“The world is a book, and those who do not travel only read one page” -Anonymous. Unless you have hodophobia (extreme fear of traveling) you would agree with me that traveling could be one of the greatest gifts an individual can give to himself. Traveling for functions and meetings are not excluded though but traveling with the aim of feeding your soul with things that are absent in your surrounding could prove to be very healthy, and its benefits know no bounds! Lately, I decided to take myself away from where I’ve been all through the year, so I traveled to two neighboring states. I was surprised at the differences that existed between people who are not far apart. This has kept me puzzled about how life away from my country would be.

This is not me being a tourism activist (smiles), but if you ever feel boxed up, or you start feeling like you’re lacking creativity, my best prescription for you would be simple -Travel. Be intentional about visiting places you’ve never visited. Variety is the spice of life they say, so give your life something different from what it has always had. Be an explorer, take a journey into the world unknown, unlock your creativity. In case you still don’t agree with my introduction, let’s look at four reasons why traveling is important.

Four Reasons Why Traveling Is Important.

MAKES YOU BECOME EXPOSED TO OTHER PEOPLES WAY OF LIFE: Ranging from their government policies to individual differences, traveling exposes you to a world that could be relatable but totally different from yours. How people dress, eat, dance, the prevalent types of music among them, types of events they celebrate, and how they celebrate them, the list is endless. Being exposed to other people’s way of life would do two things to you. Firstly, it’ll make you better appreciate yourself, and then it’ll show you areas in your personal life that you could make better, and possibly how to make it better.

BENEFICIAL TO YOUR HEALTH: Traveling takes you away from your regular daily routine, this has a major impact on your body as it takes away stress and anxiety. Being in an entirely new environment slightly makes you vulnerable, and this loosens you up and makes your mind open to new things. The entire process can be regenerating and beneficial to one’s health. Depending on the purpose and destination, traveling could also be a form of exercise, especially for those who always find themselves in an air-conditioned office. The whole process of anticipating a journey and going through the journey could be of great benefit to one’s health.

BEST FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES: Away from the online study, traveling is very important for research. It gives you first-hand information and a practical experience. So lately I visited the caves in Uturu, Abia State. A place that is known to be the “early man’s abode,” I got to see historic sights and fossils from hundreds of years ago. Although my visit was recreational, this gave me practical information on the way of life of the early men. Away from the information, traveling to conduct research will give you a personalized experience that could be groundbreaking in any research.

EXPANDS YOUR HORIZON: Traveling makes you meet new people, this increases your relationship base, also, it increases your level of influence. Imagine having someone in every state in Nigeria, this could make it easier for you to get anything done across any part of the country. Isn’t that exciting? Away from the people themselves, knowing and interacting with people across various works of life will widen your scope of reasoning. This could be what we may need In order to become exceptional in any field of life, -The vast experience got from any journey.

I may not have provided a solution to hodophobia, but I’m sure with these few points of mine, anyone having hodophobia may want to start planning their next trip, (possibly their first). I’m sure you have more tips on why traveling is important, please leave them In the comment section.