Traveling has been an integral part of human existence since time immemorial. It has been a trait that has propelled this bipedal species to every conceivable corner of this globe. Ever since our ancestors first started journeying out of the African Savanna, movement has been synonymous with progress.
With the passage of time our societies have gradually evolved from being nomadic hunter gatherers to permanent settlers. Agriculture provided communities with a steady source of food which all but eradicated the concept of foraging to distant lands to put together a meal.
This eventually led to farming communities settling down in villages which gradually tuned into cities, connected by trade routes. Civilizations emerged, and we as a species became domesticated by the very technologies we created.
But even today, after thousands of years of progress and living in high-tech cities with every conceivable needs met, our body might have accepted this stable existence; but our minds have not. The very concept of “going on a vacation”, or “going off the grid” and other such modern terminologies lays testament to the fact that deep down, we are still our ancestors; roaming freely, seeking out the unknown.
So, being a modern human (whatever that means), I feel that we should lean into this urge to explore. It is a character trait that is woven into the very fabric of our psychology. And if all this blabbering till now has not made you want to bring out that dusty rucksack of yours, here are a few pointers as to why you should take up traveling more intentionally;
1. Perspective: -
Traveling to new places, opens you up to see different ways of life. Often times when we get locked down in the daily routines of life, we lose context of where we are and focus only on the thing in front.
You might get all pissed off on your Uber driver messing up the pickup location and now you got to walk 400 meters to get into that air-conditioned cab; such a hard life you have. And in the meantime a 10 year old kid, living in an interior village in rural Rajasthan, walks 15 km to her school and back home on a daily basis.
2. Learning:-
Going to new places, meeting the locals and brushing up with novel cultures are all opportunities to learn. Learning about the history, the social dynamic of the place and not to mention learning a new language.
Classroom learning is one thing but going out into the world, which Mark Twain famously mentioned as “the territory” is where I believe life lessons are actually learnt.
3. Creating Meaningful Relationships: -
Dovetailing from the previous point, meeting people while on your travels lead to some of the most meaningful interactions of your life. I can still remember the name of the guide who accompanied us on our trek across the Sandakphu circuit. You might be a complete stranger at a remote mountain hamlet in the Himalayas, but there is smoothing about human nature, that transcends language barriers.
You might end up chatting with a tea stall owner in Sikkim in broken Hindi and English but still come out of the conversation pleasantly surprised at how you had spent the entire afternoon talking about your city life and comparing notes on how the nation’s economy is performing.
4. Adapt, improvise, overcome: -
There is not a single traveling idea or plan that has ever gone 100% according to plan. When you are out there, exploring things are bound to go sideways. And that’s the essence of being a traveler. If everything happens according to your expectations, you are not a traveler, but a tourist.
It is those precise moments when you are forced to spontaneously take decisions that you become the most alive. Once, I found myself lost in a forest on a mountain side with darkness fast approaching (will elaborate on this on a later post), but had made it out in one piece, precisely because I had to adapt with the obstacle.
Traveling forces you to be more industrious and resourceful than you yourself can imagine.
5. Becoming a kick-ass storyteller: -
If not for anything else, good travel experiences lead to awesome conversation by the fireside (or by the poolside, if it’s really warm). Veteran travelers are fascinating storytellers, challenging your world view with experiences that push the outer reaches of imagination even further.
I can go on and on about how the night sky was dazzling with a thousand brilliant stars on a cold, clear night in Mcleod Ganj; while me and my half frozen brother sat outside trying to capture the milky way with our cameras, on a makeshift tripod made out of a chair and some pebbles.
I will leave you with this, please take time out to travel, while you can. You have one life, fill it up with experiences not with the latest million megapixel smartphone or those high-end trendy shoes that can make you do jumping jacks on water.
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