Someone posed the following question on an online travel forum this weekend: What do you say when people ask you why you love to travel. Hmmm. Seems like a really simple question – so simple that I wonder why would someone even ask that question?? Do I ask people why do they like to breathe? You just do it…and doesn’t everyone just have a desire to travel, even if they aren’t always able to act upon it?

But of course if I think about it for a minute, I know that the need for travel is not necessarily universal. I happen to surround myself with friends and family who are curious about the world around them and need to experience it firsthand. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone tell me I need to cut back on my travel. I’m lucky to be in a very supportive community when it comes to this. Sometimes that community is a little too supportive, tempting me to travel when I should be saving my money and vacation time. A late night text from a friend reading ‘Any interest in spending NYE on the Nile?’ nearly sent me running to Kayak to book a ticket.

So back to the question “why do you love to travel”. My answer would have to be because I love the way my brain feels when I’m planning, taking or remembering a trip. Kinda sounds like travel is a drug, huh? If so, then that’s a type of substance abuse I can get behind. When I’m on the road and discovering new places, I feel like I’m hyper aware because of all the possibilities that are suddenly open to me. New experiences, new people, new foods make every day interesting. Sometimes those experiences can be quite challenging, like trying unsuccessfully to make yourself understood in a foreign language, or missing a flight and getting stuck in an airport for a “bonus” 8 hours. But even those challenges are better than a day stuck in a rut. Though if I think about it, you can get stuck in a rut even when you are on the road. Sometimes you can get a little travel weary and begin to bounce from city to city without really taking anything in. I remember a few days on my own in Tanzania where I sat in my hostel room playing solitaire on my bed and listening to music because I was feeling a little “over it”. But thankfully those days don’t last too long – and if they do it may just be a sign that I need to head home to regroup.

Of course I love being in foreign countries, trying new foods, hearing new languages, meeting locals and other travelers and getting lost on twisty-turny streets when I have the free time to do so. But truly, it’s not so much the experiences but the way they make me feel. I feel bolder. I feel more aware and alive. Having a home base and being at home are great – don’t get me wrong – but sometimes you just need to trade in that feeling of comfort for a mind-expanding experience. What about you? Why do you travel – what makes you want to get out there?