Travelling to a new destination is one way to help you relax and unwind. And you don’t have to break the bank to do it. Just do what you can afford. Even if you don’t have the finances to travel outside the country, even travelling to a neighbouring town or city is still cool.

Here are a few reasons why you should definitely make travel a priority:

1. You might just find a new purpose

Traveling is an underrated investment in yourself. Not only do you become exposed to new people, diverse cultures, and lifestyles than you are currently exposed to at the time, you are also taken out of your comfort zone and the need to adapt will bring out a few traits that you never knew existed in you.  You will also be exposed to new insights, ways of seeing the world and living, which often gives people a new purpose for their lives. If you’re feeling stuck on what your purpose is, what you want to do with your life, the career or educational path you want to pursue, then you shoukd definitely travel. You just might be pleasantly surprised with what you discover. Sometimes you’ve got to step outside your immediate environment to get clarity. 

2. A renewed sense of appreciation

“A prophet is not admonished in his own home”. This statement rings true for we human beings in general. We tend to grow so accustomed to our blessings that we forget to see them as blessings and start to view them instead as ordinary. Getting out of your usual environment will help broaden your horizons and in turn, enable you to place more value on the great things that you do possess.

3. Learn a language, or at least, the basics of a new language

Thrusting yourself in an environment whose official language is different from yours is a sure-fire way to learn languages and dialects quicker. It isn’t the same as sitting in a classroom learning the theoretical language; in addition to learning new languages, you’re also granted access to popular slangs and even mannerisms that accompany the different words. This sort of experience can only occur when you travel.

4. Enhance your creativity

For those who work in creative spaces such as writing, blogging, digital marketing, public relations or hold strategy/management positions in their businesses and even business owners, traveling is not a ‘nice-to-have’, it’s a ‘need-to-have’. Watch that writer’s block dissipate the moment the aeroplane lands or the bus comes to a halt in a new environment. It is believed that to develop new neural connections that trigger original and creative thoughts, you must explore new places and break out of your regular daily routine.

5. Boost your self confidence

Your ability to travel somewhere new and expose yourself to a myriad of cultures will do amazing things for your self-esteem. The ability to survive in an unfamiliar place with no familiar faces will assist you with gaining confidence and presence of mind. You will actively develop the ability to cope with obstacles which may translate to facing your fears in even bigger ways. Either way, at the end, you will walk away with your chin held high and a surge of new confidence.

Photo Credit: Dreamstime

Her love for travel began at the age of 6, when she first traveled abroad. Since then, this Ugandan-American beauty who is now 34 years old, has lived on four continents in 5 countries, Forbes reports.

She has set a goal for herself to visit every country in the world (the 195 UN member countries and observing states, which includes the Vatican and Palestine) by her 35th birthday on May 29, 2019. So far, she has visited 106 countries, and has 89 more to go.

Jessica, who runs a boutique travel agency called Global Jet Club, admits that although her traveling adventures have been fun so far, it has been exhausting balancing her business with her travel schedule. So she has decided that although the business will still be running, she will need to step back from it’s day-to-day operations (we’re guessing she doesn’t run the company by herself?).

Jessica first made the decision to travel all around the world when she went to Bali, Indonesia over a year ago. Since then, she has paid for her trips with her own money, as well as taking advantage of frequent flyer miles.

To accomplish her goal to travel to every country in the world, she will need about $133,500! In order to fund the rest of her journey, she plans to reach out to brands for sponsorships. She has also created a gofundme page where fans can donate money to help cover her expenses.

“People have already been like, ‘how can we help, what can we do?… People want to see me win and that has been humbling,” she says. 

One of Jessica’s main motives for embarking on this journey, is to change the perception that many people of colour have, about travelling. Already, she has received encouraging messages from this audience all over the world, saying that her trips have inspired them to visit countries that they had prevously thought would be unwelcoming.

She also also aims “to show the possibility and  let little black and brown girls around the world to know that they can travel.”

Read more about Jessica’s story on Forbes

Photo Credit: Instagram | Jeff Smith Jr.