Written by Rhiana Archie
People often ask, “Why?” when you decide to go off and travel the world. They will ask if you are running from something, if you are going through a breakup or if you are hoping to find yourself out there or reveal some purpose for your life that you aren’t already aware of. I am not saying that those aren’t all perfectly good reasons to travel, BUT those don’t have to be the only reasons to do it. If you want to try new food, go travel. If you want to meet new people, go travel. If you want to lie on a white sand beach, go travel. You do not have to have some elaborate or enlightening excuse to see the world.
Travel for adventure. When you arrive in a new place it will take you some time to get acquainted. Often, once you get comfortable you will find yourself doing and trying things that you probably never would have done back at home. You will try strange and unusual foods and fall in love with them. You will wake up before the sun to hike to the top of a mountain for an incredible sunrise, and search all day for beautiful sunsets. You’ll jump off of that cliff into the ocean without a second thought. When you travel, you become a better version of yourself. You learn to let down walls and embrace opportunity that you never had the option to back home. You pack up your bag and travel to a new place for exploration and excitement.
Travel for experiences. When you arrive in a new city in an unknown country, you should meet new people. You should get this overwhelming sense of bravery about talking to people and starting conversations. The people that you encounter will make an incredible difference in any trip you take. Learning about people, their feelings, their way of life and their thoughts will open your mind to a whole world out there that you never knew before. There is so much to gain from conversations with a new individual. You will learn from locals and fellow travellers. Someone might tell you about a place to visit that you’ve never heard of. Then you go there and it’s your new favorite town or the best hike you’ve ever done. Experiences like these will open doors and open your mind to all of the different things that this extraordinary world has to offer.
Travel for you. This is important. If you want to travel, whether it be short term or forever, there is no reason not to. You can make excuses, but why would you? You are the one that has to sacrifice a few coffees a week to save the money. You are the one that has to purchase the camping gear and do the research. So travel, but do it for you. Do what makes you happy when you travel. Travel within your means, but don’t cut corners and miss out on the total experience that YOU want to get from your journey. Search for the best places to take photos, but take it all in as well. If renting a kayak to get to a remote island for some peace and quite is what you really want, then do just that. There are festivals, serenity and a tremendous amount of things to see and do out there. You do not have to run from anything to take a trip. It can be as simple as having three days off of work and jumping on a plane to an island for a little adventure. You can travel to prove something to yourself, but you can travel without purpose just as easily.
You wont ever look back on your life and wish you hadn’t taken any trip, but you may look back and wish that you had. You shouldn’t make excuses not to do it and you shouldn’t have to make excuses in its favor either. It can be quite simple and beautiful. Travel doesn’t have to be some glamorous ordeal. If you want to see the world, get out there and do it. Save your money and make your sacrifices because it will always be worth it. You don’t need to “find” yourself or work for some sort of personal enlightenment. You can simply go see the world with absolutely no excuse at all.
I’m a professional travel photographer, and I’ve been living the digital nomad lifestyle since 2016. I make money by working on client assignments, selling stock photography and helping other photographers by sharing my experiences on this website. I move around at my own pace (I hate fast-paced travel) and like to spend a few months getting to know each place I base myself in.
My writing and photos have been featured on industry leading websites such as Digital Photography School, Atlas Obscura and the world’s leading underwater photography resource The Underwater Photography Guide. I authored an eBook called “Breaking Into Travel Photography: The complete guide to carving out a career in travel photography” that has been published on Amazon. My stock images have also appeared in ads promoting destinations and companies that sometimes has been a surprise, even to me. But I guess that’s the nature of stock photography, you never know who will license them!
I’m always happy to connect, so feel free to reach out!
This is so true! I just booked my first solo trip – to New Mexico – and people keep asking me why and I’m like, BECAUSE I WANT TO. I think, especially with solo travel, some people just don’t get why you’re going somewhere and assume there must me some sort of escape-from-reality sort of reason.
Sometimes it just feels like that right thing to do! Have fun in New Mexico!