What makes people long to travel?

Come warm weather, I’ve been checking out bus routes from Syracuse to NYC, just for a much-needed weekend getaway. And while looking up the things I’d like to do, I realised, more often than not, what I love doing while travelling is walking around aimlessly, and just getting a vibe of the city. Why? Because it gives me a sense of belonging to a place.

While charting out where I’d like to walk around, I wondered what it is that makes travel so intriguing. Why do people like to travel? What makes them want to leave the comfort of everything that they know and take-off somewhere?

The answers are simpler than I thought they’d be.

People like to travel to relax. The monotony of our lives gets to us, ever so often, and we feel the need to break away and breathe some fresh air (sometimes, literally!). And when we see people in the new place we’ve gone to, we end up appreciating our own lives just that little but more.

I also travel to meet new people, because sometimes it so much easier to talk to a stranger than it is to talk to someone you know. There are fewer biases in place and because chances of you meeting again are lower, the conversation is more free flowing.

So many wander off to different locales to try new and authentic food (can I hear a tummy or two rumble there?) and tickle their palates. Food is what makes the lives of many more colourful and interesting.

I know I often travel to learn more about my own endurance and see how well I can adapt to new cultures, broaden my horizons and challenge myself.  And on my bus between Syracuse to New YorkCity, I’m going to be thinking of all the ways I’m going to push myself to do something new.

Why do you travel? Is it to find something or somebody new?