Why do we travel? I don’t know if the answer to that question would be any different than the answer to, “Why do we learn?” Now the cynic in me employ a skeptical view for the reason why most people travel – to get away. That “escapism” is evident looking at any social media-ish propaganda that we get inundated with. How often does the scroll through our “feed” show pristine beaches, beautiful countries and fancy cocktails eliciting the intense draw to skip town? Call it FOMO, call it jealousy, call it whatever. The endorphins are kicking in! Surely, I feel that same void come every winter in Minnesota when the temps reach twenty below and there’s eight feet of snow on the ground. Lack of vitamin D is cause for some disgruntled behavior every so often even for us meek and mild Midwesterners. Vitamin deficiency could be a great excuse to travel but that’s not what I’m really wondering. The question of “Why do we travel?” compels us to say something closely tied to the word ‘experience.’ We want, and need, an experience that teaches us something and changes the senses. Isn’t that what learning is, too? To experience, and retain that experience, and be exposed to something different is monumental for our growth. It’s been said that, “Once we stop learning, we start dying.” I don’t know that’s an either/or reality that we live in but there is an underlying truth to it. Stagnation kills. The body atrophies. Our vision narrows. The tragedy is that when the “learning” part of us isn’t engaged we default to that ‘escapism.’ If part of the job is to expose our kids, and ourselves, to new experiences and emotions then learning must have its space in our daily lives. The sedentary life becomes uninteresting and when something is uninteresting, we withdraw. We become two people pulled in different directions. Mundane becomes boring and we get excited for the new gig, the vacation, the change in seasons and the purchase of new shoes. New and improved is better than old and impaired. The human condition desires change and looks to greener pastures. Misleading as it often is, that’s the way the brain works. It doesn’t see beauty as undesirable. The case for traveling is laced with that reality Ralph Waldo Emerson cautions when he writes in We Are Builders of Our Fortunes: Success Through Self-Reliance, “Traveling is a fool’s paradise” and that “my giant goes with me wherever I go.” Greener pastures aren’t weed-free. What you think you want isn’t really what you need. Escaping reality isn’t the answer. I want to listen to Emerson. I really do. And in most respects, he’s right. But what I don’t think Emerson is, or was, able to capture is the unexpectedness of travel. Curiosity isn’t born from any sedentariness. The ‘reason’ for doing something, even if it’s to escape reality momentarily, isn’t why something is important. The rational man would argue against that. But maybe that’s why courage is such an important feature to us as well. Because being courageous stands in the face of rationality. And having courage, possessing courage, is found with the love you have for yourself. The author Scott M. Peck defines ‘love’ in his book, The Road Less Traveled, as “extending oneself for the purpose of nurturing one’s own and another’s spiritual growth.” That’s the explorer talking. The one that’s willing to go learn something new and see something unique. The one willing to leave their cubicle, all the while willing to come back. There’s a correlation between travel and empathy that embeds a different perspective on the world. It’s not so scary. People are more like us than not. You can learn a great deal stepping outside into the unknown. It’s OK to be irrational and not have a good answer for why you travel. The answer could be that you can’t not travel. You’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t extend yourself into the unknown and experience what’s out there. Traveling is essential to growth as learning is success. And we can’t stop growing. The elder person we will become would regret it.