We are again on this prominent last day of the year and as always we ask ourselves: How did we get here so quick? And what will the next year, hell, the future in general, hold for us?
Watching the news one might think there soon is not much future for us to enjoy. The arctic is 40°C warmer than usual, there is as many people fleeing their home countries as never before and world heritage sites are destroyed in the name of what? One really cannot perceive why.
So we definetly should travel more since we do not know if the places we may be able to visit today still exist tomorrow. However, in order to do not more harm than good we have to do so responsibly. (More on the “how” shortly)
This is why more travel should be a New Year resolution in 2016:
1. Travel increases cultural awareness
In the current days we see an increasing rate of prejudice towards foreigners in a lot of western countries due to the recent terrorist attacks in France. Assumptions are being made about the culture and religious beliefs of whole nations without even second-guessing whether these assumptions may actually be true.
Travelling has the power to open eyes to the truth of culture and often energises one so much, that you share your experiences with your friends and family. By continuing to travel for example to Muslim countries we can both experience ourselves, as well as later share, the truth and beauty of their religion, diversity of ethnic groups and way of living.
2. Travel increases education
Through travel we have the chance to learn about history, of course. Visiting historic sites and museums can teach us a lot about the past.
However, we cannot not only learn about history, but also generally about how the world works. In NYC for example you can book a tour of the UN headquarters, in Washington DC of the Capitol and in Berlin of the Reichstag and learn about actual day-to-day politics.
Furthermore, we can learn about the environment, how real the impacts of global warming are, what animals are endangered and what we can do to help.
3. Travel shows us why the world is worth saving
All in all, travelling the world is often the best way to remember why it is worth saving. The beauty of landscapes, animals, culture and people can show us that there is more to the world than all the pain and misery we see on TV.
What are your top reasons to travel? Made any travel plans for 2016, yet?
Picture credit:
Map: Francesca Palazzi via www.flikr.com
Palmyra: reibai via www.flickr.com
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