It’s plastered on our computer’s wallpaper, our Instagram feeds and usually finds its way into small talk. Travel is everywhere you look and we’re digging deeper into why.
There’s a reason National Geographic Travel has 10.6 million Instagram followers and why the rise of the travel blogger has exploded in recent years. “Why do we travel?” might be the question you ask yourself at the airport when it’s 3 a.m and your flight has been delayed for the third time but there’s also a very simple explanation for it in the context of 2016.
Today’s children are born into a world where having an iPad or communicating acceptance with a “like” is as common as the tooth fairy or learning how to walk. And for older generations, the days of pre-tech are a somewhat distant memory. Just shut down the WiFi for a day at work and see how much you can get done.
While we may Tweet, Instagram and blog our way through vacations, there’s still that tangible experience that draws us back time and time again.
Turkey dinner at Thanksgiving with your family isn’t quite the same over Skype, and learning Portuguese isn’t the same from an online course in your living room as it is while you order a coffee at a restaurant in the heart of Lisbon.
In-person travel experiences are now a novelty that new generations are discovering and craving. What use to be commonplace is now an adventure. It’s no secret that we want what we don’t have. So if what we have is instant access to all information at the touch of our screens, it serves to reason that what we “don’t” have is experiences that are earned through patience, something that all veteran globe-trekkers will tell you is essential for travel.
So yes, use your phone, tablet and laptop to plan, book and research your travel, but when you’re there, take a moment to soak it all up.
