This post will be about the benefits of traveling. I am now knee-deep in the process of preparing for my first farewell tour, which will be into the South, and Southwest of our great country. When I am starting such a focused project I like to step back and ask “why am I doing this?” That question helps me to keep things in perspective and to do a better job of making the most of my travels. There are several reasons why I love to travel:

Travel can change your perspective on life

Until you see that the world that is beyond your back door, you will not realize how big the world really is. I’m not necessarily talking about size, but instead about people, about culture, and beliefs. I, like many white Baby-Boomers grew up in a very sheltered subdivision world. I don’t think I even saw a person of color until I was midway through grade school. I had no idea that many cities had entire neighborhoods of people who were very different from me. It is only by traveling that these realizations really occur.

I can remember the first time I swam in an ocean. The power of the waves amazed me. I can remember my first time to New York City to see literally millions of people living in such a small area. That was a world beyond imagination to a naive subdivision kid.

Travel gives you a sense of history

As a youth, I never had much interest in my country’s history. It was not until high school that I began to think about why we as a country do the things we do. A farmer/teacher in my very rural small town high school opened my eyes. The majority of my travels in midlife and now in my senior years are based on visiting historical places. While visiting historic places, I try to keep a focus on the people during those times. I try to remember that they were much like me, in that they lived day-to-day, and dreamed of better times. What was their world like? What were their dreams and expectations? These are the things that make traveling such a pleasure to me.

Traveling is being in the moment

Finally, when I spend my days in my retirement community apartment, I seem to be constantly thinking about a myriad of other things. When I travel, I am almost always in the moment. There are always new things to be discovered. There are also things that need to be taken care of each day.

• Keeping my attention on the road ahead.
• Making sure I don’t run out of gas.
• Where will I stay the night?
• Where to eat.
• What to see tomorrow.

These things keep me in the moment, and I kinda like that. Traveling, especially with history in mind is very pleasurable to me. I can’t wait to get on-the-road again.

I have visited literally hundreds of places during my travels. Here are a few of them.