Travel is the best medicine

Can I wear shorts and white tennis shoes to the opera?

Of course you can - even with a pink polka dot shirt - as long as you wear a bow tie, especially if it either spins or lights up, or both.

That would make me happy....

God loves laughter, laughter is the best medicine.

Travel and the planning of trips makes me very happy. But on the flip side after the conclusion of a trip I'm seriously depressed for about a couple of weeks. So for me it's a zero sum-gain:(

@ Michael, that's why it's so important to start planning the next trip as soon as you board the flight home!
We think and plan our next trips constantly when we're home and sometimes while we're on our trips. Thanks for a great perspective, Thomas.

@ Thomas,

Horses make me happy and were for a long time my stress reliever. they still have that affect on me so i try to make them part of my trips when i can.

As far as (afa) other stress, life is full of it. I try to choose my stress and not the other way around. when i was younger, i was stressed more so. Travel can add some stress to my life, but its part of the - of the +/- and so far the + outweigh the - by a long shot.

Clothes to wear, packing the right stuff... is all "low hanging fruit" as some have said and im not a clothes horse nor do i dress to impress on my travels. I dress to be functional first. If i forget to pack something i will buy it there. My passport is one of the first things to find and to set aside. I always do a dry run of packing a couple weeks before so i can see how things fit and if i need to add or remove stuff before i do the trip, not the night before. I have a checklist of things i will bring and that list is evolving/changing for each trip.

happy trails.

What Darcy said! I've always got at least a couple of trips on my mind, so it keeps me thinking ahead instead of being depressed. That and thinking about the trips in the past are what keep me going. I have friends who have no desire to travel and can't believe I choose to spend my money on that rather than 'things.' When I'm old and decrepit I won't be thinking back on the 'things' I've had, but the places I've seen and the experiences I've had. That makes me happy!!

If you don't travel, you're sick.............
..........and deserve to die unhappy, unfulfilled, and grumpy.

You can't control how you die..........
................you can sure as hell control how you live.

Thomas - yes, most of us knew that! :)

There's a happiness study which shows that people who spend money on experiences are happier than people who spend money on material goods. I tell this to my family and other people who think travel is a waste of money, but they aren't convinced.

Stress is what I left back home. Traveling is enjoyment, especially when you're well prepared physically and mentally.

Half the fun is in the preparation, which I call "traveling in my mind." Preparation is so much easier with all of the incredibleinformation on the internet, like RickSteves.com. The world gets smaller all the time with modern technology.

Talking about all of our past travel experiences (and antics) keeps my wife and I close, and especially gives us something in common outside of the day to day grind of family life.

I still go with Helen Keller's quote, "Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing at all." The day I don't have plans for some sort of adventure will be the day I stop living.

Positive health effects probably include keeping your brain active (finding your train, car, seat - when it's outside of your normal routine, deciphering a menu or using a ticket machine in a different language), exercise (even if it's just walking through airports, train stations and museums), and having something to look forward to (opposite of depression).

Words that will NOT appear on my tombstone: "I wish I had traveled less."

I've already told my wife to scatter my ashes at the ruined castle above Durnstein, Austria, where Richard Lion Heart was held captive. One of our first bike adventures was through there. I am with you all on the constant planning of the next adventure.
Hurry June, we are bringing our bikes (and our world traveling Jack Russell terrier, Thor) and cycling from Stade, Germany, catching the Via Claudia Augusta out of Augsburg and over the Alps to Trento. From there through Lake Garda and eventually ending up in Cinque Terra.
Oh yeah...travel is VERY HEALTHY!!!!! Great for the spirit and soul, not to mention improving one's World view as well.
@Thomas, I hope you are enjoying the Punsch this season...I have it on good authority that the best is to be found at the Altwiener Christkindlmarkt at a stall run by a family from Krems.
http://www.punschengerl.at/

Have a great Holiday Season all and definitely have wunderbar adventures in 2014!!!

Absolutely - it is totally the best medicine. I always plan our next trip on the flight home - my husband doesn't want to plan - he just wants to go, so this makes for a great combination because I love the planning. We will be in Europe again in June. I try not to think of the time we can no longer make these trips. This is the time when we totally relax and enjoy everything, and it's really something to look forward to.

Thomas,

What a great topic! Thanks for posting.

The advice is no doubt "preaching to the converted" for the majority of us here, but hopefully that article will motivate more people to travel. Many of the sentiments expressed by the others also fit my philosophy on the subject. I also have the same feeling that you mentioned, "oh yeah, this is what I live for".

When I'm travelling, it provides an incredible sense of freedom from the daily chores and tasks that I normally have to deal with at home. For that short period of time, I have no worries about bills, renovations, appointments or anything else and I can simply enjoy exploring new places and new experiences. I can wake up when it suits me, go where I want, change my plans on a whim which often leads to serendipitous experiences and great memories, or enjoy lingering over a great meal for several hours.

Regarding "stress", if I'm remembering correctly there are two types - stress and distress. Most people probably experience the former in day-to-day life or during travels, but now that I'm retired I don't have a lot of the latter to deal with. There's often some stress when travelling (ie: flight delays, trains are late causing missed connections, etc.), but they tend to be minor and easily forgotten after the trip.

I don't pack shorts and white tennis shoes, so that's never been a concern. If there's a dress code for a particular facility (ie: the Casino in Monte Carlo), it's a simple decision to either dress according to the rules or don't visit that site. I don't usually pack a dress jacket or tie, so that slightly limits which places I can visit.

I consider myself very fortunate to be able to travel, as I know many people who can't at the moment for a variety of reasons.

Cheers!

3 years ago I decided to take the plunge and start traveling, with the added factor of going solo. I started with England and Scotland, then Victoria, BC and this year I had the best trip of all to Tallinn, Estonia. I absolutely revel in my annual trips, I can only afford a week to 10 days time- and money-wise at this point but that one week makes the other 51 bearable. I am most happy when I travel, and it gives me a great sense of empowerment as well as wonderful memories. There's always a let-down when I return, but I immediately start researching and planning my next trip--next year I am determined to celebrate my 50th birthday in either Vienna or Brussels.

The author John Steinbeck once wrote , " My trip began well before I left and left me before I returned " . This is somewhat a paraphrase but it mostly rings true . Like many of the posters here , I also experience a sort of sadness upon returning home , but as Darcy comments ,planning the next trip is the best Rx to counter this . Sue and I never had the chance ( for many reasons ) to go to Europe until four years ago , so now in our sixties , before it is too late , we are doing all we can to make up for lost time with a vengeance . European travel has been a lifelong passion ,and it is fueled by an insatiable curiosity . As Dorothy Parker once infamously said , " The cure for boredom is curiosity . There is no cure for curiosity " .

As a physician I can attest that travel is healthy for people. both physically and mentally! I spent the first 52 years of my life centered around medicine but ten years ago my daughter convinced me to take a trip to Europe with her on a "father & daughter trip" that works like this: she plans were we go and how we travel and I get to pay for everything! That two week trip of carrying everything on my back in a pack and staying at one and two star hotels, eating where the locals eat, riding only trains and metro systems was the greatest time of my life!! We went to Paris, Barcelona, Rome and Milan and I came back with a different vision of what life should be like. I feel I'm a better physician now for my patients because I take these trips 1-2 times per year, it has a synergistic effect that makes my attitude better and more positive. Therefore I declare that as a licensed Physician in the State of Kansas everyone should travel as much as possible for their health!!

There you have it. Doctors orders!

Sitting on the bus in a European city not understanding anything people are saying makes me very happy and feeling non-stressful. Sitting on the bus in my home town and understanding everything stresses the heck out of me. Go figure.

What Ken said really hit home for me, especially this (edited) part:

When I'm travelling, it provides an incredible sense of freedom from
the daily chores and tasks that I normally have to deal with at home.
... I have no worries about bills, appointments or anything else and I
can simply enjoy exploring new places and new experiences. I can ...
go where I want, change my plans on a whim which often leads to
serendipitous experiences and great memories, or enjoy lingering over
a great meal for several hours.

This feeling of freedom is something that my friends and relatives that don't travel (and have lots of stuff) have difficulty understanding. My husband and I both have health challenges and they ask us what if we get sick or die while traveling. We tell them that there are doctors where we are going and that we do get trip insurance to get us home if anything happens. And, the most shocking of all to them is the concept that if we die while traveling, we will die doing something we love. At least one of our kids, our son, gets it, along with the belief that having experiences is more important than having things.

I would happily not have a home base, but rather travel all the time, like the folks of Home Free Adventures. I don't like going back home to all the costs and responsibilities there, even though we are retired. The only thing I miss is our wonderful, goofy dog.

I love the planning, too, and always have 2 or more options waiting in the wings. Most people we know who have gone to Europe for the first time wonder why they didn't do it sooner and are ready to go back any time. Interestingly, the most enthusiastic and open to adventure ones are those that planned their own trips rather than simply paying for something canned.

I can also relate to what Allen said. I am more comfortable in an environment where I don't understand much of the language. I can tune out and that cuts out a huge percentage of the cacophony that I normally have around me. Or it can be a fun game to catch a few words now and then.

Our annual month-long trip is the highlight of my year. I hope to make it semi-annual before we reach a point where we can no longer travel. The landscaping can wait.

Travel and photography keep me sane. Agree, the minute the plane lands at LAX depression rears it's ugly head. Planning the next adventure begins immediately.

"Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life" Jack Kerouac, On The Road

This is a great thread!!
"Travel is the only thing you buy, that makes you richer". I wouldn't trade all our travels for anything. I'm always planning at least 2 trips ahead. I've also loved this saying: "The world is a book, and those that don't travel, read only 1 page." We'll travel until we either run out of good health or money.

Judy - I had that quote engraved on the back of my ipad mini (the travel is a book one)!

I'm always looking a few trips ahead, and always making mental notes of things I'd love to see when we get to the places years down the road. I'm hoping NY next year, and Australia, our dream trip, in 2015, to celebrate hubby's 50 bday, and our 25 years together. I am also in the process of trying to convince hubby that maybe, since he hates the Christmas hustle and bustle (ok, he hates the 'buy buy buy' ads)...we should go over to somewhere in Europe in early December for 12-14 days as our gift to ourselves.

And we were just given a lovely monetary gift from my mother-in-law from the sale of her home - 75% of which was invested, but the other 25%...well...if it wasn't for not wanting to leave my dog for long stretches, I'd convince hubby to hit Europe for a few months, but will have to satisfy myself with putting it towards our trip plans for the next few years (now we can probably take 4-5 weeks to see Australia instead of 3 weeks - 2015 can't come soon enough)...some days, travel plans and memories are all that keeps me going! So much, I even helping a lady who couchsurfed with us a few years ago (who I've kept in touch with, and even met up with again when we went to California) plan a trip to France! I've never regretted any money spent on trips...I have no kids to leave it to, so I might as well enjoy it!

"What if you get sick and die while you're traveling?"

I'd rather get sick and die traveling than sitting at home waiting to get sick and die. One day I may be too infirm to go anywhere but I'm not planning to get there any sooner than I have to.

@Brad... if you get sick and die while traveling one can only hope it is at the end of the trip so as not to ruin it:)
@Allen... I feel exactly the same way...there is a real freedom while traveling alone when you don't understand any of the conversations going on around you (especially in cafes) It is a feeling I love... actually it is like I am the only one there. Lets me absorb my environment totally, without being distracted.

I agree. I have had people ask me that question. And I always respond with "if I die on one of my trips, you will know I died happy". I am constantly planning trips, so I take and some are still in the planning stage. Glad to know there are people out there who think like I do.

We finally started to travel when a diagnoses came at a fairly young age. Without that, our travels would have continued to be planned for "someday". I didn't want any regrets! So, we saved our money and took our one trip I had dreamed of: Germany, Paris, and Gimmelwald. It was a budget trip staying with old friends for much of it in Germany. When we came back we got on a serious budget and are now planning trip number 4 for this June! Each trip I think will be our last, but somehow we keep managing to go. My health concerns are there, but no regrets in my life!

It seems not many people can understand the thrill of foreign travel unless they do it. What can be better than to spend weeks with no bills, no phone calls, no cooking, no cleaning, no work, plus an adventure of seeing new things, eating new food, meeting new people and getting lost in a country where you don't speak the language? I loved drivng down the highway and seeing flashing road signs telling us something and not having a clue what it was? Thrilling! And, actually fairly stress free!

All this talk of dying makes me sure I want to go like my Grandfather did, in his sleep, not screaming like the people in his car.