Hello to my fellow bloggers and blog-lovers! I’m Elle, or E.L. Jayne as my pen name states, and I’ve embarked my own rendition of an Eat, Pray, Love trip this summer, albeit, without the dramatic divorce and existential crisis at the onset, luckily.
Deciding to travel for 4 months made me reflect on the catalyst that drives people to travel in the first place. Some people want a glamorous destination to relax. Some people desire to discover the culture of a foreign destination. Some people travel for events such as concerts, sports games, or book fairs. Some travel to visit family or friends, while others solo travel. No reason, in my impartial opinion, is better than another one.
I’ve recently found myself leaning towards traveling the road less traveled, or “the road not taken,” as Robert Frost once put it. Traveling to places outside of my comfort zone. Knowing I’ll miss my western comforts, but knowing I’ll be better off for it.
Pushing the limits of your comfort zone while traveling can seem like a formidable effort, especially while on vacation. But it’s also a window into another world. It’s an opportunity to leave your little corner of the world and explore another pocket of the world. You’ll be introduced to new people, cultures, food and beverages, politics, geography, animals, etc.
It’s never too late to start traveling outside of your comfort zone. All you have to do is start and see where it takes you.
Why do you travel? At this stage in your life, do you prefer to see nice places, to experience something that will make you grow as a person, or a little bit of both?
I also would like to add, as I write this, it’s the 148th day of the Russia-Ukraine war. For our brothers and sisters in that region, traveling means one thing: surviving. Others, have to stay to fight, and don’t have the option to leave.
From my own experiences, travel has allowed me to meet people who have experienced war and the aftermath of war firsthand. It’s taught me to look outside of myself. It’s expanded my knowledge on humanity as a whole. And that’s why I travel.