Is Travelling Overrated? Making The Right Travel Decisions

You can learn a lot about the world when you travel from one continent or country to another. Many people also travel for different reasons; most do for leisure and taking a break from their regular jobs, others do it to expand their business network, and some for immigration purposes. Regardless of your ideal for traveling, there is always a question about whether traveling is worth the hype. To different people traveling means a different thing. Some people do believe that traveling is worth every investment, others are of different opinions.

So, Is Traveling Overrated?

Yes and No! To the adventurous types, traveling is a way to have fun, but for the conservatives, traveling is a total waste of time and resources.

Reasons Why Traveling Is Overrated

To those who believe that travel is a complete hype and a waste of time and resources, the following reasons are more prominent;

1. You are Satisfied with Your Life

Some people don’t feel like wandering in a crowded street in China looking for street food is fun; instead, they believe they should be doing something more productive because “Time is Money.” Traveling is overrated only if you are satisfied with your boring life. When your mind has been altogether program to accept a particular way of life over a long time, you will naturally find traveling as an utter waste of time. If you are not enthusiastic about anything new, perhaps traveling could become over-hyped to you.

2. You have Become Aversive to Mental Growth

Traveling could be overrated if you have become too aversive to mental growth or gaining new perspectives. Sometimes, people become too rigid to broaden their thoughts; even sustaining meaningful conversations with strangers may become difficult for them to achieve.

When exploring new places seems to haunt you, and all you prefer is to commute to work and back home every day, traveling will become overrated.

3. You Believe You Have Seen it All

People who believe their countries are the best in the world may naturally think traveling is overrated because they think they have seen it all. If you believe there is nothing else to see as all belong to your past life, then traveling may be overrated to you.

4. You Believe Virtual Reality is Cheaper than Traveling Around the World

Suppose you get carried away by what you see on the internet. You prefer to happily sit on your couch and browse 4k and 3D videos to see different parts of the world on your computer. If you choose to watch places, you will like to visit online rather than travel there, and then you will see traveling as being overrated.

5. You Believe the World is no Longer Safe

Many people believe the period we are in is unsafe, especially with the ravaging Covid19 pandemic. While it is true that nowhere is safe from insecurity and pandemics, the world itself is a risk that we take every day.

Reasons Why Traveling Is Not Overrated

The following reasons make traveling seem to be worth every investment;

1. It Increases Your Wealth of Knowledge

Believe it or not, you cannot find all information on the internet, but being physically present in your preferred destination will give you the chance to learn more about the world. Being close and personal with nature, people, and culture is the way to conduct thorough research on the elements that affect people’s way of life all around the world. If you don’t want to be a stereotype who relies on the internet for the truth, you have to travel.

2. It Builds Trust with Strangers

People no longer trust those they see online or through virtual reality, but seeing you in person can help build trust. As a business person, transacting business online may not be possible on all occasions, and you may have to be there personally to see your business partners to build trust and transfer funds. Travel has a lot of economic benefits, especially for those who don’t believe it is overrated.

3. It Boosts Health

Believe it or not, medical tourism is a multi-billion-dollar industry that is fast-growing all around the world. You wouldn’t find all the medical help you need in your country, especially for specific ailments; hence you may have to travel. If you can’t find medical help for your condition in your country of birth, then traveling shouldn’t be overrated for you.

4. Migration Purposes

If you are not getting enough economic opportunities in your local area, perhaps traveling outside of that region will be one of your best alternatives. More than half of people who travel do so for economic gains. They migrate to countries where they can quickly get jobs and resettle with peace of mind. Perhaps this is one of the main reasons why traveling is not overrated.

5. For Entertainment Purposes

If you reside in a buzzing city, perhaps you will understand the importance of occasional breaks in a quiet and serene atmosphere. Living for too long in an ever-busy environment can affect your sanity and make you lose focus sometimes. When you travel outside of your everyday pressures, your mind will achieve some rest, and you will return with a rejuvenated mind, body, and soul. This perhaps is one reason why traveling is not overrated.

Making The Most From Your Travels

Maximizing your travel experience perhaps should be your ultimate goal. The following tips can help you achieve more than bargained for, especially when you travel to far place;

1.Always look Beyond the Tourist Attractions

Most travelers don’t look beyond the tourist attractions at their travel destinations. A city is shaped by diversity in culture and history; hence you should also go to the mainstream attractions to maximize your experience. You may want to cycle through a city or explore the hidden trails instead of restricting your movements to the museums, beaches, and landmarks. The hidden gems of any destination are located outside of the main tourist attractions.

2. Be Spontaneous with Your Schedule

Remember, you are not tied to any other schedule except yours; you should therefore relax at your travel destination. You may get up late, and nobody will care; you may even do some volunteer work while on vacation as long as you step out of your comfort zone.

Making your travel plans fluid means being spontaneous. Instead of booking for two weeks at a stretch, why not make bookings for few days at a time and change accommodation as you discover another purpose or interesting spot while on holiday.

It would be best to learn to be flexible with your plans because they can change, and you don’t want to get yourself involved in messy situations where you start asking for refunds. Being flexible and spontaneous with your travel plans will help you maximize your travel while doing what you enjoy.

3. Slow Down with Your Itinerary

Many travelers end up rushing through their travel itinerary in 2-3 days. It is essential to start preparing as early as possible, but you still need to research more about vacations and places to go that are near such accommodation. Instead of booking connecting flights within a country, why not travel by road, train, or even boat to catch more fun. Don’t be rigid with your plans; try to explore local transportation networks to feel the locals’ experience.

4. Meet the Locals

One of the best ways to maximize your travel experience is to mingle with the locals. This assertion does not mean you should become unnecessarily familiar with them and get yourself in trouble. There are no better guidebooks or internet than the locals, and they can tell you more about life and culture in the place. Try and initiate small talks with the locals in the street or any staff in the hotel or private villa you are staying in even if you are an introvert.

5. Develop a Routine

Having a routine may seem counter-productive, but creating a performance while you are on vacation will help you know more about people and places. You may say that your reason for traveling is to escape from your busy routine; you don’t have to ignore it while you are in unfamiliar terrain completely. Developing a routine can help you learn a bit of the language, an added benefit that may not happen if you don’t have a routine and mind to understand such language.

Conclusion

With arguments in favor and out of favor for the topic, it is clear that traveling being overrated depends mainly on the individual traveler. A traveler who believes they can’t get anything tangible out of traveling will always see it as being overrated. In contrast, an individual who genuinely believes they can get something positive out of their vacation will think otherwise. There are so many benefits attached to traveling. Many people have even met their life partners on their journey to unfamiliar places. If you believe traveling has many great things to offer, these tips and ideas should be helpful.