Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.
Inclined to spend our finite amount of wealth on that new iPhone, luxury car or perhaps a new TV set – we usually tend to ignore spending money on experiences. Perhaps because we tend to envision them to be short-lived and hesitate to spend on fleeting experiences, which are over in a few hours, days or weeks., while we foresee the material things bringing with them longer-lasting happiness.
This is an assumption, many of us make and allow me to break it down to you – this is actually wrong. There are a couple of reasons why.
1) As said by Dr. Thomas Gilovich, “One of our enemies of happiness is adaption,”.
Purchasing material fulfills your desire at that particular time and agreed, it feels amazing! But as time passes by you will eventually appreciate it in a lower degree until some day you stop. This is because you have adapted to it and it no longer excites you as it did when you first saw it at the store. It eventually becomes part of your background.
Adaption leads to getting immune. However you can not adapt to experiences!
Much – because of the transient nature of experiences like travel: you’re usually not on a trip long enough to adapt to the point where you don’t appreciate it any more. And even after the trip over the memories last forever! It will be a long time until you forget the delight attached to the memory of the weekend by the beach on an island with your friends or family.
2) Anticipation – expectation or prediction!
Whilst waiting for the new iphone or the TV set you are able to browse through the internet and know exactly what you are purchasing! By the time it arrives you know what features it carries, how to operate it and how to go about it. So waiting for the 14-21 days shipping is so annoying isn’t it?
However, looking forward to the start of your holiday – even if it’s six months away – is butterflies-in-your-tummy exciting. Who hasn’t got through long weeks of work with the fantasy of imagining yourself far away from the normal boring routine of having a 9-5 job, relaxing on a beach or exploring the streets of a new city?
It may seem as if your big house, the most recent technology devices or your SUV can help define you – But we need to realize that material goods are just inanimate objects that we have given significance to.
The time you take away for yourself – traveling, reforms you and has a major part to play in both your ever-changing self and the changes in your outlook towards the world.
Share with us your travel experiences and lets inspire!
