Ever since I can remember I had wanted to travel and as soon as I had the opportunity I strapped my backpack on and went out to see the world. I would absolutely recommend to anyone that they should travel at least once in their lives whether it be to volunteer in Africa, study abroad in Spain or even doing what I did and roaming the world with my backpack.

I recently discovered that there is no scientific proof that traveling is good for you and here are just some of the ways that traveling can help out with all aspects of your life.

Health Benefits 

Recent studies have actually found that those who travel are likely to live longer. The reasons for this are many but some of the most important reasons are that those who travel are happier, the perfect way to live a longer life is of course happiness. Another reason why traveling can help with your help is that when you travel you become far more active, you are on your feet more and taking on new adventures, all of which keep your body in good shape. Finally, when you visit new countries you  become exposed to new bacterias which your body can use to build a stronger immune system, all told, if you are looking to be healthier, hit the road.

Character Growth

Traveling really helps you to build your character and it helps you to shine a light on both who you are, and who you want to be. It isn’t until you have stepped outside of your safe zone that you see the world for what it really is, good and bad, and you can form better opinions based on what you have seen around the world. I had an experience a few years ago in Morocco when I had a flat tire and a guy pulled over to help me, he was with his family and they had almost nothing. The man invited me to dine with them and they were literally the happiest people I have ever seen in my life, despite the fact that they had nothing, a truly sobering experience.

Community Growth

They say that people are at their happiest when they are surrounded by friends and I can tell you most definitely that when you travel, you will make many new friends. When you meet people on the road you find that they are ore willing to open up about themselves and this helps to quickly form bonds with people. If you live, work and have fun within the same city or town, you run the risk of seeing the same faces day in and day out. Once you go traveling you won’t have to worry about this any more and you can meet people from all over the world who are exciting and can really add something to your life.