Nothing in this world can let you lose yourself and find yourself all at once. Nothing, except travel.

 

The emotions evoked by the gift of travel are an accumulation like no other. A perfect balance is struck between chaos and harmony, the known and the unknown, the present and the past. 

 

The spectrum of emotions unlocked by travel might just deepen your understanding of self, others, and the world around you. Here is a look at some of the key emotions travel will awaken within you. 

 

Excitement

From searching for flights to finding inspiration on Pinterest, and booking your out-of-this-world accommodation, every step of the travel process is an excitement-fueled entity. The culmination of which seems almost too much for one person to bear. 

 

As the excitement bubbles up inside you, your body keeps you aware of the small doses of adrenalin you are blessing yourself with. When you click that “book” button, when you eat new food for the first time, when you tick off that bucket list landmark; excitement will be there around every corner.

 

Curiosity 

As you wander, you will start to wonder. Exploring new cultures and fascinating locations will leave you with more questions than answers, as it should be. 

 

Curiosity didn’t actually kill the cat, it leads him to discover more than he ever dreamed of! Being curious is how we learn more about the world around us, and eventually, more about our place in that complicated world. Be curious enough to find a thread that ties you to the past or seek out similarities between you and even the most foreign-seeming cultures. 

 

Captivation

As you wake up on a crisp morning and wander out of your remote cabin, enveloped by the nothingness around, you will stand captivated. Similarly, climbing up the steps at Westminster station to see Big Ben towering above you; you will stand captivated. A childlike sense of astonishment makes you feel small in the great wide world but further fuels the drive to see more. 

 

Whether it is your first or 100th time experiencing travel, there will always be something to be captivated by. Whether it is the grandeur of the tallest building, or the smallest wildflower springing back to life after the snow melts; stand back and soak in the magic.

 

Gratefulness 

Being grateful is the emotion to end all emotions. Traveling isn’t always as easy and worry-free as one might like, but if you can stand back at the end of the day and feel gratitude for the experience as a whole, you have won. Feeling gratitude is more powerful than any adversity and traveling spoils you with opportunities for this powerful emotion. A stranger pointing you in the right direction, a day of good weather, and learning something new; all reasons for gratitude.

 

All things considered, traveling should come with a warning label:

 

Emotions include but are not limited to the abovementioned. Travelers will return changed; for the better. 

 

 

By Louise Pieterse.