One more benefit of travel

Loved the article, thanks for sharing. After reading it I sat and thought about my moments of awe. Most of them have been when I travel. This past September I was at Jane Austen's cottage in Chawton where she wrote or edited all her books on a small round end table. I sat in her garden and was enthralled to think I was sitting where Jane had sat and enjoyed the solitude and beauty.

What a wonderful, upbeat, positive post! Thank you so much for gifting the article as well. I thought it was very good and I'm going to start to note "awe"! To me it's not just seeing awe but mindfully noting it's presence as well.

The article mentions Sharon Salzberg who I'm aware of from the Ten Percent Happier app where she is one of the meditation experts. Her guided meditations are very good.

Before the freedom of retirement I’d book my Fall flight to London ( my favorite city on the planet) in March.

That was my reward after my work for the season ceased. Always helped my mental health knowing I was booked.

EDIT: as I’ve posted more than once over the years on this Forum. Travel keeps me sane.

Two moments in London stand right out when I think of my awe list -- standing at the Tate Britain in front of John Singer Sargent's painting "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose" and standing at the high point of Hampstead Heath looking down (southeast) toward the river and city skyline as a weather front blows through.

On my first trip overseas, I went to England and after 4-5 days in London, I rented a car and began driving around the countryside. At one point outside of Sheffield, I got out of my car and just stood there looking around. All around me were hills covered with purple heather and gorse and green valleys as far as I could see. I almost started to cry. That was over 25 years ago and I still remember it. And when I think about these moments, all the angst and stress in my life goes away.

When life gets routine, it's awfully nice to have something to look forward to. International travel is what we really enjoy.

And after 50 years of domestic and international travel it's gotten to be a lifestyle. We're at the point where there are few places in Europe that we have not been. And we have just a few places in the U.S. that we even want to return to.

I'm most thankful to the advent of budget airlines that have kept the price of travel affordable.

Thank you for sharing this. My husband had a very trying and stressful 2022. Watching his face in Rome last month warmed my heart. He was the most serene and happy I'd seen him all year as he wandered the colloseum, the streets, sat in piazza navona, and gazed at art he never thought he'd see in person. The awe of travel is undeniably therapeutic.

Aw, roubrat, that's wonderful - Italy can definitely do that. It's one of my favorite places.

Wonderful posts and article. Travel is certainly one of the ways I get that feeling and benefit. Many travel instances to reflect on and hopefully many more. It seems like others here have similar experiences. So good! I am thankful I am in a position to travel..

I read that travel and experiences are the best use of money - because they give memories which last a lifetime - while buying new cars or toys only gives joy for a few weeks or so until the novelty wears off

We'd use our credit card miles all year long to purchase one flight to Europe. And any tax returns would go into our travel savings account to buy another.
My parents were good to keep our daughter until she got 11 years old and she went to Europe with us.

Our international travel gave us something to look forward to month to month. My wife's hobby has always been finding cheap flights--usually in the middle of the night.

And we've been going over there 52 years, and have been to every major European city 4-5 times.

RailRider, I agree with that. My best friend and I stopped giving each other Christmas gifts finally. We were both at the age where we bought something if we wanted it, and didn't really need anything else. Instead we spent the money on a really nice evening out, at a good restaurant with good food and wine. We enjoyed those evenings so much more than any gifts.

David, that's nice - I started traveling without too much money but was lucky enough to have a brother who was a pilot for an airline who gave me buddy passes. There was a gap of about 8 years where I didn't travel but that's because my daughter and her family lived out of state, so I spent all my vacations visiting them. But once I started up again, I haven't stopped.

I feel this all the time on trails, whether it be Murren, Villefranche Sur Mer, Cap Ferrat, or Cinque Terre.

Thanks, Marlee. Great article. I liked this paragraph the best. It rings true for me and undoubtedly for most of us on this forum.

“Awe often comes from novelty. So gravitating toward the unexpected can set us up to experience awe. Some people do this more than others, a personality trait that experts have called an “openness to experience,” Dr. Keltner said.”

When we are at home, our sense of awe comes from simply viewing the mountains around us. The ever changing light and the glorious sunrises and sunsets.

That was just lovely! Thank you for sharing it with us, Mardee. Knowing why we travel is so important to planning a trip that meets those goals. So for me, great food, museums, architecture....and definitely AWE.

Yes, there is much joy in travel.

Also, travel is about leaning. Learning more about the World, its history, cultures, art, cuisine and people.