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One of the best memories of any holiday, and for me the one memory that linger the longest, is the memory of that very moment you are about to depart on the outbound long-haul flight. Full of excitement, hopes and dreams - it’s the start of something hopefully amazing. There are so much great food waiting to be eaten, interesting people to meet and new knowledge to be achieved. 

Quite frequently, I get asked why do I love to always be on the run, why do I love travelling so much. Most people I know here in Norway just can’t understand what the fascination is all about, and it’s not that easy to explain with just a few words. The reasons are plentiful.

For me, travelling is the ultimate happiness. I love being on the move seeing something different because it challenges my brain to take in all the new information and to evolve. Travelling opens my eyes. A few days ago, I read experts advice that every day you go for a walk, you should walk a different route to challenge your brain and to stimulate the brain. I guess the same goes for travelling. More importantly, travelling also forces me to step out of my comfort zone all the time. Experts within the field, believe that exploring your comfort zone will give you greater confidence to meet life’s many challenges. 

On any trip - wether meticulously planned or on random, you will repeatedly meet challenges that you will have to deal with with a certain degree of care. You will have to exercise many of your skills in dealing with other cultures, and other ways of thinking. Successfully meeting such situations will most likely boost self-confidence and make you a whole lot more self-aware. Basically, going travelling is perhaps the best way to learn also who you are. 

With less personal boundaries while travelling, it’s a lot easier making friends in foreign countries than in your home city. You have an incredible opportunity to make a lot of new friendships while at the same time, travels will also hopefully make you appreciate everybody back home a lot more.  It may also make you appreciate your actual home too…. you know the feeling, after a long trip, you finally arrive back home to familiar routines and obligations. There is a very true saying in Norway: “away good, home is best” (literally translated). 

Personally, I tend to like solo-travelling not because I'd like to be selfish, but because it can also give your career a respectable boost. Solo-travelling demonstrates adaptability, financial planning skills, and optimal communication, among other job-related skills. Furthermore, discovering the world solo also indicates generous cross-cultural understanding, self-sufficiency, and decision-making abilities to prospective employers. 

During solo-travels, you tend to rely on local people to sort out daily tasks in their local language instead of relying on your brought-along travel mate. Travelling solo also gives you the power of deciding how long to stay, where to go, when to do, and what to do. You are likely going to be a lot less stressed and won’t need to compromise on personal preferences…. well, that does sound selfish, doesn’t it? A little bit of loneliness is good for everybody.  

Finally, all the new experiences you encounter on a trip, is great moments to look back at as the years pass by. 

Please let me know if I have forgotten some other advantages of travelling or if you have any special reason for doing your travels. 

Here are some of my memories from the last time I experienced “that moment”.