Wanderlust. Ode to the joys of travel

Estrada Nacional 2, Portugal. Photo: Toni Amengual

By Ap Dijksterhuis

Holland Herald, August 2018

What’s behind our drive to seek out new faces, places and vistas? The secret is simple – just get up and go to find out. Renowned Dutch social psychologist Ap Dijksterhuis gives you four reasons why you should start travelling right now:

Travel inspires and makes us more creative. 

Travel increases our lifespan. 

Travel broadens the mind, connects people and stamps out prejudice.

Travel creates happiness.

Travel broadens the mind and makes short shrift of any prejudice. When you only get your information from TV or other media, you’re not seeing the whole picture. You see government officials, not the actual people. You’re confronted with a rude world leader, not the millions of people who are embarrassed and ashamed by him. Travel connects people. The more people you meet from all different parts of the world, the more you realise how similar we really are. Every human being wants security, shelter, preferably some measure of freedom and, of course, an environment that allows them and their children to flourish. First and foremost, humans are human, no matter where they grow up – Australia or Algeria, Ecuador or England. Travel encourages us to let go of negative ideas about others, about people from far away. I’m not afraid to say that if only those Brits who travel frequently had been allowed to vote in the referendum, there would probably be no Brexit today.

Think back to your last trip for a moment, and try to recall everything you did and experienced. You’re probably flooded with wonderful (and perhaps a few not-so-wonderful) memories. Indeed, we went to see the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and had a great meal afterwards. We strolled along the Ramblas. Or: in Bangkok, we went to see the 46m-long reclining Buddha of Wat Po, and then went on a riverboat tour. Fine. Now think about that time when you were at home, a few months back. Does that stir any memories or recollections? Probably very few. 

Our brain keeps track of time. Not in minutes or hours, but subjectively, by the amount of impulses it receives. The more you experience – the more new or exciting things you do – the longer the brain will believe a period of time lasted. Because of that, a regular workweek at home often seems to dissolve quickly and without a trace, while a week spent travelling yields such intellectual wealth that looking back on it might appear to be looking back on a month.

And this bears repeating - even during their travels people are happier. Once we’ve set out, worries and tension flow from our bodies. No dentist’s appointments to go to, no spread-sheets to pore over, the uncomfortable conversation with your manager is instantly forgotten, and the agitated discussion on your coworkers’ group app goes right over your head – even if you read any of it, it’s easy to distance yourself with a smile. Let them figure it out, you think, I’m not getting involved. But perhaps the most important reason why travel makes us happy, is that travellers tend to practice what the Buddha is said to have advised as early as 2,500 years ago: we live in the ‘now’. Travellers experience so much, that they simply cannot look beyond the moment. At night, they might review the past day, or look forward to the day ahead, but that’s it. On top of that, travellers engage in something new every day. On the road, no two days are the same. Our brains just love that.