Follow Your Why: 3 Ways to Plan a Trip Based on What Drives You to Travel
Travel can help us satisfy a thirst for adventure. It can teach us about the world and our small—yet significant—place in it. In so many words, travel helps us understand what it means to be human.
Before planning your next adventure, ask yourself why you travel. Once you understand what draws you to new places, you can take a trip that fulfills and enriches you. Ready to explore your “why?” Here’s how to plan a trip around three great reasons to travel.
Connect with Your Cultures
Maybe your parents are first-generation Americans, and you’ve always dreamed of visiting the towns they grew up in. Perhaps researching your family tree revealed you still have distant relatives in a quaint Irish village. Maybe you and your spouse celebrate different cultural backgrounds and want to teach your children about their shared heritage.
Reconnecting with your cultural history, whether distant or immediate, can help you understand yourself and celebrate what makes your family unique. For a trip that helps you connect with your roots, reach out to local family members or organizations to learn what to expect, what to pack, and where to go. If you plan to visit a remote area, opt for practical, easy-to-handle luggage, such as a carry on duffel bag. If you’re visiting a busy city, a wheeled duffel bag might make navigating public transportation easier.
Uncover the Past
Are you a history buff? If you love watching documentaries about your favorite historical event, plan a trip that immerses you in the past. While it would be incredible if you could simply hop in a time machine, the right excursions can be a close second to actual time travel.
If you travel to connect with the past, expect some walking in your future. Touring ruins, visiting museums, and trekking along iconic streets are great ways to get an immersive history lesson and will certainly keep you busy and on the move. To make your excursion days seamless, pack a carry on backpack with your daily essentials so you can soak up every second of your adventures. Whether you visit gothic castles or storied cities, set aside time to stray from the beaten path and learn about local history.
Envision the Future
Seasoned travelers know that the most important thing you bring home from any trip isn’t a souvenir: it’s what you’ve learned while away from home. Have you heard incredible things about Tokyo’s public transportation system? Perhaps you’re curious if South Africa is truly the friendliest country in the world.
Exploring a place that has more of what you hope to see in your city—or even country—can help you return from your trip ready to create a better world. Whether you help advocate for public transportation or start going out of your way to lend strangers a helping hand, traveling to envision a brighter future for your community is an incredibly fulfilling “why.”
Whether you travel to forge new connections or rekindle old ones, plan your next adventure around your “why.”
