When people talk about travel, it often comes wrapped in the glossy image of endless sunsets and bucket-list adventures. But in reality, travel is far more than snapping instagram-worthy moments. It’s an opportunity that can bring healing, push us out of our comfort zones and offer valuable insights into who we are- if we let it. As a teacher, I’d say the world is the greatest classroom you’ll ever have and boy is it phenomenal. Nonetheless, it’s crucial to acknowledge that it’s not always easy. Travel doesn’t fix everything; it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution to life’s challenges nor should it be seen only as escapism. But what it can offer is perspective and being far from home leads to inevitable personal growth that changes how you view the world and your place in it.
Finding Clarity
One of the most immediate benefits of travel is the distance it creates between you and your everyday life. When you step away from your usual environment — the daily routines, stressors and familiar faces — you give yourself a chance to see things from a fresh perspective. In many ways, you’re temporarily suspending the responsibilities and pressures that contribute to feelings of burnout, stress and overwhelm. Notably this is when reassessment should take place, from a place of distance. This temporary feeling of being able to justify our wellbeing because “we’re on holiday” highlights just how much we put in on the back seat or wait for annual permission to do so. Travel allows your mind to pause, reflect and reset. Without the constant barrage of familiar triggers, it becomes easier to gain clarity. Problems that seemed overwhelming back home start to shrink in size, or at least take on a new form that feels more manageable. Your mind can breathe again, and in that space, personal growth begins.
That being said, simply leaving home doesn’t erase your struggles. If you’re battling something deeply rooted like grief, depression or anxiety, those emotions will inevitably follow you on the plane. What travel does, however, is create room to process them differently. You might feel lighter and more open to seeking solutions or making decisions you’ve been putting off. For many, being in a new environment can offer enough distance from their problems to gain insight and decide what needs to change when they return. It doesn’t have to be as drastic as maybe my choices seem, flying to the other side of the world, immersed in completely different cultures with very little familiarity besides the feeling of being snuggled up under a blanket (with thanks to the air con that brings back the great British climate vibes), but the key takeaway here, is that just taking a step outside of the familiar, your home comforts, will give you the key to start.
Wellness doesn’t mean having every aspect of life figured out; it’s the willingness to keep discovering yourself, even on the hard days. Travel fuels this process by reminding us that self-discovery is ongoing and every destination offers a new chance to learn and grow.
Immersion and Perspective
When you travel, you’re exposed to different ways of living, thinking and being. This exposure to diversity – whether it’s in culture, language or environment – offers a profound shift in perspective. For some, this can too overwhelming, resulting in an immediate desire or action to return to what they know. For others, it all becomes so foreign (literally) that you begin to see yourself in a completely different light. Suddenly, the problems you once thought were insurmountable may seem more like temporary hurdles. You see how people in other parts of the world manage their lives with fewer resources or how they approach community, family and work in ways you never considered. You experience a kindness and generosity from strangers that even your own ‘friends’ don’t show you back home. On the other hand, you will likely encounter situations where you fight, flight, freeze is engaged to the core, situations you didn’t think you’d find yourself but have no choice but to react accordingly for survival; proving to yourself just how capable you are.
This perspective can be transformative in itself. It reminds you that life isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience. There are many ways to live a fulfilling life, and often, the rigid expectations we place on ourselves back home become less important. We begin to see that there’s beauty in simplicity and that happiness doesn’t have to come from achieving certain milestones, especially societal ones, but from how we live each day.
Moreover, immersing yourself in a culture different from your own teaches empathy and understanding. It’s humbling to realise that the world doesn’t revolve around our personal struggles. That’s not said in a way to invalidate them by any means, far from that. In fact, because everyone has their own struggles, the enormity they feel hones in on the reality of it being our story, not that of the world. Proving just how vital it is to keep going and not let them control or define our future. For context, I’m in Malaysia writing this, looking out at a placid, yet highly polluted lake, watching around one hundred people walking or jogging a lap, or two, and I find myself just staring. Each and every one of those people have a story, a struggle, a perspective. All of which, we know nothing about. We must remember that we are the main character in our own story, as the saying goes. That doesn’t take them away, but highlights that we aren’t alone, we aren’t the target of problematic realities, we are all, in fact, living the reality of life, in all its forms. Travel offers a powerful reminder that we are a small part of a much bigger picture and sometimes, that’s exactly what we need to heal and grow- a sense of connection to something larger than ourselves.
The Power of Discomfort
It’s crucial to recognise that travel isn’t a cure-all, and it’s not always an easy solution to wellbeing. The idea that travel is a constant, joyful escape is a myth. It’s not all cocktails (or in my case, mocktails) and beaches. In fact, travel can sometimes be stressful, tiring and overwhelming, especially if you’re already dealing with emotional baggage, as well as the physical (the bane of my life).
The reality too, that when travelling long-term or living nomadically, you experience a new form of the ‘mundane’ where you create new routines and habits, just in a different environment. There’s inevitable, varying degrees of discomfort when in unfamiliar places and there will be days where you question your decisions. You might get lost, deal with delayed flights or feel homesick. Or, the more extreme and unpredictable, getting locked in a taxi and demanded to hand over more money; or when you get broken into a wake up to a stranger at the bottom of your bed; or even various situations associated with unwanted attention from being a solo, vulnerable female- all of which are a sprinkle of my own experiences. These things can happen, have happened, but doesn’t mean they will. In my experience, it’s in these moments of fear, discomfort and survival where the true growth happens. Travel forces you to adapt, to be resilient and to trust in your own ability to handle challenges. It teaches you that you are capable of more than you thought. Obviously, some cases are more severe than others, but dealing with travel’s difficulties mirrors the struggles we face in everyday life, but with one key difference— travel gives you a new set of tools to cope. You become more resourceful, more patient and more flexible.
Over time, these skills translate into your regular life. When you face challenges at home, you may find yourself thinking, “I handled x situation; I can handle this too.”, making challenges you face in your regular life start to feel smaller, just a tad more conquerable. There’s an incredible sense of accomplishment that comes from navigating the unknown, you prove to yourself that you are capable of more than you thought. Travel forces you to step out of your comfort zone in ways you might not have anticipated, and with each new experience, your confidence grows. Experiences you would only ever have if you did indeed leave your hometown. Venturing into the unknown is a powerful reminder that growth lies outside our comfort zones, but it’s okay if it feels uncomfortable. With each step, you’re proving to yourself that you can face challenges and discover parts of yourself you never knew existed.
Creating Space for You
One of the key ingredients in improving your wellbeing through travel is creating space for you, mindful space— an awareness of where you are and what you are experiencing in the present moment. Travel naturally lends itself to clarity and opportunity because you are surrounded by so much that is new. You’re more likely to take notice of the details: the way the light hits a building, the sound of foreign languages around you, the taste of an unfamiliar dish, the way geckos chase each other around your room…
Travel encourages you to slow down, if you allow it. Physically, it may seem busier (depending on your travel style), but mentally so much noise diminishes in your mind, making room for being present, mindful. It gives you permission to be present in a way that daily life often doesn’t. You can spend an entire afternoon wandering through a market or sitting by a river without the guilt of having to ‘be productive’. In these moments of presence, healing happens too. You stop worrying about the future or dwelling on the past, even if just for a while, and let your mind rest in the present. Back home, this space may be time at your favourite coffee shop or at your allotment, but the transition between creating the space for you and being absorbed by the exact things you went there to escape are comparatively short-lived, as much as a simple step through a door. These places, these times, are equally as important, especially when travel is not possible in the moment. It’s this practice of being in the moment that you can take home with you and aim to extend its lease contract in your mind. The ability to be mindful, to notice and appreciate the small things, can vastly improve your wellbeing once you return to your regular routine.
If you’ve ever traveled solo, you know it can be a profound experience in solitude and self-reflection. When you’re alone in a new place, without the distractions of your normal life, you’re given the rare opportunity to truly sit with yourself. This can be uncomfortable at first, especially if you’re used to constant stimulation from others, technology, work or social obligations. But solitude allows you to reconnect with yourself. You start to reflect on who you are, what you want and what you’ve been avoiding. You may come face-to-face with the emotions or decisions you’ve been running from, but in a setting that feels less pressured. Travel has a way of peeling back the layers and exposing what’s really going on beneath the surface. It provides a non-negotiable meeting with yourself, which in my case, often ends up in talking to yourself too!
Have you noticed, that whenever you travel, near or far, you seemingly make more of your day, or at least feel that way? That’s because we either plan to immerse ourselves in the place, explore as much as we can or simply allow ourselves to BE there. Notably, we naturally prioritise being outdoors – whether it’s a national park, a beach or a quiet countryside – there’s something undeniably healing about being in nature, travel is what brings us closer to it. Studies have shown that spending time in nature reduces stress, anxiety and depression, while improving mood and cognitive function. These experiences help ground you. The vastness of nature reminds you that your problems, while real, are just one part of the bigger picture. It’s humbling to stand before a towering mountain range or watch the sunset over the ocean, realising that life goes on, no matter what we’re dealing with. Nature encourages us to slow down, breathe deeply, and let go of our worries, even if just for a moment of time. It’s no wonder that so many people return from trips feeling more at peace and connected to themselves and the world around them.
Closing thoughts...
Travel has a way of sparking gratitude. When you experience different cultures and see how people live around the world, it becomes easier to appreciate what you have. You may find yourself feeling grateful for the small comforts of home- things like clean drinking water, a warm bed or even just the familiarity of your surroundings. At the same time, travel helps you realise that happiness doesn’t depend on material wealth or external achievements. You witness people in other parts of the world living fulfilling lives with far fewer resources than you might be used to. This shift in perspective can help you redefine what’s truly important in your own life and lead to a greater sense of gratitude and contentment. It doesn’t by any means take away or make your problems disappear, it’s more powerful than that, it can make them feel lighter because you have a deeper faith in yourself, your ability to cope and realign what takes up space in your mind. Travel is not a magic pill that will instantly cure all of life’s struggles, you may even encounter more. It’s the lessons learnt, the growth that can’t be denied or suppressed. But when approached with the right mindset- travel may just ignite the fire in you you didn’t know you needed.
