In this blog post, we’ll explore how travel impacts our lives and how the memories and experiences gained along the way broaden our horizons and help us grow.
Travel is a word that always sparks anticipation. Everyone has traveled at least once in their life. People travel with their families when they are young. Each time, new landscapes and experiences accumulate, becoming special memories in their young hearts. These memories are not easily forgotten over time and often have the power to bring a smile to one’s face when recalled.
When people become college students, they fly to Europe with friends. This period is filled with freedom, a spirit of adventure, and endless curiosity about the world. Traveling with friends offers another kind of special experience. Exploring the world with peers of similar age, sharing common interests, is one of the most valuable experiences life can offer.
After growing older and getting married, people go on a honeymoon with their spouse. A honeymoon signifies the start of a new life together and holds deep meaning as the first journey shared as a married couple. Thus, at various stages of life, we experience different forms of travel. Seeing this, travel has quietly taken its place in people’s lives, becoming an important part of life itself.
So what exactly is travel? Ironically, the English word “travel,” which carries the meaning we know, originates from “travail,” meaning pain or hardship. It wasn’t until the 19th century, with the development of transportation, that this journey, once called pain and hardship, came to be seen as pleasure or entertainment. In the past, traveling from Seoul to Busan took at least a day, but now, taking the KTX, it’s a distance easily covered in just three hours. Moreover, thanks to the rapid advancement of science and technology since the 19th century, we no longer move only on land; we fly through the skies in airplanes, traversing the world.
Particularly as South Korea entered the ranks of developed nations and its economy grew, people, especially those in the middle class and above, shifted their focus away from prioritizing money as in the past and began emphasizing their own hobbies and leisure activities. And at the heart of these hobbies and leisure pursuits lies travel. Whereas travel in the past was simply about moving from place to place, it now serves as an important opportunity to experience culture and art, and to reflect on one’s own life. For instance, many people appreciate Renaissance art in Florence, Italy, or experience the lifestyle in Paris, France, gaining new inspiration.
The types of travel can be broadly categorized based on what the traveler seeks, and a single trip can hold multiple meanings. A trip to Europe or the United States is an overseas trip, and if taken with family, it can also be a family trip. Beyond this, there’s backpacking, where one packs necessary items into a single backpack and sets off. Backpacking is a special experience that instills a sense of adventure and challenge in many people. Exploring the world on foot provides a sense of accomplishment in itself and instills the courage to venture into an even larger world.
Traveling without a single penny is called self-sufficient travel. Self-sufficient travel is a kind of challenge that tests the survival instincts and adaptability inherent in humans. Through this journey, people overcome their own limitations and learn true self-reliance. Beyond these, countless other types of travel exist today, such as package tours prepared and organized by travel agencies.
Travel offers travelers many things: memories, experiences, and lessons. First, it broadens one’s worldview by introducing the sights and cultures of new places different from where one lives. Second, healing trips help forget difficult memories and restore mental stability. Third, backpacking (or self-sufficient travel) allows one to flexibly adjust their itinerary while traveling. Therefore, it fosters self-reliance and encourages thoughtful financial planning since one must manage expenses independently.
Fourth, traveling to diverse places helps one grasp how vast the world is and creates unexpected connections with people encountered along the way. Fifth, setting the goal of visiting places one hasn’t yet been inspires greater motivation to live more purposefully. Sixth, it gives you strength during tough times and creates memories money can’t buy. Beyond these, countless other benefits lie hidden within travel.
Most people regret past actions. Yet among those who have traveled, none regret the journeys they took. Perhaps, like the origin of the word ‘travel’ – ‘travail’ – the journey itself can be arduous and demanding. Yet this difficult journey will become a valuable experience for living life. Travel isn’t merely an escape; it offers an opportunity for self-reflection and growth.
If you’re reading this now, why not take a little time—even just a short trip to a nearby place—and go travel? I encourage you to encounter new landscapes and people, and create your own story. This will breathe new vitality into your life.
