame. I wanted to explore, too. I dreamed of Table Mountain, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Sphinx, the Parthenon, Hal Long Bay, and the Cook Islands.

But ordinary people didn’t travel in the 1960s, and I was a child.  I started work, married, bought a house, and had a family. Inside, I still dreamed.

We traveled a little, ticking off some of my bucket list, but last year, our children had flown the nest and we retired.  Now, we’re traveling and exploring in earnest!

I’ve waited half a lifetime to go exploring and I’m beyond excited about our plans.

My advice to the girl who watched the TV: don’t wait.

17. Traveling allows you to connect with nature.

Written by Taryn from Happiest Outdoors

One of my favorite things about traveling is connecting with nature.

I love the simplicity of hiking and wilderness camping because it removes all the chaos and distractions of everyday life. It’s just me and the mountains.

It’s also a great way to understand the local ecology. I find it fascinating to learn about the way glaciers and volcanoes work or what unique animal species live in the area.

Instead of just looking at a spectacular view, I can understand the way the landscape came to be, and that deepens my relationship with the place.

Spending time traveling in nature has also been pivotal in my life.

Back in 2019, I had some time to think while hiking the 65-kilometer Overland Track in Tasmania, Australia . The trek made me realize that it was the right time to leave my 9-5 job and write full-time.

Since then I’ve expanded my outdoor adventure website, written a hiking guidebook, and moved to a small mountain town so I can hike every day. 

18. Travel increases feelings of gratitude.

Written by Kristin from World on Wheels Blog

One of the reasons I love to travel is that it makes me more grateful.

When you are constantly in the same country or even environment, it’s easy to take things for granted.

As a traveler who uses a wheelchair and lives in the United States, it’s easy to forget that not all countries have ADA laws that guarantee access.

When I travel to places like South America, I am reminded how little things like curb cuts make a huge difference in how hard or easy it is to navigate a town. I can’t help but feel sad for the people with disabilities that actually live there.

Aside from reminders about how lucky I am to live in a country that encourages accessibility for all, I also feel a sense of gratitude that I’m able to explore the world and witness some of the immense beauty it has to offer.

There’s something incredibly special about seeing the power of Iguazu Falls and realizing how small you are in this massive world of ours. It’s a feeling and experience that photography just cannot seem to capture.

Travel is important for so many reasons, but helping to feel more gratitude is one of the things that I love the most.

19. Travel humbles you.

Written by Milijana from World Travel Connector

Gustave Flaubert, a literary genius and a wise man, once noted: “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”

And indeed, it is one of many lessons that traveling teaches you. Traveling puts you into a broader perspective of time, place, and the universe.

Visiting fascinating archeological sites like Petra in Jordan, Angor Wat in Cambodia, Giza in Egypt, and Pompeii in Italy made me see what a tiny place I occupy in today’s world and question the knowledge of contemporary times. It made me think.

Meeting other cultures while traveling showed me how oblivious I could be to other customs and traditions and how much there is always left to learn.

Traveling made me aware of the prejudices that I thought never existed. Travel shamed me. However, it also taught me the importance of being always open to learning while keeping the ego in check. 

I found it especially rewarding to hike Camino de Santiago in Spain. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims walked the trail before me. The Camino reminded me of the importance of modesty, effort, perseverance, and purpose. And, most importantly, what a tiny place I occupy in the world.

So, if you like meaningful travels, prepare your  Camino de Santiago packing list and walk the Camino. Let the Camino teach you valuable life lessons! 

20. Traveling helps you de-stress and recharge.

Written by Paulina from UK Everyday

Traveling is an excellent way to de-stress and recharge.

Discovering new places can allow you to reconnect with yourself. It can also help reduce stress levels by providing a change of scenery and an escape from the mundane routines of everyday life.

Traveling can also provide people with a sense of freedom from their work-related responsibilities, allowing them to relax surrounded by natural landscapes.

Exploring some of the best beaches in Wales can be a great way to disconnect from the stresses of everyday life.

Additionally, traveling can help boost creativity, as it encourages new ideas and perspectives. This can help spark creativity by introducing fresh ideas that you might not have otherwise thought of when stressed.

For these reasons, traveling is great to help de-stress and recharge.

Furthermore, travel also provides a break from your daily routine, allowing you to step away from your comfort zone and explore the unknown without worrying about your daily problems.

21. Travel lets you connect with other cultures through the arts.

Written by Dawn from Culture Feasting

If you consider yourself an artistic person, know that traveling can be a total game-changer.

As a creative person myself, I’ve found that exploring new destinations has the power to expand my spirit and give me all sorts of new artistic opportunities.

Over the years I have come to crave the stimulation of experiencing different cultures and their unique art forms.

From visiting local museums to catching a traditional dance performance, there are so many ways to connect with the arts while on vacation.

It’s not just about admiring pretty paintings or sculptures, either. It’s about immersing yourself in a foreign environment and gaining a whole new perspective on the world.

I’ve found that this can really inspire me to incorporate new artistic elements into my own creative projects.

So next time you’re planning a trip, consider how it could enhance your love for the arts and help you connect with other cultures on a deeper level.

22. Travel gives you a change of scenery.

Written by Tina from Veganderlust

I grew up in a small village in Austria, a country with beautiful lakes and mountains, but also a landlocked country.

The best part about traveling is the change of scenery. My favorite places to go to are cities next to the ocean, which is a completely different scenery from landlocked Austria.

There’s nothing better on your holiday than exploring a city and then relaxing at the beach.

That’s why I really loved my last trip to Barcelona . There’s so much culture and history to discover in this city, and afterward, you can go swimming in the sea.

By visiting different places with a change of scenery, you also develop a new appreciation for your own home scenery – one of the many positive side effects of traveling.

As much as I love traveling to coastal destinations, I always love seeing the mountains when I come back home.

23. Travel can strengthen your romantic relationships.

Written by Amy & Liam from Plain2Plane

There are so many wonderful reasons to travel.

If you’re in a relationship then there is nothing better than sharing experiences with your significant other.

Imagine waking up in Egypt with your partner, ready to go out for the day. You are going parasailing together, enjoying cocktails, quad biking – the list really is endless. You get to enjoy all of this with someone that you love and care about.

Traveling can be challenging at times and you have to make many different, sometimes difficult, decisions.

You have the luxury to share these moments together and form a closer relationship unlike any other. This will help you create a deeper bond with your partner.

You will also be able to step out of your comfort zone and try new things together. This will ultimately bring you closer together too!

24. Travel is inspiring.

Written by Chelsea from Adventures of Chels

One of the reasons I enjoy traveling is because of the many ways it inspires me.

Traveling inspires me to better myself physically, mentally, and emotionally.

I’m inspired physically when I’ve committed to a trip that involves physical effort. One example would be hiking the Inca Trail in Peru.

When I learned that the trail involved miles of steady incline at high altitudes I felt motivated to prepare for that physically. This resulted in healthier eating habits and weeks of exercising leading up to my trip.

I’m inspired mentally by the way traveling increases my desire to do even more of it. This usually prompts me to tighten my budget to save for my next trip.

It also helps put into perspective the things I need vs. want and how that plays into not only my budget but also my overall happiness.

Emotionally, traveling inspires me to be a better person. When I see the way people in other parts of the world live, many times with very little, I feel humbled.

I feel inclined to be more grateful for the things I have and the experiences I’m afforded. It contributes to my overall well-being when I’m reminded of how little I need to truly be happy.

There are many reasons why I love traveling; but, the way it inspires me is definitely high on the list.

25. Travel turns kids into global citizens.

Written by Brodi from Our Offbeat Life

As full-time digital nomads, my family has seen so many places and experienced so much that I never thought possible when I was younger.

My son is learning about different cultures, languages, and ways of life that he would have never been exposed to if we had stayed in one place.

Traveling as a family has allowed him to gain a greater appreciation for the world around him.

He’s able to see how people live differently in different parts of the world and understand why those differences exist.

He is also learning valuable lessons about resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving as he navigates through unfamiliar places and situations.

Most importantly, traveling has given him the opportunity to explore his own identity as a global citizen.

He is developing an understanding of what it means to be part of something bigger than himself – a global community – and how he can contribute positively to it.

26. Traveling helps you find new opportunities in life.

Written by Min from Amsterdam Travel Blog

Traveling is not just visiting new places, experiencing new cultures, and trying local food. It can mean much more than that; it allowed me to find new opportunities and has changed my life forever.

When traveling to Europe for the first time at 18 years old, I noticed how big the world was, and life was so different on the other side of the world.

Because of that, I became more motivated to embrace the world. I decided to travel and meet more people.

While traveling in Amsterdam , luckily, I met some friendly people, including international students from Paraguay and South Africa. They studied in the Netherlands with a full scholarship.

They told me that the Netherlands was their first choice since they could have more connections with people around the world quickly while studying, and easier to find a job here after graduation as a non-European.

I came from Taiwan and grew up there all my life. After working for a few years, I quit my job and studied in the Netherlands. Now, I finally moved to The Netherlands permanently on my own, and if I didn’t travel, I would not know that it was possible to move here.

I encourage you to travel more and be open to meeting new people. The world is so big – people you meet can help you see the world from a different perspective and get valuable information about your life.

27. Travel can help you create change in your own community.

Written by Annie from Your Friend the Nomad

Travel is not just about the place you visit, but the transformation you experience and how you transform your community in response.

I learned this when I spent a few months volunteering with a reconciliation organization in the Middle East.

Despite decades of violence between their communities, I saw ordinary people working together to build bridges across social divides.

As an outsider looking in, I only saw the tip of the iceberg of the challenges locals were facing—yet I could see that peacemaking was not an easy or quick task.

After a few months, I returned to the US completely changed. The framework for reconciliation that I learned abroad guided how I navigated the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, conversations about immigration, and even interpersonal conflicts.

Personal transformation is available to you as you travel whether you’re traversing war zones or relaxing on  tranquil tropical beaches . You just have to lean in and allow your biases to be broken.

28. Travel lets you see the vast landscapes of the world.

Written by Jessica from Uprooted Travel

As an outdoor adventure lover, one of the primary reasons I love to travel is to experience the vast array of landscapes the world has to offer.

This can take shape in so many different ways, from exploring the lush rainforests and rugged beaches of my own backyard in the Pacific Northwest to checking out any of the best hikes in Arches National Park in Utah, with unique sandstone fins and dramatic natural arches.

Of course, this takes me beyond my home country of the United States—there’s endless natural beauty to explore, like the turquoise waterfalls of Costa Rica , the luscious highlands of Iceland, or the sweeping grasslands of the Serengeti.

Along the way, of course, I get to enjoy all of the other aspects of travel, like trying new cuisines, befriending locals, and seeing the world through a new perspective.

But for me, getting to step foot in a uniquely stunning landscape propels me to keep traveling and seeing this big, beautiful world.

29. Travel helps you make the world a better place.

Written by Chloe from Passport Down Under

Traveling has allowed me to positively impact the world by leaving the country in a better position than when I entered it, which is what I love most about traveling.

Traveling has allowed me to give back by supporting local businesses and economies.

By choosing to buy locally-made products and using local services, I have helped to create jobs and support the growth of small businesses. This can contribute to the development of sustainable tourism and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Furthermore, traveling has allowed me to give back through volunteering and community service.

I have participated in activities such as clean-up projects on the beaches of Byron Bay, wildlife conservation projects in Cambodia, and teaching English to local children in Thailand.

These experiences not only allowed me to contribute to the community but also to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and needs of the local people, especially in counties such as Cambodia.

Overall, traveling has allowed me to leave the world a better place by positively impacting the communities I visit.

30. Travel is great for learning a new language.

Written by Diana from Avagu Press

Learning a language is a huge reason to travel. While textbooks and classrooms might work for math and literature, learning a foreign language requires a bit of independent study and a lot of practice time.

The best way to get that practice time?

Immersion — spending hours, days, weeks, and even longer completely immersed in a foreign language, using it to live.

Unless you happen to live somewhere where multiple languages are spoken, travel is key to immersing yourself in a foreign language.

For the most effective language-learning, language-learning resources that specifically target your travel plans (like a Swahili-learning guide specifically for safari ) will help you make the most out of your experience.

Focus on communication, and don’t worry too much about mistakes.

The beautiful thing about being a novice in a foreign language is that nobody expects too much, so the pressure is off! Enjoy your trip, and enjoy your language learning.

31. Travel brings adventure.

Written by Melissa from My Beautiful Passport

One of the reasons I love to travel is for adventure and trying adventurous activities.

When traveling to new destinations, not only do you get to immerse yourself in different cultures and try new foods, but you have the chance to participate in exhilarating adventure sports that will leave you breathless.

From snorkeling with turtles to parasailing over beautiful coastlines, and volcano boarding down an active volcano, the rush of excitement is unmatched.

For adventure-seekers like myself, traveling to participate in activities like these create memories that last a lifetime.

I have chosen many of my vacation locations specifically for the fun adventure sports I can try there, and often, it is the first time I’m trying each activity.

The thrill of adventure travel is hard to beat, and the rush of excitement that comes with it is truly unforgettable.

32. Travel inspires me to write about and share my experiences.

Written by Wayne from Always On The Shore

The biggest reason that I love to travel is because it inspires me to write about places I’ve visited and my experiences, so I can motivate others to travel and do the same.

I have always liked traveling but I never had the money to travel until my mid-30s.  Once I started traveling more consistently, I fell in love with the idea of warm-weather locations, such as Florida.

Since I’m from Minnesota and half the year is snowy, cold weather, beach vacations became something that I became obsessed with. Later, that became writing about all things Florida and even the Caribbean.

I know that other people can relate and have similar reasons for wanting to get away, but maybe there’s something stopping them. Like maybe they’re too nervous to fly, which I also experienced, until I did research on flying, and learned ways to cope with flight anxiety.

The main takeaway is that if you’re passionate about seeing amazing places and the world like I am, don’t let anything stop you. If I can inspire others to do the same by sharing my experiences, then I’m happy.

33. Traveling gives me a creative outlet.

As I was growing up, I always assumed that I wasn’t creative. I couldn’t draw, didn’t play an instrument, and I certainly couldn’t sing or dance.

I always did great in English class, but I never enjoyed the creative writing assignments. Coming up with fictional stories just wasn’t my strong suit.

When I finished my undergraduate degree, I had studied abroad four times in four different countries. I had also gone on several independently-planned trips, both international and domestic. At that same time, I also discovered a new creative outlet: travel blogging.

In school, I was always great at writing research papers and writing travel guides was a fun way to use my strengths. Plus, I had always enjoyed giving travel advice to friends and family, so why not share my stories and tips with the world?

Since starting A World in Reach in 2018, I’ve learned and grown so much. I’m so glad that I have a creative outlet where I can share about one of the most important aspects of my life – travel – and help others explore the world on a budget.

Reasons Why People Love to Travel: Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are SO MANY reasons why people love to travel.

For some, traveling sparks creativity, brings personal growth, and helps them escape the routine. For others, traveling brings bucket-list-worthy experiences, delicious food, and adventure.

The question “Why do you love to travel?” has no right or wrong answer. Traveling is a deeply personal experience that can bring happiness to different people in many different ways.

So, if you’re thinking about traveling in the future, I hope this post and the stories told within have shown you all of the positivity that travel can bring to your life.

If you were asked, “Why do you love to travel?”, what would your answer be?

After traveling outside of the US for the first time while studying abroad, I quickly developed a love for travel and an obsession for exploring as much of the world as possible. Now, I'm on a mission to teach college students, young adults, and anyone else who wants to see the world how to travel while minimizing their expenses and maximizing their experiences.

Love and Travel

Stories of fervor and friendship, hope and heartbreak—all made indelible by the places where they happened—to make you fall even more madly in love with travel.

From Roman Holiday to Eat Play Love, the best travel narratives are so often linked to romance. And what is true in art is also true in life. For Condé Nast Traveler ’s global Love and Travel package—a collaboration between our seven editions around the world—we explored the relationship between the two and unpacked its many forms. It could be the love of a place, as beautifully captured by Booker Prize nominee Elif Shafak on her deep adoration of Istanbul, a city that shaped her life but somewhere she can no longer return. Or the unexpected real life romantic moments that knock you off your feet when traveling to distant locales, like an engagement on Italy’s Stromboli volcano. We even report on growing destination wedding trends, highlighting the top places to say ‘I Do’ for 2022 and beyond as well as providing useful tips for guests flying in for the vows. If nothing more, let this celebration of love on the road inspire your next adventure with the people closest to you. Who knows what magical moment may happen—or who you may meet—along the way.

Rick Steves on the Uncomplicated Romance of Paris

By Rick Steves

Author Elif Shafak on Her Love Affair With Istanbul

By Elif Shafak

Turning Grief Into a Life on the Road

By Ashlea Halpern

Poet Ada Limón on Raising a Glass with Old Friends in California Wine Country

By Ada Limón

For Writer Colm Tóibín, Memories of Travel Are Clearer Than Any Photo

By Colm Tóibín

The Best Places to Throw a Destination Wedding, From a French Chateaux to a Puerto Rican Beach Resort

By Katie James Watkinson

The Best Places to Honeymoon All Year Long

Travel Professionals On the Romantic Moments That Could Only Happen on Vacation

By Erin Florio

Editor’s Letter: Travel as an Act of Love

By Jesse Ashlock

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Slow Travel. Eat Local.

Why I Love Traveling

//  by  Lisa 22 Comments

[updated August 2022]   Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore. Dream. Discover.    – Mark Twain

Hi. I’m Lisa and I love to travel. Plain and simple. And it’s a passionate affair, not hyperbole. I had to write this ‘why I love travelling’ essay to try to express how much I love travel. I started this blog in 2006 to document my trip around the world. Now I’ve been to more than 60 countries and counting . My travels have changed and shaped my life.

Ever since I was a kid, I had a sense of adventure. Just going around the ‘next bend’ on my bicycle, to see what was there, was exciting. And then as adult, it got the best of me and I quit my job as an Emmy award-winning TV producer, sold most of my stuff, and took off to travel around the world for two years. I never thought I’d do something like that. It was a pipe dream. It seemed impossible. Until..it wasn’t.

In most cases, traveling is cheaper , easier , and safer than you think.

I have always loved the adventure of travel — the unknown, something different, something new. And I feel the same way today… even though now the ‘next bend’ may be on another continent. I have been extremely lucky to continuously feed my passion and love of travel. Many out there share my passion while others do not. Looking back I can recount how I developed this travel bug . But, why do I love traveling so much? Here’s my ‘I love travel essay’ to try to explain this magic of travel!

Table of Contents

1.  I love the excitement of traveling

I love the excitement of it all — feeling like an explorer — discovering a new land, a new language, new money and all the little challenges that go along with it. When I travel, I am more spontaneous and don’t live for the future or the past… just in the moment. Being impulsive and saying ‘yes’ to nearly everything is part of the fun.

2.  I love the adrenaline rush of traveling

I love the rush . Habitual runners get off on the kick-in of endorphins that give them that extra boost they need to keep going. I get the same jolt from a day of travel or an unexpected side trip to a new and undiscovered land (for me… not for all mankind) that I hadn’t planned to visit.  Traveling seems to give me a near constant adrenaline rush.  After a few years of uninterrupted travel, I became quite addicted to this feeling. Traveling can be a challenge, but to me, a fun challenge that I enjoy conquering time and time again.  Plus it sure beats having to vacuum, pay bills, or shop for toilet paper.

“…so many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day, to have a new and different sun.” -Chris McCandless – “Into the Wild”

3.  I love learning new things

I learn so much from travel . World travel broadens your mind in so many ways. You meet new people, share new experiences, and let down your guard much more than when back at home caught up in the mundane day to day routine of life that we think is normal.  I get to see how the world lives. I see the sun and smiles in Israel that go way beyond the CNN clips. I learn about the differences and embrace the similarities. I am not there to complain about how it is ‘so different than back home,’ but rather to appreciate these dissimilarities. Just because something is different does NOT mean it is wrong and in many cases it can even be better. And, the people I meet get to know a bit about me, my world, and my background which can help dispel some other stereotypes as well. And now, some headlines I may have not noticed in the past, grab my attention. I’ve been to these places and have experienced their generosity. Now I’m much more interested and aware of what is going on there.

4.  I love the l ogistics of traveling

I like landing in a new place and trying to figure it all out myself. Where to get money. How to speak the language. How to go from point A to point B. How to pack my bag right so I don’t go insane after packing it for the 135 th time. Well, okay, maybe I don’t love that mundane task, but I still figure it’s better than all the tedious chores I left back home when I decided to travel. It all actually becomes easier and easier as it goes and gives you the sense of confidence that you can do anything. If I can plop down in an airport amidst the chaos of Cairo or hubbub in Hanoi and manage to get myself into the heart of town and find a place to stay, all the while, not getting ripped off and keep my sense of humor, then I am certainly not really worried about being able to go anywhere, anytime.

5.  I love the simplicity of it all.

My only job is to go somewhere and figure out how to do it. My to-do list is rather short: figure out the exchange rate and get cash out of an ATM, figure out a few key words in the native language , figure out transport to my lodging and around town, exchange books (find English used bookstore), do laundry every 2 weeks or so. Because I travel for longer periods, occasionally I also have to: get a haircut and buy new clothes to replace ratty, holey old ones.

Everything you own is with you in one bag . You only have a few pairs of pants or t-shirts, so getting dressed each day is an easy task. The more we have, the more it seems to weigh us down. Your life isn’t complicated by all the nonsense that is back home. But, guess what? If you really need a new shirt or shoes… you can buy it anywhere in the world. There is not much we actually really need and I think in this mega-consumerist society, we too often forget that. You need food and you need shelter… that’s about it. I enjoy some love, laughter, and happiness too… but that’s free and takes up no space in my luggage.

6.  I love meeting new people all the time.

In no other time in my life have I met so many people and made so many new friends in such a short time. The world is full of friendly, generous people. Sure, every place has its share of nitwits too, but as a traveler, you seem much less likely to meet them.  Maybe because people want to help you or maybe because you just don’t know some people long enough to uncover their schmuck-like tendencies. Since the nature of travel is to keep moving, these folks never become boring… because you simply don’t know them long enough to discover their flaws or get sick of them.

7.  I love the freedom .

I experience a great feeling of independence from traveling solo . I can go wherever I want, whenever I want. I can sleep in. I can stay out late. It’s all up to me.

All this also shows me how easy it would be just to live somewhere else… anywhere else really.  Staying in each place for an extended bit of time taught me how I could make friends, find work, and find a flat all rather easily.  Things that I would have to do if I was living there anyway-so, in many ways, for all intents and purposes it’s as if I was living there already.

“Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open roads Healthy and free, the world before me. The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose. Henceforth I ask not good fortune, I myself am good fortune. Henceforth I whimper no more, Postpone no more, need clothing, Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms. Strong and content I travel the open road.” -Walt Whitman, from: Leaves of Grass

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Lisa Lubin is an established travel/food writer and photographer, three-time Emmy® award-winning TV producer, video consultant, and travel industry expert. After more than a decade in broadcast television she took a sabbatical, which turned into three years traveling around the world. She created this blog in 2006. Lisa also owns LLmedia, a media & video consulting business. Her writing and photography has been published by American Way, Hemispheres, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, West Jet Magazine, Scandinavian Traveler, Orbitz, and Luxury Las Vegas. Her book, The Ultimate Travel Tips: Essential Advice for Your Adventures, is available on Amazon.

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Reader Interactions

June 16, 2009 at 4:59 am

Great perspective on the why's of travel (love the quotes) – especially in regards to simplicity and freedom from possessions. I am in the midst of re-configuring my life for long-term travel and just wanted to say thanks for the encouragement you offer by just doing what you want to do.

June 19, 2009 at 12:14 am

We need to travel to see faces different from the one that we always have around and to avoid the depression of being stuck in the same place.

June 19, 2009 at 12:17 am

I think traveling is incredibly important. It increases tolerance because you actually meet people from different cultures and learn that they are not so different from you.I wish that I could travel far more but I can't afford it! Great review !

June 21, 2009 at 4:35 am

I love the empowerment, the feeling of self-confidence. After some time on the road, I feel I can conquer the world – there isn't anything I can't take on. Travel makes me strong as well as worldly.

June 22, 2009 at 10:58 pm

I’m addicted to travelling,we can meet new people especially love talking with them and we can understand their way of life. When I plan a trip away, I always create a list of places that I want to visit, and make sure I visit those places.

July 5, 2009 at 4:33 am

Nice B/W pictures!

January 7, 2010 at 3:51 pm

I quoted that same Mark Twain line to a friend some time ago and he replied, "There was never a safe harbor." At the time I thought he was just being antagonistic, but I see that it was very true. we could get run over by a bus any day of the year. our heart can get broken in any city in the world, and every day people go to sleep and never wake up. I think his pessimistic response is just more of a reason for everyone to go see what the world has to offer them.

February 13, 2012 at 10:46 am

I just love travelling just the very thought of getting to an unknown desination is enough to get me excited. Unfortunately iam not able to travel all due to certain circumstances and culture… i envy those people who truly understand the importance and need to able to let yourself go and even if busy in the day to day life are able to take some time away for their soul:) its an enrichment process in my opinion… i hope it changes and i am able to do some travelling if not too much… thx for the lovely insight i enjoyed reading it:)

April 17, 2012 at 3:34 pm

Every person has a dream, my dream was broken and shattered. I used to love travelling, every day i always used to ask my parents, Can we go somewhere new? The truth was, I was so badly addicted that i started leaving in a dream world of my own. I used to draw photos of south america, used to look up all the facts.. but deep inside I forgot that reality is so bitter. The place I was living was alright, but soon it became depressing. I felt like life without travelling for just a few moments would ruin my life. The people I started meeting in different countries made me feel like i belonged there, not here. My happy memories travelling? I cry whenever i think of it again. I feels like being locked in a cage, full of darkness. Every month i'd wait for my holidays, cry and plead my parents to at least take me to a nearby country. No one understands how much i love travelling, and you know? One day Im going to get there. Im going fufill all my dreams because You only live once. That's all to say.

May 30, 2012 at 1:08 pm

This resonates with me on many levels, particularly the excitement of it all and figuring out logistics. I'm so glad that I've had a passion for travel since I was a kid, too. It makes me happy to be going places.

May 30, 2012 at 1:25 pm

I guess the passion for travel is hardwired in us. The passion may wane but somehow, the desire to travel (even just from one city to the next) will be there.

December 26, 2012 at 1:29 pm

Such a well-written post! I really like the freedom travel provides…and the sense of wonder 🙂

January 2, 2013 at 6:27 pm

Thanks Adam!

September 10, 2014 at 7:25 am

I agree with you so much about travel. Think it is something that everyone must experience at one point in their lives. It opens you up to so much more with experiences, people, culture, and much more. Thanks for sharing your views and congrats on leaving the hustle lifestyle.

September 14, 2014 at 12:19 pm

Thank YOU De’Jav for commenting and also being out there in the world being another good ambassador for the human race!

March 3, 2018 at 9:58 am

Great Work.. Keep it up!!

May 26, 2018 at 9:08 am

Lovetralling and bring along with 1 bag… Lets discover your life and dont regret for anything. I am in viet nam and i love to introduce vietnam beauty to my friends in the world.

August 2, 2018 at 7:16 am

Really, it’s an inspiring blog and its true travel gives us a freedom to explore the place, gives the wisdom to understand the things better and adapt the changes in a more flexible manner. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful blog with us!!

August 26, 2018 at 9:54 am

good one keep it up

March 17, 2019 at 11:11 am

adrenaline* you forgot the e in the end.

July 11, 2019 at 5:44 pm

Thank you! That’s been wrong for years. Fixed it! 🙂

[…] Lisa's Tongue & CheeksI was going after my biggest dream to travel the world – with no schedule, no return date, and no pressure.  I did not want the stress of ‘having to’ update my blog a certain number of times or anything like that.  And for the most part that worked.  I updated only when I had an interesting story to share that I knew would inform or simply entertain and hopefully make you smile or laugh.   I did not post about every place or every cup of coffee…it was really about things that moved me and stories that I knew could leave an impact. […]

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• Relationships

Love and Travel

Strengthening your relationship through shared travel experiences..

Posted February 18, 2023 | Reviewed by Vanessa Lancaster

• Why Relationships Matter
• Find a therapist to strengthen relationships
• Vacationing with your partner can help create lasting memories and escape everyday stressors.
• Couples' vacations may enhance communication and decision-making skills.
• Traveling together and removing yourselves from stressful responsibilities affords you to focus on one another without distractions.

Tickets booked! You and your partner finally scheduled that trip you had been talking about and are going to get away for a week; no work, no responsibilities, just the two of you and the beauty of the exciting travel locale. Whether it’s an active trip involving hiking, skiing, touring a new city, or a vacation focusing on rest and relaxation, such as a tropical island or spa, travel can boost your relationship and strengthen the connection between you and your partner.

Before getting into the benefits, it is important to note that planning a vacation, especially if you and your partner have different ideas of the best vacation spot, can be stressful . However, if you can find a place that allows you to enjoy the activities you love (such as a beach spot with a downtown area where you can mix the sunshine and rest with nightlife and shopping), you are setting yourselves up for vacation success.

Shared Experiences/Lasting Memories

Traveling together allows you and your partner to share new and exciting experiences and make memories that will last a lifetime. Researchers Shaw, Havitz, and Delemere (2008) conducted interviews with Canadian families to examine the meanings associated with family vacations of school-aged children and found that people see vacations as a way to escape everyday life and provide the family with the opportunity for togetherness and the ability to create long-term positive memories.

Enhanced Communication and Decision-Making Skills

As previously mentioned, planning a vacation can sometimes be difficult, especially if couples have different interests. This challenge continues when on the trip, as in an unfamiliar area, you are tasked with booking daily excursions, events, meals, and tours. Each person wanting to get to their “must-see” spots will need to clearly articulate what they want to visit and why they want to go. As you and your partner work out your itinerary, you will benefit from the teamwork of deciding on a plan and will need to communicate your wishes for the experience clearly. If successful, the lessons you learn in planning your trip can hopefully be brought back home to facilitate the ease with which you make household decisions.

Escaping Everyday Stressors

Traveling together and removing yourselves from the stress of work and responsibilities affords you and your partner the time to be present and focus on one another without any distractions. This may not be reality, but it gives you the opportunity to solidify your connection and let the sparks fly, and it may even enhance the intimacy between you and your partner.

Shaw, S. M., Havitz, M. E., & Delemere, F. M. (2008). “I decided to invest in my kids’ memories”: Family vacations, memories, and the social construction of the family. Tourism Culture & Communication, 8 (1), 13-26.

Marisa T. Cohen, Ph.D. , is a psychology professor, relationship researcher, and author of From First Kiss to Forever: A Scientific Approach to Love .

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When I Fell in Love with Travel: As Told By Female Travel Bloggers

Have you ever wondered how globetrotters fell in love with traveling in the first place?

For me, I think back to one specific life-changing experience that sparked my love affair with traveling the world. This first experience eventually led me to quit my 9-5 job to move across the world and ultimately led me to pursue my travel dreams full time. Heck, I even got a tattoo to commemorate that experience!

For others, it’s less of one specific experience and more of a multi-page love letter. I asked six of my favorite female travel bloggers to share their love stories with me, and h ere’s what they had to say:

Gloria Atanmo of The Blog Abroad

“However cliche it may sound, travel is something that I’ve fallen in love with over and over again, and the first trip I took solo was to Edinburgh, Scotland where I would quickly learn how adrenaline-filled, empowering, and liberating the feeling of travel can be.

Coming from a sheltered Nigerian upbringing in California, everything I knew about life was very curated and structured, so the idea that I could go places, form my own opinions, seek new friendships, cultivate inspiring relationships, and allow these moments to shape the better part of me was mind-blowing.

Though Scotland was the place that birthed my wanderlust, I still feel those same butterflies in Brazil, Namibia, and Japan. As you grow, you find new ways to challenge yourself, to better yourself, and to ultimately find complete gratitude with the lifestyle you’ve created that allows this feeling to be your everyday reality.”

Gloria Atanmo is a travel blogger, author, and digital storyteller, with a narrative set on inspiring others to discover the world of knowledge out there that simply can’t be taught in a classroom. Living out of a suitcase for almost 5 years, she’s trotted through over 60 countries across 6 continents and has no desire of slowing down anytime soon. 

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Kristin Addis of Be My Travel Muse

“I can trace my love affair with traveling back to so many moments, but one that really sticks out is Mozambique . This was already several years into this endless trip I’m on, but it made me realize that even places that are labeled as scary or ‘dangerous’ for solo female travelers can shatter expectations.

Mozambique is still probably my favorite overall travel experience for the beauty, the amazing people I met, and the reaffirmation that solo traveling is and always will be the best way to travel for the serendipity of it.”

Kristin Addis is a solo female travel expert who inspires women to travel the world in an authentic and adventurous way. A former investment banker who sold all of her belongings and left California in 2012, Kristin has solo traveled the world for over four years, covering every continent (except for Antarctica, but it’s on her list).

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Jessica Nabongo of The Catch Me if You Can

“Not everyone is born where they belong. I am a traveler. I always have been. From the age of six when my parents took me on my first trip to Uganda to spinning the family globe in the basement of our home and looking up different locations in the encyclopedia, I always explored the world, both physically and as a matter of daydreaming. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, my parents took us to various Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Canada, the UK, and of course multiple trips to Uganda. I always knew that the world was accessible to me.

When I was 22 and working full time, I decided to take a trip to London, Madrid, and Paris to hang with some friends. I was nervous because it was my first transatlantic flight by myself, I didn’t know what I would do on a plane, alone, for seven hours. I survived it, with a book, a few drinks and a pair of headphones. Though I faced challenges navigating Paris solo, challenges that led to a lot of tears, I survived. I knew at that point I could and wanted to travel more.

In 2008, when I cut off my hair and moved to Japan, after the first six months, I proclaimed that I would not live in the US for three years. That three years turned into seven and about 45 countries. Though my childhood introduced me to travel and served as a courting period, moving abroad is what solidified my marriage to travel. Travel is the air that I breathe. It is my curiosity about the variations in cultures around the world that keep me crossing borders.”

Jessica Nabongo is a wanderlust, writer, photographer, entrepreneur, podcaster, public speaker, and travel influencer. At her core, she is a dreamer looking to craft a life and career that interconnects her passions and talents. She also wants to use her story to educate and inspire others to travel and experience the world around them

Carly Nogawski of Light Travels

“I was fortunate enough to travel throughout my childhood, but it wasn’t until my 20s that I caught the bug.

The first time I truly fell head over heels was when I went on a month-long Euro trip with my boyfriend. Right before, we’d spent 2.5 years long-distance where our relationship turned into just texting 24/7 and always wishing we were together, rather than where we presently were. I remember longing for the months to fly by, and I lost touch with how great life can be when you actually live it day by day. Looking back, I don’t think I ever had the maturity to realize that until embarking on our trip!

During that month in Europe, I experienced what it was like to live entirely in the present. Instead of wishing to be somewhere else or with someone else, I was completely enveloped and enamored by my new surroundings, and every thought about the past or future no longer consumed me. It reminded me of the beauty and simplicity in the smallest, everyday things, and to experience that with the person I love was even more life-changing!

Even 4 years later, I still feel like I’m the best version of myself when traveling, since this always (for me at least) involves being present. It makes me feel gratitude towards the little things, I’m open-minded to the new and unfamiliar, and I can focus clearly on what’s most important in life, rather than the trivial thoughts that usually consume us on a day to day basis. No matter where I go now, traveling always makes me feel small and humble, and to me, that is the most meaningful way to live life!”

Carly Nogawski is an LA-based travel blogger and content creator, and the majority of the time she lives her life on the move! In 2015, she put her teaching career on hold to travel the world full-time and focus all her efforts on her career as an entrepreneur. Since then she’s visited 4 continents and over 20 countries, and doesn’t plan to stop exploring anytime soon!

Taylor Fuller of Travel Colorfully

“I studied abroad during college and I absolutely hated it. I was so excited to go to Paris and live there, on my own for five months, but I ended up having the worst possible time (and it was all my fault). I was dating someone and I was completely infatuated with him. I spent the first half of my time talking to him every waking second and not living in the moment in Paris. And then we broke up, the day before he was supposed to come visit me. So I spent the second half of my time abroad crying and laying in bed. It was not a good scenario.

While I was studying abroad I made friends with someone who worked at a travel company that took study abroad students on trips around Europe. I don’t know why, but in my head, I knew I should keep in touch with him. And  three years later , he got me a job at that company (basically because he thought I handled myself well when he saw someone projectile vomit on me at Oktoberfest…true story).

Anyways, I ended up taking that job in Italy because I really wanted to prove to myself that I could, in fact, live abroad, in another country, and be happy. And it ended up being the best thing I have ever done. Most people can’t look back and pinpoint the moment in their life that changed everything. But I totally can. Living in Florence was the thing that made me fall in love with not only travel and with the world, but with myself too.”

Taylor Fuller is a travel blogger from the States. She has lived in France, Italy, and Thailand, and will soon be calling the UK home. She spends most of her time living out of a suitcase, exploring the different corners of the world. She is obsessed with colorful places, street art, and good food. 

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 Lauren Bonheim of Lauren on Location

“The travel bug bit me young, and it got me good. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had the itch to go elsewhere. To try new foods, meet new people, see new things.

It’s probably the fault of my parents, who exposed me to a life full of travel early on. Some of my earliest memories include frantically throwing together my backpack, anxiously awaiting our next departure.

Then, when I was 13, Europe and I had our first encounter. I think this was the trip that ultimately broke me. The high was overwhelming. Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm: towering stunning blondes; St. Pettersberg: the graceful elegance of the Russian ballet; Amsterdam: the charming gloom of the gray canals; Paris: a small Parisian apartment and warm gooey baguettes. We drove, we flew, we cruised. I experienced my first kiss. I knew I’d never be the same.

That trip forever changed me. It instilled in me the drive to learn, see and know more and the courage to pursue my passions. I later studied abroad during college and then moved abroad immediately following graduation. I’ve now been lucky enough to call 6 cities and 3 continents home and hope I continue to have the opportunity to wander this world and lose myself in cities, art, culture, and love.”

Lauren is a 26-year-old with a wicked case of wanderlust, on an ongoing mission to see, taste and experience as much of this wonderful world as possible! She’s a native New Yorker currently calling the Chilean capital of Santiago home, working in Digital Marketing for a US-based Startup and blogging on the side.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these stories as much as I have! If you haven’t come down with a serious case of  Wanderlust after reading the travel love tales of these six amazing travelers, then I think someone needs to check your pulse!

So now it’s time to ask you: When did you first fall in love with travel? 

Wanderluluu xx

I’m Lauren, an award-nominated blogger from Massachusetts on a mission to debunk the myth that the world is a scary and dangerous place for female travelers…starting with Colombia! 29 countries, across 5 continents later, I now call Bogotá, Colombia home after visiting on and off for the past 4.5 years, and am here to show you all the beautiful travel experiences you can have not only here in Colombia, but in destinations across the world!

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23 comments.

Pamela Chieffallo

What a great post! It was so interesting reading everyone’s story! My love of Travel started when I was really young. I inherited my Travel bug from my dad, he alsways encouraged me to see the world. I then had a job that allowed me to travel across Canada, the US, Europe and Asia so I experienced many places while working. Now I get to do it with my husband with a more leisurely approach! I encourage everyone to get out there and explore! You can learn so much about the world and yourself!

Lauren Mae Pelkey

That’s so wonderful that you caught the travel bug from your dad and that you had a career which allowed you to travel so much. I couldn’t agree more that travel helps you learn more not only about the world but about yourself as well! Thanks for reading xx

Well!I have always loved travelling but for a long time I had only travelled in my country,Kenya.About e years ago we started goinh to Tanzania with family for Christmas back and forth until last year it so happened that my family was not around.I was left wondering what I would do for Christmas.That’s when a random conversation with a friend ended up bring a vacay to Zanzibar, Zambia,Zimbabwe and Botswana. When in the train to Zambia that’s when I fell completely in love with Zambia.I could not contain myself!As a new traveller, I’m not looking back.I found what makes my heart leap with joy 😍

Hi Nancy! Your travels sound AMAZING. Those are all places I haven’t been to yet, but I would love to visit someday (soon). Thank you so much for sharing your travel story, and I’m so happy to hear how much joy travel brings to you. I know the feeling girl! <3

Well!I have always loved travelling but for a long time I had only travelled in my country,Kenya.About 3 years ago we started going to Tanzania with family for Christmas back and forth until last year it so happened that my family was not around.I was left wondering what I would do for Christmas.That’s when a random conversation with a friend ended up being a vacay to Zanzibar, Zambia,Zimbabwe and Botswana. When in the train to Zambia, that’s when I fell completely in love with Zambia.I could not contain myself!As a new traveller, I’m not looking back.I found what makes my heart leap with joy 😍

Emily Parker

Nice post! Yeah I caught the travel bug from my parents as well. Like seeing people, especially women from different cultures really is inspiring and helps you grow as a person. Ive traveled through SE Asia a fair bit I would really like to head to Africa this year & reading all these stories just really gets me excited!

Hey Emily!! Thanks so much for reading. I am so with you – Africa is so high on my list (not sure exactly which countries yet), but I’m not sure when I’ll be able to go. Where/when are you planning on going?!

Probably September-ish. Will probably head to South Africa 1st followed by Madagascar and then roam around from there 🙂 Haven’t finalized everything!

Wow – sounds amazing! I can’t wait to hear about that trip!!! Have the best time. xx

So many amazing stories!! I started going on trips with my dad when I was like 3 years old. My parents were still in college, so we hiked and camped a lot back then.

But the love for nature, adventure and experiencing new places was already there.

I always tried to find a way to travel and see new places. I was a model (briefly), spend two summers in Italy (Venice & Rome) as a tour guide, was part of a professional white water rafting team and worked for a car company as their spokesmodel so they sent me to various international car shows.

I think I have a gypsy blood and if I couldn’t travel, I would probably join a circus 😂❤️

Thank you for sharing all these amazing stories! ✌🏼

Hi Stani! I absolutely love getting to know you a little better. I think I’d have to agree – you have gypsy blood for sure! Love how your parents took you camping as a little girl – I’m sure that’s where your sense of adventure came from! I camped a lot as a kid and I still enjoy it from time to time. Thank you so much for sharing!

Angela Petri

It’s my life to go to great cities of the world and share my experience with all of you. My last visit was to Romania and I really loved it all the way. The best thing about my whole trip was the music in Romania. The Romanians love music and there are a lot of great music festivals in Romania that you would surely enjoy with your friends. Come and have a great experience partying in Romania. Check more at here: https://tourinromania.com/

Hi Angela, thanks for sharing your link – I would love to visit Romania one day!

Sapana Kotwal

Thanks, Lauren for your travel story. This is such a great post! It’s really cool that everyone has such different and unique favourite places. Mine is by far India, My last visit was to India and I really loved it all the way. The best thing about my whole trip was the culture & Tradition in India. The high contrasts, the amazing colours of the sarees, the chaos and the spiritual things, all is real and surrealistic too. I Specially Recommend to all Travel Lover To Know More about India https://appealingindia.com/

Sounds amazing Sapana!! I hope to go to India one day (sooner rather than later!!!)

wow what a post? really amazing I enjoyed the post,

I am so glad you enjoyed it! Definitely brings me inspiration 🙂

Travel Partner

I really enjoy reading your blogs always.

Thank you so much for the kind words – Happy Travels!

Thank you so much for sharing all this wonderful info with us. It is so appreciated.

So glad you enjoyed it Shivani!

emily cooper

Oh! so glad to read your article. now waiting for the next one.

Thank you so much for reading!

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I’m Lauren, an award-nominated blogger and children's author from Massachusetts on a mission to debunk the myth that the world is a scary and dangerous place for female travelers…especially Colombia! 30+ countries, across 5 continents later, I now call Bogotá, Colombia home after visiting on and off for the past several years, and am here to show you all the beautiful travel experiences you can have not only here in Colombia, but in destinations across the world!

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33 Beautifully Romantic Travel Quotes for your “Love”

by Jeanine | Feb 11, 2022 | 20 comments

Beautifully Romantic Travel Quotes, just for the one you “Love”

I must admit I love a good quote, if it has a travel connotation well you have me hooked. Furthermore, letting you in on a little secret. I’m an absolute sucker for a beautifully romantic travel quote. Where someone’s words just sing to me & reflect my thoughts and feelings. This is why I put together this list of 35 of my all-time favourite beautifully romantic travel quotes.

There are many instances where travel quotes are somewhat inspirational. Furthermore, there are occasions they can be used as affirmations to your travel hungry soul. Which is what these 33 Beautifully Romantic Travel Quotes for your “Love” are to me.

There are numerous places you can find all sorts of quotes & plenty that are travel related. Though there are only 33 here as they were most significant to me when finding those that were beautifully romantic travel quotes. To find those that can sing to your soul I recommend BrainyQuote or GoodReads . You can do a search for your chosen topic & I am sure you find some.

Travel Quotes just for the one you Love

The first 15 of our beautifully romantic travel quotes are specifically relating to the one you love.

• “Happiness is planning a trip to somewhere new, with someone you love.” – Marie Cribaillet

This first one is my song I am filled with so much joy when we are planning trips together. Especially looking for the  things we both love to do.

• “Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.” – Ernest Hemingway

Now I don’t know about you but for me this could be partner, family & friends. For me personally its a must as they are the only ones that would put up with my weirdness. Ha Ha

• “I’m in love with you and the world.” – Anonymous

What a beautifully romantic travel quote, see just sings…the words just say it all.

• “In life, it’s not where you go. It’s who you travel with.” – Charles Schulz
• “I would not wish any companion in the world but you.” – William Shakespeare
• “I would like to travel the world with you twice. Once, to see the world. Twice to see the way you see the world.”-Author Unknown
• “Be careful who you make memories with. Those things can last a lifetime.” – Ugo Eze
• “I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m going. Are you coming with me?” – Anonymous

I truly believe your travel companions especially those you love can make a trip so full…

To expand if traveling as a couple, family, or group you have each other. Although, even if you are a solo traveller, you meet those companions along your road. They have great capacity to contribute richness to your travels as you do to theirs.

• “I just want to hold your hand and wander the streets with you.” – Anonymous
• “I want to travel the world with two things in my hands: your hand in one and a camera in the other.” – Anonymous

These are so us, we wander the streets of every city we go to hand in hand. Never caring about any comments or wolf whistle & we’ve had a few.

To travel as a couple for us, make our trip more exciting & rewarding. Yes, I know I believe I am an incurable romantic, who knew…

• “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.”— John Steinbeck
• “Travel keeps you young and free, even when you’re an old married couple.” – Anonymous

Oh wow are these two so correct, whilst travel does keep you young and free. As soon as you think you are in control the wheels fall off & go rolling down the road at break neck speed…

Though as we add in our article 6 steps to create your perfect itinerary … Number 5. is ‘Just Breathe’.

• “I would gladly live out of a suitcase if it meant I could see the world with you.” – Anonymous
• “When you love someone, you even love them when your luggage is lost.” – Anonymous
• “Take me anywhere; just take me with you.” – Anonymous

The last in this section of our beautifully romantic travel quotes & I do love these. You are probably going to read that again. Though, I can honestly say every quote in our collection I love & chose because of that.

These last three of this section, especially have special meaning.  Where we have stood together waiting for luggage. I am always saying I don’t care where you go ‘just take me’. Finally, I would gladly live out of a suitcase if we were doing it together.

Travel quotes for your Adventure love

The next section of our beautifully romantic travel quotes are for your Adventure love. Now you may ask how does adventure travel & love quotes fit together? I have to ask how does it not? But let e show you.

Here we have 7 that are specifically relating to your adventure love.

• “Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures.” – Lewis Carroll

I have to say what girl wouldn’t be happy with a lifetime of adventures, I know I wouldn’t be.

• “I’ve fallen in love with adventures, so I begin to wonder, if that’s why I’ve fallen for you.” – E. Grin
• “Here’s to road trips, red eyes, and a lifetime of adventure together.” – Anonymous

How could anyone deny number 17 doesn’t belong in our beautifully romantic travel quotes… ‘sigh’

I also have to add many of our road trip, red eyes are due to late nights sitting chatting. Though, it may also have a little to do with what’s consumed, whilst chatting. But adventures together are the very best.

• “Oh darling, let’s be adventurers.” – Anonymous

How could anyone refuse an invitation like that I ask… I think this is one that goes into the ‘favourites’ box… It just make me tingly.

• “Find someone who is a home and an adventure all at once.”— Anonymous

Now this one has a fine quality in it, who doesn’t want to find that one person. That has the ability to ignite the adventurer in them, whilst being their home base or lodestone.

• “As soon as I saw you, I knew you would be an adventure of a lifetime.” – Winnie the Pooh

Now who could doubt the Pooh Bear in this, he is obviously a visionary with his sage words of wisdom. But truly have you ever met someone & just thought ‘I would follow them anywhere’ .

• “You’d be surprised who the love of your life turns out to be. After all, adventure fell in love with lost.” – Mary Oliver

Travel quotes for your Love Together

These last sections are of our beautifully romantic travel quotes are for your Love Together. In addition to some that just didn’t fit above, but I liked them so they were added.

So 11 left in our set of beautifully romantic travel quotes for your love.

• “The only baggage in this relationship is our suitcases.” – Anonymous

Everytime I read this I smile as it’s true we just don’t have any other baggage, we got new bags…haha.

• “Escape and breathe the air of new places together.” – Anonymous
• “I don’t want to be tied down to someone. I want to be set free with someone.” – Anonymous

We love to just wandering about soaking in whatever atmosphere is surrounding us. Sitting in a café watching the world pass by even for just a moment. It always so freeing to be together & be free to be YOU…

This next one makes it to my favourites list & I seriously couldn’t leave it out. It fits in perfectly with this selection of beautifully romantic travel quotes.

• “Let’s find some beautiful places to get lost together.” – Anonymous

• “A couple who travel together grow together.” – Ahmad Fuadi
• “Long drives feel shorter when they’re done in love.” – Anonymous
• “Here’s to all the places we went. And here’s to all the places we’ll go. And here’s to me, whispering again and again and again and again: I love you.” – John Green

Many can relate to travelling & growing together, learning each others passions for a place or area. I do love 29 I feel it should be in an old film in a smokey bar…

• “Love is the food of life, travel is dessert.” — Anonymous

We do love finding local foods in our travels & it really is the icing on the cake. Being able to explore the globe, trying different foods & seeing all the marvels they have to offer.

• “I have found out there is no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”— Mark Twain
• “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”– Tim Cahill
• “We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.” – Anonymous

It truly is, travelling together for us that makes it the grand bold adventure it is. I had to end with the last as it doesn’t matter if you travael for 1 year or 50yrs. The memories last a lifetime.

I do hope you enjoyed our beautifully romantic travel quotes, as much as I did putting them together. If you have a have a favourite pop it in the comments I would love to hear it. Alternatively you can find us on social meadia, we’d love for you to find us.

20 Comments

Your 30th is my favourite and it couldn’t be more true! Travel is the sweetness of life:). And the 8th would be applied all the time in an ideal world…

I love them all, but yes it is especially sweet that one

Great romantic quotes! I loved “a couple who travels together goes together”. I couldn’t agree more. It opens your eyes to so many new things about your partner when you experience new things together in a different location.

It’s one of my very favourite quotes and I agree it’s very illuminating…ha ha

Great collection of quotes! Looking forward to travel again for sure.

Aren’t we all I can’t wait to get on my first plane overseas…

I am so loving these travel quotes! I just wished my husband will say some of these lines to me. Never too old for romance.

No you aren’t but then never to old to take the lead also… says some to him…

Great quotes, I love reading them and I will keep these in the collection. Thank you for sharing!

You are welcome…I love quotes so will plan more as sometimes life needs a bit of light reading… thank you for reading..

Be careful who you make memories with, those can last a lifetime! WOW! I’m really going to think on that awhile!

Ha Ha…it’s deep but true memories last a lifetime

“Travel keeps you young and free, even when you’re an old married couple.” – love this one!

They are all favourites.. but this one made me think of my grandmother at 67 she was still taking off to Japan with my Grandad…I hope to be travelling well past that …

I’m saving this for our family vacation this fall 😉

ha ha… you can print some out and post them around the place….

“Travel keeps you young and free,” But I’m LAAAAZYYYYYY 😅🤣Haha

Ha Ha … and I’m old but still love travelling… it is freeing you should try it ha ha

These quotes are so inspiring! Who we choose as our travel companion is as important as the destination. I love travelling and I love desserts so the one saying “Love is the food of life, travel is dessert” sounded like home.

It is even when travelling in a group…I love that one also it’s quite fitting I think

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Fiction and memoir, but make it travel

What should i read next episode 422: true tales and stories to transport you.

• BY Anne Bogel
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Wanderlust inspires today’s guest in her reading selections: Joy looks to books to take her vicariously to places she can’t get to right now in real life. 

Joy has traveled extensively and even lived abroad, but now that she’s settled in small-town Georgia, she’s ready to fill her reading list with travel narratives and memoirs. Joy’s struggled with finding a good system when it comes to selecting her travel reads and she’s picky about finding the titles that really work for her, so today we’re going to explore that struggle and make suggestions for Joy.

We’ll closely examine her loves, as well as a title or two that hasn’t worked so well for her, and see if we can then add both fiction and nonfiction travel narratives to Joy’s to-be-read stack that she will actually enjoy reading next. 

Please add your suggestions for Joy by leaving a comment below.

Live Book Events this spring!

I love connecting with all of you on this podcast, and this April I hope I’ll get to meet some of you in person! Join me at upcoming book festivals in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Tallahassee, Florida: get all the details on ​our events page​ .

[00:00:00] ANNE BOGEL: Hey readers, I'm Anne Bogel and this is What Should I Read Next?. Welcome to the show that's dedicated to answering the question that plagues every reader, what should I read next? We don't get bossy on this show. What we will do here is give you the information you need to choose your next read. Every week we'll talk all things books and reading and do a little literary matchmaking with one guest.

Readers, I'd love to connect with you on the podcast, but I am back on the road this spring and I'm looking forward to meeting some of you in person.

From April 11th to 13th, I'll be at the Festival of Faith & Writing in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is a festival for readers and lovers of literature.

Then I'll be at Word of South Festival from April 26th to 28th in Tallahassee, Florida. This is a gathering of musicians and writers. I'm looking forward to recording a live podcast and being in conversation with Lauren Groff for her keynote event. It's going to be great.

[00:01:08] Literary festivals are so fun and enriching, and I can't wait to see many of these authors myself, and I'd love to see you there, too. If you've never been to a literary festival, we have an episode for you. In Episode 354, called Book Festivals for Beginners, I talked to Christina about getting ready for her first literary festival, and it's a great resource to help you prep for yours.

Get more details about these upcoming events at modernmrsdarcy.com/events, and we'll also put notes in our show notes for you. I hope to see you there.

Now for today's episode. Our guest loves to travel, whether in real life or through the pages of a good book. Joy has traveled extensively and even lived abroad, but now she's finding herself in small-town Georgia and looking to books to fulfill her wanderlust and take her vicariously to places she can't get to right now in real life.

This is not a new genre for Joy. She's loved travel narratives, fiction with travel elements, and especially travel-oriented memoirs, but she's never had a good system for finding the travel reads she enjoys most.

[00:02:07] Joy has decided to make 2024 her year of traveling in her reading, so we're going to find some titles for her today. But an obstacle is that while Joy loves to read, she's picky about the books. She only really likes them when she finds the right thing for her.

Today, we're going to closely examine her loves, as well as a title or two that hasn't worked so well for her, and see if we can then add both fiction and nonfiction travel narratives to Joy's to-be-read stack that she will actually enjoy reading next.

Let's get to it.

Joy, welcome to the show.

JOY: Thank you so much, Anne. I'm so happy to be here.

ANNE: Oh, I'm so excited to talk books with you today. Joy, we want to give the readers a glimpse of who you are. Tell us a little about yourself.

[00:02:49] JOY: Well, I live in Madison, Georgia with my husband, Brian, our one-year-old daughter, and our golden doodle, Honey. We actually only been here for about six months. We just moved for my husband's job from Maryland where we both grew up. So we're still getting settled we're building community. But we really love it.

We especially loved the warm winter. We were looking for a little bit of a warmer climate, and I have to say having lived through the winter down here it's pretty great.

ANNE: I'm glad to hear that for you all.

JOY: Yeah, we loved it. Other things I love besides being warm, obviously hanging out with our friends and family, being active and being outside, hiking, running, walking. On the flip side of that, really love good food. I would consider myself a little bit of a foodie, like baking, obviously reading, and then any good stories that are on TV. Love puzzling, whether that's jigsaw puzzles, Sudoku, crosswords, all the above. We're a big New York Times games nerd family over here.

[00:04:03] ANNE: I was just remembering I haven't done Connections yet today.

JOY: Oh my gosh. Yes. Our big thing is the Mini. Now we have a leaderboard and my husband and I compare times most days and kind of see who comes out on the weekly basis.

ANNE: I love it.

JOY: I love it. Then in our past life before having our daughter, we did a lot of traveling. I did some personally and then we did some when we were married. So that's been a big part of our life, but less so now just with our phase of life.

Then for work, I work remotely as a project manager and as a change manager at Northrop Grumman which is a big company with lots of different sites. What I get to do on a daily basis is basically help the organization implement new technologies to help us work better and make our processes faster.

But I also get to think about how to make sure that we're not forgetting about employees in that mix. Thinking about how the technologies that we're putting into the company are actually impacting people. So I really enjoy that. I think it's a blend of my task orientation and my people orientation and getting to use both of those.

[00:05:15] ANNE: I'm so curious, do you feel like that project manager, change manager role, that mindset that you're in so often for work that I imagine is part of you, what does that mean in your reading life?

JOY: I think it kind of mirrors the kinds of books that I like. I like books that are action-oriented and fast-paced but also that have realistic people stories and good dialogue, and good characters that are rounded out as human beings.

I think sometimes I find a book that's stronger in one or the other aspect. But ideally when I can have both of those things, I think that is my favorite.

And yes, I think that kind of mirrors kind of the two sides of the coin of the work that I get to do. One is very much schedule and tasks and what are we doing and who are we talking to. And then the next side is, okay, how do we motivate these people? How do we teach them? How do we communicate? How do we influence leaders to communicate XYZ? So yeah, definitely I kind of like that variety in my reading life too.

[00:06:28] ANNE: Interesting. I'm curious about what that might mean about the way you talk to yourself internally about books. Maybe we'll get there later. Joy, I'd love to hear more about the role that reading has in your life right now.

JOY: Just kind of starting a little bit further back, I'm not like all of your guests, I wouldn't call myself a reader forever. But I liked reading as a kid and then kind of lost the joy in the habit along the way. Definitely, I always loved puzzles a little bit more, loved kind of doing something. So I think that's kind of the books that I'm drawn to even now.

A couple of years ago, after I finished my MBA, I decided to get back into books and I said, Okay, I'm going to set a goal for myself. I'm going to read two books a month and making a 24 for the year. You know, found your podcast, found a lot of different ways to find books, and really found what books I liked.

Ended up reading 50 books that year. So it's really been more of a recent thing for me. Had a book club during the pandemic, which was helping to keep all of our sanity, I think. But yeah. So now I kind of know a little bit more of what I like.

[00:07:35] And I really do like those books that remind me of puzzles that are either really plodding and fast-paced and kind of twisty of, you know, they've got a psychological element. Psychological thrillers are my jam. I loved The Push, for example.

Or I really like books that, you know, they might be a little bit slower, but you really need to know about the people and the characters, you need to know about their motivation, you need to know about their relationships and just kind of have that same kind of tension and that puzzle of, okay, I need to figure this out.

I think that comes to just kind of, again, the phase of life that I'm in. I read mostly before I go to bed at night. I really need something that I'm looking forward to reading rather than just totally going to sleep. And that also kind of focuses me totally that I can't get distracted.

[00:08:32] I also like nonfiction that's a little bit journalistic, especially about things that I think are particularly interesting, like science and health and psychology and things like that. So, yeah, just anything where I'm trying to figure out like, how does this work, how is this going to end up?

So for writing, for me, I enjoy good writing, but I almost want writing to kind of fade into the background. I don't love overly flowery language generally, but I also want it to be good. I want to learn some new words. I want to get some vocabulary in there. I want good dialog. I just don't want to be distracted by the way that someone is writing. So that's a little bit about kind of what I look for now in books now that I've got a little bit of a better idea of what I enjoy.

ANNE: Joy. Thank you for that snapshot. And I'm so glad to hear you found your way back to being a regular reader. How's that feeling to you?

[00:09:27] JOY: It feels great. I've learned now that I really do like reading. I just have to be really picky about the books. So it feels good when I'm reading a good book.

I think it's also made me a very moody reader. I don't have any problem with putting a book down if I don't immediately like it or at least want to know more about it. But again, maybe phase of life, maybe impatience.

But yeah, I think now that I realize, okay, I do like books, I do like reading, it's more of just finding the right thing that that's just been really, really freeing. And I can say confidently that I'm a reader and then I like books, it's just that I might not like all the books that people recommend to, for example.

ANNE: Joy, you mentioned your love of travel, and today we're really going to focus on what you said in your submission, which is finding more travel narratives that really suit you. And I think our best way into that is to talk about what you really love. Are you ready to talk about your books?

JOY: Yes, absolutely.

[00:10:27] ANNE: Joy, you know how this works. You're going to tell me three books you love, one book you don't, and what you've been reading lately and we'll see what we can find that you may enjoy reading next. You don't like all the books, but maybe we can find some that you do like today. Joy, how did you choose these?

JOY: I really tried to choose one book per kind of genre or type of book that I like. Again, I like a variety, so I tried to kind of choose one from each area.

ANNE: Well, I'm curious to hear what those areas are. What is the first book you love?

JOY: The first book I chose is called We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz. This is a book — it's fiction — about two friends, Emily and Kristen, who are traveling in Chile, which is somewhere that I've been and lived and so had an instant connection there. So they're traveling, and the last night there, something terrible happens, of course.

So the rest of the book is really about what happens as a result of that night, circumstantially, with their friendship and then even within Emily's own mind, and her internal workings of looking back on that event and processing it.

[00:11:41] So it's definitely a psychological thriller. That's the first kind of book that I really enjoy is, again, kind of, you know, The Push, We Were Never Here, you know, these kind of fast-paced books, but that have a very strong psychological aspect to them.

Then I think it was just a bonus that because of the travel involved in this book, there was a strong sense of place as well. So enjoyed that as well.

ANNE: So that one represents your psychological thrillers. Joy, what's the second book you loved?

JOY: The second book I chose is called French Braid by Anne Tyler. This is a story about a family living in the Baltimore area over several generations. Of course, again, with being from Maryland in that area, I also really loved that connection of place.

So kind of near the start of the story, the family is at Deep Creek Lake in the 1950s. There's parents, there's three kids. And as the book progresses, you see those three kids become adults, and you kind of see these short anecdotes of their lives interacting with one another and kind of seeing them as individuals grown up.

[00:12:51] Then at the end of the story, you see one of those kids as a grandparent during the pandemic. So you kind of see full circle this entire span of characters' lives.

One I mentioned I don't love, you know, flowery writing, but I do remember that the writing in this book was really well done and beautiful and just easy to read. It just flowed really well. The characters were just really real.

It felt really true to the way that people and humans behaved, their dialogs, the way that they behaved. It was funny, but it was also very realistic. And I kind of like the way that books can do that well.

Then also, you know, you're seeing across time, but you're also seeing from different perspectives throughout the book. I feel like there is definitely lessons about sometimes our one perspective in a certain amount of time is not the whole picture about people. So I just really enjoyed kind of that overarching lesson from the book.

[00:13:56] It ended with a really heartwarming tone, which I appreciated too, because with people stories and family dramas, there's some uncomfortable moments. So I really enjoyed that there was a heartwarming feel to it.

ANNE: How do you categorize this kind of book? What kind of label do you put on it?

JOY: I would put this as kind of the less plotty, but still very tension-filled, character-driven stories, ideally about family. You know, it's hyphenated, all of that.

ANNE: It doesn't have to be a punchy description. I'm tracking.

JOY: Yeah. No, definitely this is something that's more character-driven and less about plot, but still has that puzzle element of "I'm invested in this family and I need to know what happens to them". It kind of reminded me of, The Dutch House, which is similar.

[00:14:53] It takes place over a long amount of time. You're seeing a brother and sister as kids and then as adults, and then it's older adults. There are certain things that happen, but it's really about who they are as people and their relationship with one another and their growth or lack of growth and all of that. So, yeah, I would kind of put those in the same category of kind of more character-driven, long-term stories.

ANNE: I love it. I love it. That'll work. Joy, what's the third book you love?

JOY: The third book that I like is called Nature Fix by Florence Williams. First of all, that name Florence Williams I'm very jealous. It's just flows off the tongue. Beautiful. This book is a journalistic nonfiction book about really the research on nature and why nature's good for us.

The subtitle says Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative. As someone who already likes hiking, already likes being outside, I was told I was like, yes, tell me all the reasons why I should do more of this.

[00:16:00] But yeah, I found it really easy to read. It was nonfiction, but it almost sounded more like a narrative because of the author. She shared about her own travels of kind of going around to different parts of the world and about learning about nature and the research that had been done in different parts of the world about nature.

So it read really easily, even though it was nonfiction. I just really found the nuggets that were told really fascinating and things that I still today constantly think about. I was trying to think of an example today, and I have so many because it's just so much.

But one example, she kind of goes through the five senses in the book of, you know, how does nature benefit each of the senses? Hearing, seeing, touching, all of those. And the one for sight was all about fractals. Fractals are repeating patterns that you see out. They can be manmade or natural, obviously.

[00:17:00] You can see them in trees. If you look at a tree, you can see the way that the trunk breaks into branches and then each of those branches breaks into further branches and into twigs. You know, there's certain patterns and almost angles at which a tree does that.

Basically, the research says that just by looking at fractals, that repeating patterns in trees, it actually lowers our stress. So it's just amazing that you could just look at a tree and it's good for your health. Just really fascinating nuggets like that. So, you know, really interesting. And then also really practically motivating just to do something about it. Just to, you know, make it a priority to get out in nature on a regular basis. So really enjoyed books like that.

ANNE: Do you think of this in your mind as journalistic nonfiction, or is there a different signifier you apply?

[00:17:55] JOY: Yeah. I would say journalistic nonfiction that generally focuses on health, psychology, and science themes. Those are my wheelhouse. I do enjoy other kinds of journalistic nonfiction, but I would say, like, if I can be learning something in that realm, that is probably my best-case scenario.

ANNE: Interesting. It's not super important we nail those down. I'm just personally curious. Since you said three kinds of books, I want to know what they are, Joy.

JOY: Yeah, journalistic nonfiction, especially about themes that I'm interested in. ANNE: Joy, now tell us about a book that wasn't a good fit for you.

JOY: The book that I chose was Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This was a book club pick, and so I did finish it, but otherwise may not have. And yeah, it had all the elements of things that I

would have thought I liked. It was very plotty, it had a very strong sense of time and place, and there was even family, sibling drama.

[00:19:00] But ultimately it came down to the characters. The characters just didn't feel fully developed. I realized from reading that book that something can be as plotty as can be, but I don't really care about what happens if I don't feel like I know the characters or I know why they're doing what they're doing, or just can't buy into the fact that they're real people. So that was it for me.

ANNE: I'm noticing that you're saying with great confidence you need to buy into the characters if you're going to care about what happens to them.

ANNE: How did you figure out that was so important to you? When did that dawn on you?

JOY: It probably came to me slowly that, you know, there were some books like Malibu Rising and others that some people just raved about, like, Oh, I can't believe that that happened and then that happened. And I would read it and just be so underwhelmed because of the characters.

[00:20:00] And then on the flip side, I think there were books that I really enjoyed. I think I've already mentioned it but The Dutch House. We got into some book club brawls, not really, but discussion about, you know, was that a good book or not? And had some people just say like, Oh, The Dutch House, it was just so boring. Nothing happened. And I was like, "Yeah, things happened." And got up in arms and I decided to reread it. It's like one of the only books that I've read, but I listened to it on audiobook.

So Tom Hanks is definitely not going to make me like it any less. But really just still was like, "Yeah, no, I just really like it." I think there was enough happening and I think the characters were just really interesting people and just felt so real. It just made me so reflective of life.

So I think it just came out through discussions with people and realizing, Okay, there are some books that have a lot of action and everyone else seems to like them because of that but I just can't get into them and vice versa.

[00:21:02] ANNE: You've just been puzzling it out, asking yourself, what's going on? What's going on here? Why do I feel this way? I love that. Okay, thanks for sharing that with us.

JOY: Yeah, of course.

ANNE: Joy, what have you been reading lately?

JOY: A couple of things. One of the books that I read not too long ago, because I was trying to find some travel narratives on my own, was Grandma Gatewood's Walk. It's the biography of the first woman to hike the Appalachian Trail in 1955. So it was a biography on her life, and obviously that first pilgrimage, but also her subsequent journeys in the US. Really interesting lady.

A lot of the premise was around what made her do it. She has a crazy backstory. I think she had like 12 or 14 children and not a very good marriage, it sounds like, there may have been abuse. So anyways, a lot of what drove her to kind of leave her entire family into these crazy excursions.

[00:22:03] It was really interesting. I was really inspired by her. I don't really feel like I got quite the answer I was looking for the end, but still, I think it's just a testament to how mysterious and interesting people are that they can do these crazy things, and then they can come and go and we still don't quite understand why they did them. So that was a really interesting book. That was by Ben Montgomery.

I also just read Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. This was definitely in the psychological thriller bucket and also had a lot of commentary on racial issues and the publishing industry. I just found it really riveting and interesting and funny.

Speaking of characters, I really enjoyed Juniper as a character. It was clear that she had a lot of blind spots. And yet her lack of growth just really felt really real, just really consistent with who she was. Enjoyed that.

[00:23:02] Then the last book that I read recently is That Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. She was just on the show, and I heard about this book on the show. I'm not a huge historical fiction person, and this is actually one of those things where I'm often talking with someone and they're ranting about a historical fiction, and then I'm not as into it. But I really, really liked this one.

I think it is because it's in such a different time and place. I think it's 1750s to the 1790s in New England and through the book you're just learning about all these crazy laws and things at the time as the U.S. is just getting set up and also learning about these characters.

I think I just really enjoyed kind of the escape of this book and kind of felt like I was traveling back in time and to a different place. So yeah, I really enjoyed that one as well.

ANNE: Thanks for sharing those. Joy, what are you looking for in your reading life right now?

[00:24:02] JOY: I'm really looking for a little bit more around travel. I mentioned it briefly before, but yeah, I spent a lot of my, especially my 20s, traveling. I lived in Chile after graduating college and I lived in Argentina a little bit after that. Then I got my MBA in a hybrid program that brought me to Spain a few times.

I just love travel. I love living abroad. I love kind of that exploration of a new place and just that whole experience. I really want in my reading life to have a little bit more of those kinds of stories.

You know, that could be memoirs, that could be fiction, really. They can fall into any of the buckets that I mentioned that I like. That's ideal. But yeah, I'm looking for a little bit more of that and some of that escape because, you know, I don't see us doing a ton of international travel in the very near future with our phase of life, but I really just want to kind of scratch that itch and have that

experience in my reading life.

[00:25:10] ANNE: Okay, we will see what we can do. Joy, let's stop and recap. So you love We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz, French Braid by Anne Tyler, and the Nature Fix by Florence Williams.

Not for you was Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It was very plotty, which you love, but you didn't think the characters were fully developed. You weren't fully invested. And we talked about that.

And then lately, you've been reading Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, and The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon.

And we're looking for travel narratives because it might be the closest you get to travel any time soon with your phase of life. This is something you've been doing in the past. I presume it's something you'd like to enjoy in the future. Is that right?

JOY: Yes. Yes, absolutely. And I still have dreams of like, oh, I see all these things on social media about traveling with little babies. Like, maybe at some point I'll be brave and do that, but not right now.

[00:26:07] ANNE: How has Google served you or your fellow readers in terms of finding travel narratives?

JOY: Not well. I really haven't asked people about recommendations because it's just such a niche genre. I have found a couple of things, probably through Google that I've read, more along kind of the memoir pilgrimage that I've enjoyed. But yeah, I have not found a whole lot.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong because usually it's like a whole treasure trove of books when you kind of have a broad search. I just have not found books that sound interesting or that are, I guess, well-known enough to be at my library. That's the big thing. I'm definitely a library person.

So maybe there are some books out there, but they're just a little bit more quiet or niche. So I have not found a whole lot.

[00:27:11] ANNE: That's interesting to me because I mean, like you said, you love reading and I think you love reading about travel, but you're picky about the books that you really enjoy.

ANNE: Okay. Now, we have talked about travel reading before on the show, so I do want to point listeners who share this interest back to an episode from summer 2017 with Claire Díaz-Ortiz. It's called Obsessive readers and bookish kindred spirit angels. That's Episode 82, and we talk about books that can take you really around the world, because Claire has been everywhere.

Then just last summer we had a very niche travel episode called A Summer of European Reading with Corin Cook. That's Episode 385. She wanted to replicate the experience of Europe in the summertime that she got from some of her favorite films that she thought did that really well. So readers, go check out those episodes if you're interested.

But today, Joy, we're thinking about your specific tastes and what you love, and what that could mean for the travel narratives you pick up.

[00:28:09] And I'm just keeping in mind that the books that you have loved have fallen into three primary categories. You've liked the psychological thrillers, the less plotty but tension-filled, character-driven stories, and journalistic nonfiction, especially when it's about health, psychology, and science.

I do want to ask one question. So some readers who love vicarious travel, they want to read about travelers, and some readers are looking for stories that are deeply embedded in a certain culture, not necessarily those visiting, but stories that are about being there. Do you have a preference there?

JOY: No, I like both of them. I like the kind of the pilgrimage, like I am passing through, I'm from one place, I'm going to another, here's my journey. I do like those. But I also like, you know, here is a totally different place and a totally different way of living and just kind of getting a slice of life through a story there.

[00:29:11] ANNE: That's helpful, and I have some ideas for you. Let's start with a classic of the genre. You're a heavy user of your library, and your library is going to have this. I'm thinking of Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. Is this one you've picked up before?

ANNE: So many of us had to read Steinbeck in high school or college. It's not that we don't know that this work exists, but we can be like, Oh, ho, hum, you know, like, that book's there. That book's always been there. How interesting could that be? Enjoy. This is a book that many people, when they finally come to it are like, "What have I been waiting for?"

In this story, he talks about wanderlust. Like right at the beginning he's like, "You know, when I was young, I always wanted to travel, and people said, 'Don't worry, you'll get older, you'll grow out of it.' So I got a little older and I hadn't grown out of it yet, and people said, 'Wait for middle age, don't worry, you'll grow out of it.' And you got some middle-aged and he still wanted to travel." And he said, you know what? I guess some of us just have this urge. So he talks about that wanderlust that you might find relatable.

[00:30:11] But in addition, the inciting event here is that he said a dry spell in his writing, and he decides the reason is that he's writing about America, and he clearly doesn't know his own country anymore, or he wouldn't feel like he didn't have anything to say.

So he decides he's going to hit the road on a big trip to get acquainted, and he's going to do so with Charley. Charley is his French poodle. And lovers of dog stories, Charley features prominently in this narrative.

So in this story he goes... he actually starts in New York. You might imagine it was California. He goes to Connecticut. He goes all throughout that part of the country, through the Pacific Northwest, down into California, over to Texas, more of the South, and back to New York.

He travels almost 10,000 miles talking to people, seeing what it's like sleeping in his camper, telling these stories. And, this is a work of nonfiction, but I need you to know that this has now been pretty conclusively shown to be just as much tall tale as true tale, but as a work of literature, it holds up.

[00:31:11] These are not places that you can visit in the same sense today, but knowing that you enjoyed The Frozen River because it took you to a specific time and place, I don't think that's an obstacle necessarily. Your library is definitely going to have this. And maybe the audio as well, audiobook listeners.

If you want to go a little more niche, or for readers who love Travels with Charley and want more of the same, he has a lesser-known work called The Log from the Sea of Cortez. Enjoy! This is going to be harder to find from your library depending on your specific library. I can't say it's a slam dunk like Travels with Charley will be in so many places.

But this is journalistic kind of sciency nonfiction that details a six-week trip that he took with his friend, a marine biologist whose name is Ed Ricketts. This man was a character, and he inspired many of the fictional characters in Steinbeck's writing. When you read it, if you're familiar with Steinbeck, you'll be like, I'm recognizing some things here.

[00:32:08] But in 1940 they took a six-week trip together where Ed Ricketts was doing his marine biology research. And Steinbeck was kind of along for the ride, although they did share this common interest. Steinbeck, he was interested in what was going to happen in the water.

So they go to the Sea of Cortez from the title. But that's the Gulf of California. That may be how you know it and how Californians know it. This is the account of their days. Lots of descriptions of marine life and a fair amount of philosophizing. It sounds like that may be in your wheelhouse. How do those sound?

JOY: That sounds great. I was going to ask if it was nonfiction, but yeah, so they're both nonfiction. ANNE: I mean, yeah, they're both nonfiction.

ANNE: But Travels with Charley, you could do some googling if you're interested, he took a lot of liberties with the real life inspiration for these stories.

JOY: Gotcha. No, that sounds super fun.

[00:33:03] ANNE: Next, I'm wondering about a book on the opposite end of the spectrum, at least publication-wise. This is just out February 6th. You said that you really love writing to fade into the background, and you don't want the way someone is writing to be a distraction. That can be a little bit of pause because this is so beautifully written.

The book is How to Live Free in a Dangerous World: A Decolonial Memoir by Shayla Lawson. Shayla Lawson is an award-winning poet. They also have a debut collection of essays called This Is Major that was a finalist for several awards like National Book Critics Circle and the Lambda Literary Award.

Lawson is a poet. Part of me thinks, oh, is that right for you? But part of me thinks, The gift of a poet is they know how to make the words fall exactly where they need to be. And I'm flipping back through my mind and this book feels, in so many ways, like Shayla Lawson is sitting at the table telling you things. Not like they're laboring over, like, all the adjectives and adverbs. So, Joy, you know, I thought about it and I'm inclined to go ahead and say, just check this out.

[00:34:16] ANNE: So How to Live Free is a memoir in essays. I like this for you because Lawson has traveled to and lived in a lot of fascinating places, and also a lot of places that might not make you say, Oh, I've always wanted to go there. Like you don't say, ooh, Bloomington, Indiana, the same way you might go, Ooh, Venice.

But Lawson really makes you feel the significance of each place, both as a place and to the narrative here, because really, the travel, the location is a jumping off point to talk about deeper themes in their life and all our lives.

They call their work here a decolonial travel memoir. It begins in Minneapolis and then carries the reader to Venice and the Netherlands, Bermuda, Zimbabwe, and also places closer to home, closer to us like Amherst, Los Angeles, and yes, Bloomington, Indiana.

[00:35:13] This is from Tiny Rep. It's one of my favorite publishers. Every imprint has a personality. We've talked about that a lot in Patreon. Tiny Rep describes themselves as a highly curated imprint dedicated to publishing both literary fiction and nonfiction that highlight and amplify unique and diverse voices, and complex and honest work that not only reflects the current conversation but also pushes it forward.

So for a book that has that travel element, you love that it's very much about a real person sharing real human stories that are thoroughly fleshed out, how does that sound?

JOY: That sounds really interesting. I like memoirs and essays. It almost kind of reminds me a little bit of French Braid because it wasn't a totally chronological story. It jumped around a little bit and kind of told these snippets of life. So, yeah, I think I'd really like that one.

[00:36:02] ANNE: Yes. You get vignettes in French Braid that add up to the story of a family. JOY: Mm-hmm.

ANNE: Okay. I like that comparison you drew. Next, I'd like to do more journalistic nonfiction. This book came out in May 2020, so even those who love travel narratives and keep an eye out for them could easily have missed this one because of the publication timing.

This book is by Maggie Downs. It's called Braver Than You Think: Around the World on the Trip of My (Mother's) Lifetime. This is a book very much about solo travel and also about the loss of a parent.

As Downs' as mother is entering the final stages of Alzheimer's, she quit her job as a newspaper journalist, and she decides that she is going to set out to travel to the places that she and her mother talked about traveling together. Like specifically, she talks about how they used to love reading National Geographic's together and making a list of all the places they wanted to go based on that, just so you know what their inspiration is.

[00:37:03] So as she's grieving her mother's absence and then her death, she goes to Bolivia and South Africa and Uganda, Rwanda, Egypt, Thailand, Cambodia, India. She hikes the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. She goes all these places, and she does it always with her mother in mind. The title comes from words that her mother always told her as she was growing up and as an adult too, that you are braver than you think. How does that sound to you?

JOY: That sounds really fun. And specifically the places... I mean, for both of the last two books that you've mentioned, the places that they go sound really interesting and sounds great.

ANNE: I love it. And then I feel like we need to toss in some fiction as well. I have to tell you I am not entirely sure that this is going to be a great pick for you.

JOY: Let's go for it.

[00:37:54] ANNE: It's been a couple years since I've read it, so I'm filtering through: How much do we know? How much do we know? How much do we know about these characters? But when you're discussing plotty novels and strong sense of place, I was thinking of Chris Pavone's work Two Nights in Lisbon. He's a bestselling thriller writer. I think your odds of the library having this are good.

But this story does, in fact, take place over two days or two nights from the title in Portugal. It has a strong sense of place. There's lots of specific locations you can Google. But in this story, a woman wakes up on her honeymoon in the Lisbon hotel room, and her husband is gone.

She assumes the worst for reasons and just gets more and more concerned and goes to the Portuguese police in the American embassy. And they're like, "I don't know, he's a grown man. It's not been that long." And she's like, hello, "We're on our honeymoon. We're supposed to leave. This does not make sense. Something is wrong."

But then the people she turns to for help discover that the two of them, the married couple, both changed their names ten years ago, and they're like, "We don't know what's happening here, but we don't want any part of it."

[00:38:55] Meanwhile, she's thinking, okay, "I need to pay the ransom myself or it's not going to happen." But the amount of money they want is exorbitant. And she knows where she can get it but it's not going to be a good idea in other ways.

So we have a ticking clock, an interesting place, very, very plotty. I'm wondering if you're going to feel like you know and understand these characters enough to feel deeply invested, but I'm hopeful.

JOY: It definitely sounds like a good enough hook to keep me engaged to get to know them. So yeah.

ANNE: I hope so.

JOY: So yeah, I think so.

ANNE: And something I like about this as well is not only do you have the... I mean the story takes place over a very short time period, but you get their backstories. Like why did they change their names all that long ago? How did they get together? What is really happened? What do they really want? What are they trying to accomplish? And how did this whole scenario, like, how did that come to be?

Also, we find out the back in New England, I think Ariel owns a bookstore, and there are some bookstore scenes that are just really fun for book lovers.

JOY: Yes, love it.

[00:39:57] ANNE: Finally, I'd like to toss in a fictional pick that's more quiet than plotty. And that is Euphoria by Lily King. This is a novel that's very much inspired by the life of real-life anthropologist Margaret Mead. It follows the fictional character Nell Stone and her husband, who are scientists working in the jungle of New Guinea.

They meet another researcher, and the three of them quickly become a trio, and they do some truly groundbreaking, important work. But also relationally things get really messy, which endangers their work, their relationships in really realistic ways that I think you could enjoy reading about. So I'd be curious to hear what you think about that as well.

Now, that is not about travel in the tourist sense that we've been talking about mostly. This is more like watching a character enter into a new and unfamiliar culture and find their bearings and observe and see what it means to be in this place and with these people.

[00:41:03] JOY: That sounds really interesting.

ANNE: I'm glad to hear that. Okay, Joy, we covered some ground today. Thanks so much for telling us about your life, your reading life, and what you're looking for. We talked about Travels with Charley and also the lesser known The Log in the Sea of Cortez, both by John Steinbeck, the 2024 release How to Live Free in a Dangerous World: A Decolonial Memoir by Shayla Lawson, Braver Than You Think: Around the World on the Trip of My (Mother's) Lifetime by Maggie Downs, and then we ended with two fiction titles, Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone and Euphoria by Lily King. Joy, of those books, what do you think you may enjoy reading next?

JOY: Oh my goodness. Well, I'm going to put them all in my library holds now. But I'm torn between How to Live Free because it just sounds really interesting and I like the essay approach and the travel there. But then I also am really drawn to Euphoria because, yeah, being in one place and kind of just the digging into characters, doing life in a new and different place also sounds really fun. So I will just read whichever of those two gets to me first from the library.

[00:42:21] ANNE: I think that's a great way to decide. And I just want you to know, and all lovers of travel fiction to know that there are some great titles coming up this summer that will have featured in the Summer Reading Guide. Already read them, already love them. These books will take you around the world. So there is more to look forward to.

Joy, this has been a pleasure. Thank you so much for talking books with me today. JOY: Thank you, Anne. It's been such a delight talking with you.

[00:42:46] ANNE: Hey, readers, I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Joy, and I'd love to hear what you think she should read next. Leave your suggestions and check out the fullest of titles we talked about at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com.

Join us on Instagram for even more bookish fun each week. Our show's page is @whatshouldireadnext. Be sure to follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, wherever you get your podcasts.

And if you're inclined to leave a review while you're there, that always really warms our hearts here at What Should I Read Next? HQ. That is our love language as podcasters. It really makes a difference and helps more listeners find the show.

And of course, sign up for our email list to get updates on what's happening here. That's at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/newsletter.

Thanks to the people who make this show happen. What Should I Read Next? is created each week by Will Bogel, Holly Wielkoszewski, and Studio D Podcast Production. Readers, that's it for this episode. Thanks so much for listening. And as Rainer Maria Rilke said, "Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading." Happy reading, everyone.

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B ooks mentioned in this episode :

❤ We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz ❤ French Braid by Anne Tyler • The Dutch House by Ann Patchett ❤ The Nature Fix by Florence Williams ▵ Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid • Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery  • Yellowface by R. F. Kuang • The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon • Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck • The Log from the Sea of Cortez by John Steinbeck • How to Live Free in a Dangerous World: A Decolonial Memoir by Shayla Lawson • Braver Than You Think: Around the World on the Trip of (My Mother’s) Lifetime by Maggie Downs • Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone • Euphoria by Lily King

Also mentioned:

• Festival of Faith & Writing • Word of South Festival • Modernmrsdarcy.com/events • What Should I Read Next Episode 354: Book festivals for beginners • What Should I Read Next Episode 409: Stories you can’t stop thinking about • What Should I Read Next Episode 82: Obsessive readers and bookish kindred spirit angels • What Should I Read Next Episode 385: A summer of European reading • Tiny Reparations

34 comments

One of my favorite travel books is “The 8:55 to Baghdad”. I also love spy novels for all the exotic places they visit – Ken Follet’s early books are great for this, as are the Mrs. Pollifax novels.

Oh, I remember my mother reading the Mrs polifax books, but I never have. Adding them to my list now

Peter Mayle’s Provence books are good ones. His descriptions of the scenery, the locals, and the food made me want to visit.

Such great recommendations! And I think you would really enjoy Anthony Doerr’s, Four Seasons in Rome. Thank you for your podcast! Cathy

I loved that book!

I.definitely endorse Cathy’s recommendation of Four Seasons in Rome! These are other travel memoirs I loved: Full Tilt by Dervla Murphy (although I should warn that that there was a problematic sentence or two since it is a memoir from a different time) – girl on a bicycle traveling alone from Ireland to Pakistan & India in the early 1960’s) The Patrick Leigh Fermor trilogy of books about his travels from England to Turkey when he was 18 in the 1930’s. Oh and he walked the whole way! He wrote the books when he was in his 50’s based on the journals he kept. Amazing!

I think Joy might really enjoy the novel Into the Jungle by Erica Ferencik. A young American woman finds herself on a life or death adventure in the Bolivian jungle. My husband and I both read this a couple of years ago and loved it, and I still think about it every once in a while!

Such an interesting episode. Thank you!

I have two recommendations for Joy: 1-fiction. Tangerine by Christine Mangan. Strong sense of place of Tangier. Psychologically suspenseful, twisty. 2-nonfiction, memoir Blue Sky Kingdom by Bruce Kirkby. Subtitle An Epic Family Journey to the Heart of the Himalaya. Man and his wife travel with their three children to Nepal for an extended stay.

If you’re interested in Mongolian lexical tourism, try the memoir Rough Magic by Laura Prior-Palmer, which describes her participation in the Mongol Derby, a 1000 km horse race. So, so vivid.

For journeys that would be impossible to take now:

For a description of travels in the Christian Middle East in 1994, try William Dalrymple’s From the Holy Mountain.

Rory Stewart wrote a book about his journey on foot across Afghanistan called The Places in Between written early this century.

A favorite travel memoir of mine was Andrew McCarthy’s Walking with Sam, as he and his son traveled the Camino de Santiago in Spain (highly recommend the audiobook). I was delighted to find out that Andrew McCarthy had become a travel writer after acting, and had other memoirs as well!

I agree with recommending Walking with Sam. I read it this past summer and enjoyed it. I enjoyed it as I have traveled to Spain and Joy said she has, as well.

On a separate note, Does anybody know what bbc show Joy mentioned that she liked?

I loved Without Reservations, a travel memoir by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Alice Steinbach.

oooh, I have to recommend an unusual travel novel: Sea Wife by Amity Gaige. It’s about a trip, but also a marriage. I couldn’t put this book down when I read it!

New weekly episodes no longer appear automatically on Tuesdays in my feed. I need to search for them! What’s happening?

Oh no! Sue, what platform are you on?

I enjoyed the memoir Walking with Sam by Andrew McCarthy (yes, that Andrew McCarthy) about walking Spain’s El Camino with his son.

I also enjoyed really enjoyed the fictional Less by Andrew Sean Greer about Arthur Less’s travels around the world while trying to escape dealing with his own current reality.

I have to say I didn’t love Travels with Charley, despite Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath being one of my all-time favorite books. I wish I had written down my thoughts when I read it but what I remember is feeling like it was a bunch of hot takes by an aging famous author who molded reality to fit what he wanted to tell us. I’m still glad I read it because it feels like a template for modern travelogues. I’m guessing most people who write them now have read and taken inspiration from Travels with Charley.

Not exactly a travel memoir but one with a definite sense of place, Under Magnolia, by Frances Mayes- author of Under the Tuscan Sun might be a good pick for someone newly planted in the South.

A few I think you might like: “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson – also about the Appalachian Trail, but very different from “Grandma Gatewood’s Walk” “The Ride of Her Life” by Elizabeth Letts about a woman who rides her horse across the US “Between Two Kingdoms” by Suleika Jaouad which is mostly about the author’s bout with cancer, but also includes some travel. It is a difficult read as she just goes through so much, but it’s very beautifully written. “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed – about the author’s through-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, but also her history with drugs and other big life stuff

I saw “Rough Magic” recommended in another comment, and I would second that recommendation.

I highly recommend Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, about his trip on the Appalachian Trail. Absolutely hilarious and well written. I also just heard about a book called Outtakes: Stumbling Around the World for NPR by Peter Breslow, and it sounds amazing.

Thanks everyone! These are all getting added to my Goodreads TBR. I’ve read Four Seasons in Rome and A Walk in the Woods but haven’t heard of the most others. Keep them coming 🙂

You would enjoy A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Another favorite is Lost on Planet China by J Maarten Troost. Enjoy!

Here are my choices…I am currently reading authors from around the world and my list is getting long! I love to travel (as well as armchair Travel) and learn about other cultures and countries. These are in no particular order but listed by continent- From the Sahara to Samarkand-Selected Travel Writings of Rosita Forbes-North Africa/Central Asia Dreaming of East-Barbara Hodgson-Egypt/Mesopotamia Land of a Thousand Hills-Rosamond Carr-Rwanda West with the Night- Beryl Markham-Kenya I Dreamed of Africa-Kuki Gallmann-Kenya In Morocco-Edith Wharton-Morocco The Dressing Station-Jonathan Kaplan-South Africa/Worldwide Skeletons on the Zahara-Dean King-The Sahara Desert The Hungry Tide-Amitov Ghosh-Sundarban Islands, India A Lady’s Guide to Kashgar-Suzanne Joinson-China Plum Wine-Angela Davis-Gardner-Japan The Lost Heart of Asia-Colin Thubron-Central Asia Stranger in the Forest-Eric Hansen-Malaysia (Borneo) The White Mary-Kira Salak-Papua New Guinea Disappearing Earth-Julia Phillips-Russia Travels in Siberia-Ian Frazier- Russia Persian Mirrors-Elaine Sciolino-Iran Forbidden Bread-Erica Johnson Debeljak-Slovenia Migrations-Charlotte McCoughy-Greenland, Canada, Ireland The Enchanted April-Elizabeth von Arnim-Italy The Hired Man-Aminatta Forna-Croatia In a Sunburned Country- Bill Bryson-Australia The Woman from Uruguay-Pedro Mairal-Argentina Enjoy!!

I love West with the Night by Beryl Markham! I don’t reread books often, but I have read this one twice.

It is so amazing!!

This one is on my TBR! Highly recommended to me by friends: I’ll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends, and One Wheelchair. Best friends since childhood decide to travel together to the Camino de Santiago.

You mentioned liking Ann Patchett…how about another one of her titles, “State of Wonder”? It is set in the Amazon jungle and the main characters are scientists conducting research on a new fertility drug. It was exciting and definitely transported me to a new world.

OMG!!! OMG!!!! OMG!!!!!! I live in Tallahassee, FL and was talking to a friend the other day about attending Word of The South. I was listening to the podcast on my flight home yesterday and squealed with joy that Anne will be in my hometown. We are one of those biggish small towns and honestly to hear Anne would be here surprised me. I am giddy! I will be there and can’t wait to see Anne Interview Lauren Groff. Two fantastic people. I’m going to be decked out in the Tshirt and look like the bookish nerd I am! Also so many good books from the podcast. Ordered French Braid since my daughter now lives in Annapolis and I fly to Baltimore on a regular basis. 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

Sorry to be so late- but I keep looking for mentions of Mel Joulwan and not seeing them. I probably just missed it but in case no one else has said it, definitely she should check out the WSIRN episodes with Mel Joulwan and also Mel’s podcast Strong Sense of Place, which is specifically about books that evoke a strong sense of place.

Mel and Dave are the best!

Such a fantastic podcast! Great armchair travel and 2 delightful humans who host the show

Great episode. Had to share my recommendation…To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins. Jed wrote this memoir about his journey (emotional and physical) on his bicycle from the Pacific Northwest to Patagonia. I think it’s a great book. You can also find his old posts on Instagram and follow the journey there as well.

I searched my Goodreads account for some other titles that could work for Joy. In 2020 I read The Promise by Beth Wiseman, I think this is a good fit because you like a thriller, and this book has that vibe. Also, I think you should try One More Turn of the Page by George A. Hopkins. A woman travels to Kenya to revisit the place she lived as a child and it is not familiar to her at all.

Her description of the nature fix made me think she’d love Life in five senses by Gretchen Rubin

I don’t think I have the same reading tastes as Joy, but as she described her reading moodiness and pickiness, that’s where we connected! I don’t even necessarily consciously stop reading a book, I just get into something more compelling and then may jump back to it later. Thanks for the great conversation Joy and Anne!

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20 Harsh Truths About Dating The Girl Who Always Travels

We've all dated someone with baggage, but what is it like dating a girl who can't wait to pack hers? Dating a girl who travels comes loaded with its own pros and cons, accompanied by a lot   of questions.

If you're wondering whether or not you should embark on the long journey that is dating a woman who has caught the wanderlust bug, here are 20 truths you need to know about what it will be like to be with her:

1. There's an air of mystery about her.

She's downright intriguing. Let's be real: This was initially the hook before the line and sinker ever came along. And you'll be damned if you don't solve the mystery that is this woman.

2. There's a constant feeling of “the chase.”

She doesn't slow down for anybody. So, if you aren't careful, you might just lose your breath.

3. She is spontaneous and always up for an adventure.

She'll inspire you to be just as in the moment as she is, but it does get tiring if you expect her spontaneity to take a back seat to your relationship. It won't.

4. Hanging out with her is intimidating.

Will she be bored? Will she have fun? Does hanging out have to be a series of epic moments like her travels are?

You'll be intimidated by her adventures at first, but the great thing about her is she knows how to enjoy any and every kind of experience. So, there's no need to worry about impressing her all the time.

5. Being with her is an ever-changing situation.

In turn, this keeps things constantly fresh and new.

6. She's constantly moving and changing her surroundings.

The unexpected element in this relationship is kind of scary. When will she up and leave again? It's like a ticking time bomb waiting for the next time she gets swept up with the wind and leaves everything behind.

7. She's curious.

She'll listen carefully and take the time to get to know you because she rarely leaves any stone unturned.

8. Her curiosity gets the best of her.

When curiosity strikes, she has to go. “Can't stop, won't stop” is her constant mentality.

9. She's a problem solver.

She's wildly creative in coming up with a solution. If one way doesn't work, it's likely she'll have three other ways to attempt the same thing.

A multitude of approaches to varying obstacles are hidden up her sleeve. Take notes. You could probably learn a few things from her.

10. She's always honest.

She doesn't have the time or need to be anything but upfront. So, what happens during your time apart? She'll tell you her expectations, listen carefully to yours and ask that you both respect each other for doing what you feel you're meant to do.

11. She's independent, of course.

This is especially true if she's traveled solo. Yes, you should be impressed.

12. She can hack it on her own.

Independence is a great quality, but occasionally, you want to feel needed. Don't worry; if she really needs help, she'll ask for it. (Or, she'll at least pretend she does because she likes you.)

13. She's adaptable.

It takes her less time than the average girl to get her bearings, and she probably goes with the flow pretty damn well. That doesn't mean she adapts into relationships well, though. She may hold back because opening up too much, too soon makes it harder for her to leave again. 

14. She's frugal.

She's learned to travel on a budget. So, while traveling can break the bank, at least you know you're getting the best bang for your buck.

15. Every penny goes into her travel piggy bank.

Every. Last. One. So, while she's not off wandering the world, she's hanging out on a strict budget, which will only help you become an expert at saving.

16. She's interesting.

She's seen things. She can regale you with epic stories. Go pop some popcorn, and get lost in another world through her eyes.

17. Story time is fantastic.

But sometimes, you have a pang of feeling left out. You want to be co-starring in her epic tale of navigating the foreign lands, but sometimes, she's too independent to notice.

18. She's a bundle of energy.

She rarely gets tired and can function on little sleep. She may be hard to keep up with, but guess what? When she does slow down, you'll be the one she'll want to cuddle with.

19. She's not ready to settle.

And when will she be ready? The pressure of the future isn't really a problem when you're dating her because she's too in the moment to worry about a five-year plan.

20. She's passionate.

When she loves, she loves deeply. Her passion for the world and traveling its every inch will be reflected in her feelings for you. If she loves you, it will be all-consuming.

Dating a girl who travels isn't so black and white, and neither is the way she views the world. You fell for her because she's openminded and never quick to judge. She's excited to try new experiences, and you want to be the one to share them with her.

Sure, it's attractive how she lives in the moment, but you worry about her getting too caught up in a moment abroad without you. To be with her, you may end up making some sacrifices, and you best be on your best communication game. Being with her is a risk in the eyes of some people, but the moments you share together, her everlasting zest for exploring and her infectious passion for travel makes it all worth it.

So, sit back and enjoy the ride, but be cautious. Hopefully you have a lot of energy, patience and love for travel because this will be a bumpy flight if you don't. The choice is simple: Are you going to pack your bags, or get left behind?

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From a young age I was immersed in the world of travel. Born in the UK and growing up in Australia, with Kiwi parents, travelling has always been such a big part of my life. After finishing school I worked two jobs at a cafe and fish and chip shop to save enough to move back to the UK in pursuit of my love for travel. 

In 2016 I took my first backpacking trip and the following year embarked on my first solo trip. Solo travel was unlike anything else I’d experienced, freeing exhilarating and completely. terrifying. Over the years solo travel became more and more important in my life, and now I can’t imagine life without it.

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Donna Kelce Says ‘Gracious’ Sons Travis and Jason Help Fuel Her Love for Travel: They ‘Allow Me to Do That’ (Exclusive)

The NFL stars’ mom told PEOPLE that “going off to really fun spots in the world” is one of her passions

Natalia Senanayake is an Editorial Assistant, Lifestyle at PEOPLE. She covers all things travel and home, from celebrities' luxury mansions to breaking travel news.

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Donna Kelce is expressing her gratitude for her sons and how they help fuel one of her biggest passions — travel! 

While speaking with PEOPLE at QVC's Age of Possibility summit in Las Vegas on April 24, the NFL stars’ mom opened up about how her famous sons — Jason , 36, and Travis , 34 — encourage her love of globetrotting. 

“I love to travel, and my kids are very, very gracious and allow me to do that,” Donna tells PEOPLE. 

On the topic of Mother’s Day, she adds that her sons “usually give me gifts, but going off to really fun spots in the world is what I would rather have more than anything else.”

Gotham/GC Images; AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Also during the summit, Donna shared that her son recently enjoyed a beach getaway with his superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift . She said Travis sent her a photo from the pair’s relaxing day at Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., a picturesque vacation town, and added that they were joined by another famous couple — Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid .

Donna said that her son realized his pal Cooper would be at the same QVC event as her, so when she saw the Maestro actor in Vegas, Donna greeted him warmly, saying, “Travis told me you were going to be here."

Cooper was at the site with his food truck Danny and Coops Philly Cheesesteak to serve lunch to the Quintessential 50 (Q50) — the event’s honorees. QVC describes the group of 50 as, "authentic and inspiring female celebrities, activists, business leaders and lifestyle experts who exemplify the possibilities of life over 50.”

Some of the honorees include Christina Applegate, Patti LaBelle, Rita Wilson, Naomi Watts, Martha Stewart and Queen Latifah.

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Before Travis and Swift’s California excursion, the couple kept the beach vibes going in the Bahamas in between international legs of her epic Eras Tour. The singer recently released her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department , on April 19.

“They vacationed in the Bahamas for several days," a source told PEOPLE of the couple’s trip at the time. "It was a much-needed break for both of them. They very much enjoyed it. They are so happy together.”

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During the QVC event, Donna opened up about her admiration for her son’s girlfriend following the release of the album. 

"I listened to the whole album, and I listened to it all morning long when it was released,” she told PEOPLE. "I was just very impressed. She is a very talented woman, and I think it is probably her best work."

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Kim Zolciak defends Kroy Biermann ‘R.I.P.’ post after daughter reacts, compares divorce to ‘death’

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Kim Zolciak is hitting back at criticism of her clickbait post.

The “Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum wrote via Warped Speed Thursday that she did not “claim” or “allude to” her estranged husband Kroy Biermann’s death by posting a black-and-white photo of them captioned, “R.I.P.”

Although the since-deleted social media upload gave her daughter Ariana, 22, a “damn near … heart attack” on Tuesday, Zolciak told her followers she has “more tact and class and compassion than that.”

The Bravolebrity, 45, defended herself by posting another black-and-white snap with Biermann, 38.

“I am TIRED OF ALL THE LIES and ACCUSATIONS,” she wrote. “EVERY DAY it’s always something new. I’m tired of so much BS being thrown my way. So you want to know ‘what died?’ Here’s the truth.”

The lengthy post Zolciak linked to explained, “I used a picture of BOTH of us and said #RIP — and, frankly, the end of my relationship was like a death of sorts so #RIP to that.

“The story was a tribute to many we’ve lost this past year ,” she continued. “And yes my relationship was lost too so it seemed fitting.”

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She told haters offended by the upload to “get serious” and not “jump to conclusions.”

The former reality star asked, “Do you actually think if Kroy died — even with all of the issues we’ve had — my first instinct would be to go to my Instagram and post #LinkInBio with his pic and #RIP attached?

“To reiterate — Kroy is alive and well and did NOT DIE nor did I ever say he has died,” she concluded. “And that’s that.”

Zolciak did not directly address Ariana’s TikTok reaction .

On Tuesday, the influencer asked her followers what “the f–k” they would do in her “situation,” saying, “I physically don’t have any f–king words.”

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She appeared near tears in the video while telling her mom, “I love you, but I just, like. … My heart, like, tugging. Like, no.”

The clickbait post was not Zolciak’s first, as she previously implied daughter Brielle, 27, was pregnant in November 2023.

The “Don’t Be Tardy” alum, who is also the mother of KJ, 12, Kash, 11, and twins Kaia and Kane, 10, has been battling mounting debt and multiple lawsuits in the last year while navigating her rocky relationship with Biermann.

The duo filed for divorce in May 2023, only to reconcile two months later — and then file again in August of that same year.

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