Man : Moving (Traveling)

Travelling

  Travel is the movement of people or objects (such as airplanes, boats, trains and other conveyances) between relatively distant geographical locations.

The term "travel" originates from the Old French word “travail”.

  Purpose and motivation

 Reasons for travelling include ;

a.    recreation,

b.    tourism or

c.    vacationing,

d.    research travel for the gathering of information,

e.    for holiday to visit people,

f.     volunteer travel for charity,

g.    migration to begin life somewhere else,

h.    religious pilgrimages and mission trips,

i.     business travel,

j.     trade,

k.    commuting, and other reasons, such as to obtain health care or fleeing war or for the enjoyment of travelling.

    Travel may occur by human-powered transport such as walking or bicycling, or with vehicles, such as public transport, automobiles, trains and airplanes.

Motives to travel include pleasure, relaxation, discovery and exploration, getting to know other cultures and taking personal time for building interpersonal relationships.

Travel may be local, regional, national (domestic) or international. In some countries, non-local internal travel may require an internal passport, while international travel typically requires a passport and visa. A trip may also be part of a round trip, which is a particular type of travel whereby a person moves from their usual residence to one or several locations and returns.

Psychology Of Travel.

Self-Esteem:

The majority of people tend to live very mundane ordinary lives. The need to enhance and upgrade with thrills and spills to elevate their estimates of their own sense of self worth. We all want to feel better about ourselves. To the extent retracing, or re-experiencing the travels of others whom we hold in high regard enables us to feel in some way that perhaps we can identify with them, i.e., be more like them.

Perhaps, in some way, a visit or travel to see ourselves as gaining some of the qualities of that master, soldier, statesman, artist or saint. To gain self-esteem by gaining the respect and admiration of others who see that we have accomplished, re-traced, re-experienced the adventures of these adulated people.

Achievement of Higher Order Need

Re-tracing the expeditions and adventures of historically famous adventurers before us, we can personally feel experience the rewards of our own achievements. The more famous the adventurer, the more difficult the trek, the greater the challenge, the more sense of achievement we feel we accomplish by retracing the steps.

 Curiosity

Perhaps the single greatest motivation or driving force serving the fulfilment of human needs is curiosity. Seeking new things, new experiences provide us with the means for satisfying our basic and higher order needs. We are very curious; in travel we seek new stimulation of all kinds. The search, drive or thirst for novelty, adventure and excitement are all in the service of reward and satisfaction. Travel is, of course, one of the best means for satisfying our curiosity: no other human endeavour provides us with the scope and variety of human experience across cultures.

Peak Experience

Seeking peak experience, i.e., maximizing stimulation and passions shown through sights, sounds and fragrances of travel; seeking the mystical spiritual experience are all the means by which we seek to transform our often boring, mundane, uneventful existences back home.

Re-connecting / Re-validating Our Lives

Travel enables us to make our current lives 'more real' by re-examing the present in light of the past. Reliving our 'roots', whether in a national or religious sense, for example by visiting places of our ancestors or by making religious pilgrimages or by re-visiting famous historical or religious sights the vivid sensory experiences--the recreation of past to present tense—enables us to 'relate' and re-identify.

Re-connecting / Re-validating by visiting famous places or by retracing the steps of famous people adds to our sense and knowledge of reality by creating immediacy for us through our senses of what for us was merely mental imagery.

Perhaps T. S. Eliot's famous poem illustrates this best:

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time

Excitement and Adventure

Seeking the romantic; excitement and adventure. Interestingly, adventurous, romantic and exciting travel, is, to some extent, precisely so BECAUSE OF the element of discomfort, insecurity and potential danger. Balancing comfort, security, safety in the direction of discomfort, insecurity and risk, both psychological and otherwise.... Of course, one person's sense of adventure is another's greatest phobia or fear. Riding the River rapids is one person's thrill and another's poison.

Benefits

Disconnect from our regular life.

Life is a rat race with regular boring job and task and scheduled life. With travelling you forget your problems/issues for a few weeks, and understanding facts that would take for granted without the distance travelling.

Relaxation

Live life to its fullest and enjoy a stress free time with yourself. Recharging our “batteries” by disconnecting us from our regular life. Feeling invigorated and happy to be back in our day to day routine. A good stress remover that has a lot more to give than to accept.

Grow Culturally.

Viewing new customs, different ways of living is fantastic for the mind. It gives us a new perspective about life and especially our life, helping us change some of our habits or even create new ones. Discovering different values and ways to get by in life is really interesting. You also need to visit exotic new places and discover what this wonderful world has to offer.

New experiences increase our resourcefulness

Encountering living situations you would never encounter at home, a great experience that lent help to your routine life. The natural ability of overcoming problems those others would frown upon.

Memories for a lifetime.

These memories create a bond that cannot be easily erase especially the friendship/relationship. Cementing a new perspective on the relationship and c bond forever. A nice story to tell people afterwards, photo albums about your trips and nostalgic feeling.

Health Benefits of Travel

Survival.

Taking a break from the daily routine relieves stress simply by providing a change of scenery. The excitement of getting ready for a trip can be an experience and the anticipation will take your mind off daily petty problems that often seem larger than life. The tribulations and trails in travelling will help in determining your daily experience helps to put your life in redefine your life in real world.

Stress relief

Getting out of the nitty gritty of your everyday life gives you the ability to rest and relax because you're miles away, free from your responsibilities. Family and daily routine can zap most of your energy and can require careful attention. Getting away gives you the chance to listen to your inner voice and to simply do what you want to do. Travelling frees the mind and puts the body at rest.

Rejuvenating.

Regardless of if you are laying on the beach, swimming in the ocean, walking the streets of a historic city or riding the subway - you will be doing something! The sunlight is rejuvenating, and your desire to experience all your destination and its people have to offer will motive you to be active. An active body leads to an active mind, and both of them will get a workout on your next vacation.

Experience a different culture.

Immersing yourself in a new locality or places will put your life in perspective. Meeting different people with new experiences and ideas, showing you how vast the world is. New people will also invigorate you with new energy and you'll learn the different ways that people accomplish the same goals, offering new ideas that you have never thought of before. A different social setting will be stimulate, and help you to appreciate your unique self and all your hidden potential. Travelling keeps your mind and body young, fuelled by new energy. An added bonus for those travelling with a companion is strengthening the bond you share together.

New memories.

Eateries, luxurious houses and shopping, renowned museums, ancient architecture, pristine beaches, rugged mountain tops and exotic lakes will combine to create a lifetime experience that you will cherished for years to come. The euphoria, excitement, and freedom you feel when you step away from your daily living are priceless. The photos will capture the settings in time, but the even more, the memories, smells, sights and sounds will stay with you forever.

The benefits of travel are vital to your mental, physical, and spiritual health because travel is necessary to help us cope with life and get a break from all of the responsibility a hectic life places on us.

Educational Travel

Time With Family

Taking educational travelling experiences ensures that the family will be spending quality time together.  According to New Mexico State University, time spent with parents can help children to feel secure in their relationship and may help parents to get to know their kids better. Educational travel allows parents and children to learn together, which increases the knowledge base of everyone involved.

Hands-On Learning

Outside of the structure and confinement necessary at school, an educational trip is free to literally delve deeply into whatever one is learning about. An archaeological dig, for example, provides the opportunity for a child to experience the sights, sounds and tactile experience of digging for and identifying fossils. Small day trips can have similar hands-on benefits. Your child may be able to decorate a cookie at a bakery excursion or milk a cow during a visit to a nearby farm.

Appreciation for Different Cultures

If you have the opportunity to take your child on a vacation to another country, she will acquire an appreciation for the differences and similarities that exist between different cultures. Tasting foreign foods, hearing different languages and visiting homes in other countries can be an eye-opening experience for a child or an adult. High school students can study abroad for a semester or an academic year and get to know how families and teenagers in other cultures live. If you cannot take your child to another continent, visiting ethnic stores, restaurants or other businesses can give similar benefits if approached with an open and curious mind.

New Perspective on History

Seeing and experiencing historical sites up close can make history come alive for young people and help them to make sense of the names, dates and events that they learn in school. If you cannot travel to historical sites, consider taking your children to historical society-sponsored events and fairs, or to history museums in your area.

Travelling Young

Deciding what you want in life

Travelling when young can be a great platform to diversify your experience early in life and to discover what your purpose in life is.  Each country, each city, even each restaurant you might visit is an opportunity to experiment something different.  It is better to realize your true desires and potential early in life rather than realize them when you think it’s too late.

Fewer physical attachments

As you grow, you start to settle your life with physical attachments like a mortgage, a car, and kids.  Travelling before this stage of your life will be much easier and the freedom will be priceless.  You will be able to travel for longer terms, more often, and with fewer preoccupations.

Street smart

Compliment “school smart” with some “street smart”, and there’s no better way to do this than travelling.  Travelling teaches you a wide variety of things that can be applied to your daily life –from the most banal to the most indispensable.  When travelling you acquire a unique wisdom that is useful for your entire life.

Interesting person

There is nothing more interesting than having a conversation with someone who has something to say.  Your travels will be part of your story as a person.  Travelling creates an interesting story in your life that is worthy telling to all your friends.  Not only your travel conversations can be of great interest, but they can also be eye openers to other people.  At that point, you become an inspiration to those who would also like to explore the world.

Developing independence and responsibility

Travelling is one of the best ways to learn how to be independent.  When you travel, everything relies on you.  Even if you travel on an organized trip, there is a certain degree of organizational skills, responsibility, and independence that you have to exert.  When travelling independently, you are responsible for your plane tickets, accommodations, transportation, passport, and money –it’s like a crash course of life.

Managing money early in life

There is nothing worse than being out on the road and run out of money.  There is no comfort zone when you’re travelling; everything depends on you.  For that reason, travelling serves as a great “teaching lesson” on how to manage your finances.  Spending recklessly, will subsequently affect your trip.

Resenting it later in life

There is nothing worse than reaching a later stage in life and regretting not doing something when you were young.  Well, travelling is one of those.  There are many things to experience in this world, so why wait till later in life to enjoy them? There is no reason to spend your young active years just working.  Like they say; don’t live to work… work to live.

 You deserve it!

We all deserve to have a good time travelling and to see what’s out there.  There is no need to wait till later in life to start experiencing the world. Don’t let opportunity pass you by; explore the world while you’re young.

Excerpt and narrations with thanks from:

Cessy Meacham - Published: 2009-01-09

Michelle Kulas, Demand Media

Dr. Michael Brein is ‘The Travel Psychologist’ living on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

 Norbert Category: The Travel Effect