You may hear this every so often, but life is short. It may feel like an inexhaustible resource to most of us, but, on average, we will each get around 30,000 days over the course of our lives to do so what we please. It’s not that much time at all when you think about the uncountable mornings and afternoons that you’ve already spent in traffic!

Holidays are a complete godsend to most of us- they’re awesome! They are there for you to recline into a far too comfortable chair and sink your teeth into a series or some great book. You’ll depressurise from the real world and at some point become bored and antsy to get busy with civilisation again. That’s the funny thing, going from our work related oh-so-busy-lives to complete nothingness may feel like a breath of fresh air, but you really don’t get much good out of it after the first day or two. Us humans need to be stimulated and challenged, but it doesn’t have to be “work”.

So, this is my case for real travel over “holiday slothfulness”.

I’m not going to be all Zen about giving you a lecture regarding “self-growth” or “finding oneself” when you venture off with solely the shoes on your feet and a small backpack. Although, there is plenty of truth to that this type of travel basically requires you to just GO and be open to the wild world that is waiting for you on the other side. 

We all get sucked into our bubbles and routines. Social media and deadlines control our lives and in the quest to avoid adversity, we sink deeper into our “comfort zones”- even if it is stressful, unhealthy or uncomfortable.

This is where real travel is so damn important because it nullifies your preconceived dogmas of normality. Experiencing new and unfamiliar cultures, places and people isn’t going to be all that easy-going at times. Throwing yourself into scenarios where you’re confronted with a new language or driving on the other side of the road (even just crossing that road!) will stimulate your adrenal glands- forcing you to think fast and ask questions later. The types of foods that you’ve come to grind on thoughtlessly will not be at your disposal and you will need to take your taste buds to weird and wonderful places.

You may like these you things you may not…

No, it’s not easy, but travel such as this will give you a little bit more perspective. The stress, uncertainty and stimulation of all your senses will, in the most part, leave you a little shell-shocked, but it will leave you with a mountain of good stories, strange encounters and, possibly, some new lifelong friendships. Real travel is a type-2 fun and you’ll have to put some elbow grease into making it happen, but you will be left smiling from ear-to-ear, gratefully aware of how some humans go about their business in extraordinary conditions giving you an appreciation for so many things that you take for granted back in your real word. 

Follow the adventure: @kaifitchen