Why Travel? A chat with the world’s top travel blogs

Chris Guillebeau, The Art of Non-Conformity 

Why travel? I travel to feel alive. For me it’s not usually about the specific destination that matters—it’s the act of being in motion and the art of being “on the road.”

Follow @chrisguillebeau and check out The Happiness of Pursuit  

Rolf Potts, Vagabonding 

Why travel? I travel because it connects me to the narcotic hum of possibility that comes with each new day. I travel because it forces me to embrace the vulnerability of the unfamiliar. I travel because travel has deepened my life, and now I can’t not travel. 

Follow @rolfpotts and check out Vagabonding  

Lee Abbamonte, LeeAbbamonte.com 

Why travel? I travel to experience what most people only dream about. Travel shows you the good, the bad and the ugly of the world and I want to see it all firsthand. Travel gives you perspective you can only gain from being there and experiencing life in the flesh. Travel humbles you.

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Brooke Saward, World of Wanderlust 

Why travel? I travel to understand, learn, grow, evolve, and appreciate this world we share.

Follow @worldofwlust and check out her books  

Benny Lewis, Fluent in 3 Months 

Why travel? I travel and learn languages because I like people. For me, people are the most fascinating thing in the world. I know many other people travel for the scenery, or for the food, but I just I like to meet new interesting people. When you’re dealing with other cultures, you open up your possibilities and your horizons and the kinds of conversations you can have, the kinds of experiences you can have, and that for me is what it’s all about.

Follow @irishpolyglot and check out my interview here  

Keith Jenkins, Velvet Escape 

Why travel? Travel is the best school there is. It has taught me so much about the world we live in and a lot about myself. I travel for a great variety of reasons but it’s the enriching experiences and unforgettable moments which remind me time and again why I love to travel!

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 Shannon O’Donnell, A Little Adrift 

Why travel? The act of near constant travel for more than six years shifted my perspective on life in tangible and identifiable ways. It shifted who I am, who I want to be, and how I perceive myself. And ultimately, it changed how I see and interact with the nearly every aspect of the world around me. I travel because it broadens my appreciation for diversity and deepens my understanding of our interconnected world.

Follow @ShannonRTW and check out Grassroots Volunteering  

Gary Arndt, Everything Everywhere 

Why travel? I travel to learn. The Earth is the largest school in the world and when I’m traveling I’m constantly learning new things about the people and places that I visit.

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Marcello Arrambide, Wandering Trader 

Why travel? I travel is because there is no other adventure in life like being in another country. There is no other way to learn about the world, and yourself, other than traveling. I do it learn, experience, and now to invest in new opportunities.

Follow @Wanderingtradr  

Nastasia Yakoub, Dame Traveler 

Why travel? Endless possibilities… Travelers come from all walks of life — from fashionistas in Paris to mountain climbers in Peru — we all share one common ground: our love of travel. It connects us, unites us and, ultimately, brings us all together.

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Caz Makepeace, y Travel Blog 

Why travel? I travel to satisfy my curiosity about the world and my thirst for adventure and discovery. I also travel to form a deeper connection with the planet, other people and myself. How can we truly know who we are and what we want unless we’ve experienced so many different ways of being and flavours?

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Dave and Deb, The Planet D

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Robert Schrader, Leave Your Daily Hell 

Why travel? I travel not only because it provides context for me, but because it provides context apart from me. Staying in one place can make you believe the world begins and ends with you, which is an unfortunate thing for a mortal to believe.

Follow @leavyrdailyhell  

Sabrina Iovino, Just One Way Ticket 

Why travel? To escape my boring 9-5 life. To learn new things and to try as many different foods as possible. But most important: To create myself.

Follow @Just1WayTicket  

Matt Long, Land Lopers 

Why travel? I don’t have a choice really, just like some people are born liking chocolate ice cream or have a need for adventure, my innate craving is for travel and always has been. Learning about new places and people is what drives me most, an insatiable curiosity about the world around me is ultimately why I love to travel so much. That’s why I also felt compelled to figure out a way to make it my career, to live the life I dreamed of.

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Annette White, Bucket List Journey 

Why travel? I travel to have an authentic experience that my imagination could have never possibly conceived. I travel to encounter places so beautiful that a sense of peace overcomes me. I travel because of a pure fascination with the world and desire to get to know it better. But, mostly I travel to learn, not only about the places I visit and people I meet, but also about myself.

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Marianna Jamadi, Nomadic Habit 

Why travel? I travel for the element of discomfort. It’s when we are uncomfortable and out of our element that we grow the most. I also travel for the human connection and cultural empathy. The world is the greatest classroom.

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Dave Thompson, Dave’s Travel Corner

Why travel? Curiousity and the desire to explore is an inate part of my being. I travel for unique experiences whether it inolves outdoor adventures, food, wine, culture, urban activities or any of a number of unique experiences and activities.

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Dalene & Pete Heck, Hecktic Travels 

Why travel? Our drive to travel was born out of enduring several tragedies and we wanted to change the way we were living our lives. We continue to travel (over five years later) because this lifestyle has made us happier than we ever thought possible. We travel now because we have to.

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Audrey Bergner, That Backpacker 

Why travel? I travel because there is a big, fascinating world out there that’s just waiting to be explored. I love seeing the diversity of landscapes, languages, and cultures that you can find on our little planet. I also love being able to share my experiences with others in hopes that my photos, videos and writings will inspire them to see the world for themselves.

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Christy Woodrow, Ordinary Traveler 

Why travel? Travel constantly takes me out of my comfort zone. It’s easy to get complacent in life, but I find that I’m happiest when I’m learning new things and meeting new people — something that travel always provides for me.

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Nora Dunn, The Professional Hobo

Follow @hobonora and check out her book  

Johnny Ward, OneStep4Ward

Why travel? Travelling full-time makes me feel like I’m really living my life. Everything is an adventure – sure bungee jumping and sky diving are amazing, but ‘normal’ things become adventures too. Getting a one dollar haircut on the street in India, food markets for lunch in Bangkok, even long distance bus journeys and discovering free wifi.

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Adam Groffman, Travels of Adam 

Why travel? Food and culture are often so intertwined it’s often impossible to separate the two. And it’s my guess that many of us (even non-foodies) travel to particular destinations for food, wine and other local specialties. Here are a few more reasons.

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Barbara Weibel, Hole in the Donut

Why travel? I travel for many different reasons. When I’m experiencing new places and meeting new people, my senses are fully engaged, which keeps me in the present moment. I also travel because it is cheaper to stay on the road perpetually than to settle down in the U.S. But I think that my insatiable curiosity about other places and cultures is the number one reason I travel. I am always looking for the next place that turns my expectations upside down and makes me look at the world in a different way.

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Agness Walewinder & Cez Krol, eTramping

Why travel? Travelling opens your eyes and makes you see things you never paid attention to – food, beautiful sceneries, friendly people. If you are open to it, travel will simply make you a more well-rounded human being. Moreover, traveling with all the challenges it presents and opportunities lets you discover who you are in a way that only the road brings. 

Follow @AgnessTramp and @CezKrol  

Sherry Ott, Ottsworld 

Why travel? I travel because I love experiencing something new every day; from cultures to landscapes, to food, to people.  It’s a constant state of motion and exposure to new things – some good and some not so good – but always an adventure.

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Michael Hodson, Go, See, Write

Why travel? I travel because to me, travel is the greatest story and I’m the author. I am able to take risks and make changes to my plan as I see fit. Traveling gives me a sense of freedom and adventure that I can’t find while living in one place and working in an office.

Follow @GoSeeWrite  

Michael Turtle, Time Travel Turtle

Why travel? I travel to learn. To learn about other people, to learn about history, and to learn more about this planet. But I also think travel helps me learn more about myself. I love being constantly challenged and constantly amazed. Every day brings something new and all of it makes me feel like I know more than I did the day before.

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Jill, Jack and Jill Travel     

Why travel? I travel because I’m curious about the world… First you have to want to know what’s outside your circle of familiarity to leave it. Furthermore I travel to climb, because as a climber, the rock is always better on the other side :). I keep traveling because I keep chasing the high that new adventures often bring. Those moments that quite literally take your breath away, in return make me feel so alive. It’s such an addictive feeling!

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Lauren Kilberg, Double Takes 

Why travel? I travel because it challenges me. Leaving the comforts of the familiar is not easy. I find that the difficulties, uncomfortableness, and sometimes even fear associated with visiting unfamiliar places is so profoundly rewarded through travel. I’ve never returned from a trip and not felt like my perspectives had changed, that I hadn’t learned new things or challenged my beliefs. Instead, I return home to my comforts a better, stronger person… and that is why I travel.

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Lindsey Tramuta, Lost in Cheeseland

Why travel? I travel to expand my vision of the world; to pry myself loose from the comforts and fantasy of armchair travel and actually experience what every destination has to offer. I travel to eat, I travel to meet people both like me and vastly different from me, and I travel to learn. 

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Ayngelina Brogan, Bacon Is Magic

Why travel? I travel to eat! But it’s not that simple, through food I learn about people’s culture, their history, their family tradition. It’s a way to connect with people and often I learn more about myself as well.

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Konrad Waliszewski, goKonrad  (that’s me!)

Why travel? Every trip changes me in some way. Being pushed outside my comfort zone and routine, along with the sensory bombardment of new sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and customs, invigorates my mind and creativity. There’s a warped sense of time and I become uniquely present. I never know what will happen, but I know I will come out a better person and more connected to people, the world, and my true self. The feeling has become addictive.

Follow @goKonrad and checkout the TripScout travel app