WHY YOU SHOULD TRAVEL AS THERAPY

All of us may have planned getaways with friends, and many of us cherish the movie “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara,” fantasizing about daring to break the monotony of routine life. The Goa trip has now become a symbol of crushed travelling dreams. Nevertheless, travelling is a lot more than a getaway. It is an awakening. To travel is to find your calling, like Elizabeth of Eat, Pray, Love. It may also be a way to fetter away your chains as Rani did in Queen.

There is no set formula for travelling. You can be a tourist, visit famous destinations, shop ‘til you drop, eat the best food, and be back in a week with plenty of beautiful pictures. You can also be a wayfarer by traversing through dusty roads and inland waterways to observe communities and nature. Expatriates are not recognized as travellers, but if you ask me, shifting to a different place for work is perhaps the best deal a traveller can get. Work on weekdays, explore on weekends. If expatriation seems too worldly, there also are ascetics who give their mundane lives up in favour of travelling across countries. In all probability though, if you meet serious travellers today, they will be one of those who work day and night in some parts of the year and spend the rest exploring new places. There is no set destination, either. Some like to stick to safe cities. Other’s may find exploring dangerous areas of the world more exciting. 

Travelling is therapy, a way to open your mind to possibilities. Often writers choose to move away from their hometowns while working on novels, so that they may keeping finding fresh ideas. In the lap of an unknown yet soothing environment, people discover their priorities. Can’t decide whether to continue a half-hearted relationship? Go to a place that you find relaxing and one that makes you happy. Ask yourself if you would want to share this happy moment with your partner.

Travelling can change you, says Mr Ganesh Nayak, who is a professor, TEDx speaker and a cyclist hailing from Udupi, India. He picked up a bicycle while battling his addiction problems. In the ensuing years, Ganesh Nayak has taken his bike through the Himalayas, Iceland, and Kazakhstan. While describing his travelogue, he speaks highly of the souls he met. He found people with similar stories like his, cycling through unknown roads.

You are never too young, too old, too dependent, or too broke to be travelling. These aspects only affect the quality of facilities that one can avail. Visiting places and cultures different from yours instil a sense of tolerance. One becomes more accepting of what one already has. Travellers appreciate little joys coming their way. When you know how big the world is, you stop being worried about petty issues like your looks or course of the future. You learn to live in the moment and savour every second of being alive. It helps you let go of the past and look towards new possibilities. People living alone should travel frequently.

It is sometimes hard to step out of your comfort zone. Travelling can fix that. Make prior arrangements, take a map, install numerous safety and money transaction apps on your phone. But at the same time, when you feel an area is relatively safe, try getting lost and figuring out roads on your own. Talk to locals. Greet them in their language. Befriend them. Spend a lazy afternoon in their house and help them with chores. You’d learn to step into the shoes of others.

Above all, when you feel discord at your home, unfulfilled or unappreciated pack your bags and give yourself a break. Things will remain as they are when you come back, yet, you will find a new love and a new understanding.