As I’m sure you can tell from my YouTube videos, traveling is a central part of my life. But at the core of it, is travel worth it? Why do I travel as much as I do?

Beside the fact that travel is part of my job (I helped start an international nonprofit organization, as well as doing video and photo projects around the world for various humanitarian aid groups), there’s many things about travel that has helped me be a more well-rounded person. Here are three main reasons I think travel has been one of the best things I’ve ever done.

1. I have a more complete/balanced view of the world. The more I travel, the more humbled I am by how little I know about the world. Each time I go to a new part of the world, I’m amazed by how much culture and history I had no idea existed. Recently I spent some time in Kosovo. I was ashamed by how little I knew about the history of various the wars in that region (the Balkans) and how this area was where World War I started. It is so easy to get fixated on my own problems and ideas, and forget how many monumental things have happened that I am completely clueless of. This gives me pause when I think I have things figured out. Rather, I am far from having a balanced understanding of the world and by traveling I not only expand my understanding of it, it also keeps me from thinking I have all the answers.

2. Meeting new people, learning new things, and getting space away from the normal busyness of life to give room to think. I think this is the part of travel that I enjoy the most: the people. There’s something magical about stepping away from the rush of normal life, getting on a plane with family and friends, and meeting new people and getting exposure to different cultures and ideas. Some of the best memories that my wife and I have are the amazing people we’ve met around the world. Like the time we met Peter and Anita on the summit of a mountain in the Alps. We had a great time, and now we have friends in Germany that we hope to visit someday. Or the time a cafe owner invited us to join him in a picturesque coffee house in Vienna. We exchanged stories and got a fascinating look into Austrian culture, worldview, and history.

3. It makes life rich, and home more sweet. As Peter McKinnon says, perhaps the best part of travel is the coming home. When I return from a trip, I cannot help but think of how blessed I am with home. The community I am a part of, the beautiful part of southeast Tennessee where Trish and I built our house, and coming back to family makes me always grateful for what I have in a way that I wouldn’t without having left in the first place. Travel is only worth doing if it is about the people you care about; relationships and community are what make it all worthwhile.

Don’t wait for the perfect travel opportunity; find a friend and get on a plane. Expand your world, learn something new, and when you return, home will be that much sweeter.

Last time I was in Iraq I made a short video about this topic that you might find interesting. You can view it here.