One of my favourite words that exist in my dictionary is ‘wanderlust’. It means a strong desire or longing to travel, and I believe this is a magical word because the more you travel’ the stronger your desire becomes to travel more.

I find myself as a person with a deep wanderlust. Those who have travelled in the true sense at some point in their lives must know the joys and wonders of travelling.

Travelling does not mean flying in an airplane, walking from place to place, getting tired and then going to sleep. It means so much more than that, it means imagining all kinds of wonderful adventures you would do while you’re in the airplane. It means restlessness and curiosity. It means adrenaline rushing inside your body. It means running out of time but never out of the desire to explore more.

I think travelling gives you a lot to celebrate and rejoice: a new day and a beautiful sunset, an unforgettable moment, a breathtaking sight, an indescribable feeling, coffee with a friend, a moment worth capturing in your phone, and countless more memories.

But the part I personally enjoy is photography. By photography, I do not mean taking tonnes of selfies in the same pose but pictures of places, of people, fleeting moments, colours and beauty, or things that fascinate me and things that I know I would perhaps never see again.

Another interesting part about travelling is keeping a journal to preserve all memories so that we can cherish them for the rest of our lives. Although most of us are too lazy to bother about it, that definitely does not include me.

Besides that, travelling gives you a lot to look forward to and to be prepared for. Being in a completely new place, away from home where everything is so unpredictable you never know what you might encounter next; it might be the most amazing thing you ever encountered or the biggest shock of your life! It keeps you curious all the time. A change of environment also refreshes your mind and body. You start to feel lighter and more relaxed. The thing is to remain observant and active during travelling, otherwise you will not be able to take in maximum experiences.

If I had a choice, I would choose travelling as my education because it certainly is the best education. It allows you to practically experience and witness what you only read about in books. It exposes you to a variety of situations where you have to make your own choices and decisions, and it broadens your mind. Now of course, not all of us have the same experiences with travelling and it depends on the kind of travel you do. What I am saying here is in context of my own experiences of travel. And that is what I think is the most fun part about travelling; it turns out to be a different experience for each of us and each time.

Whatever it is, I think travelling is something we all should give a try to at least once in our lives. Sometimes, a dose of travelling is all one needs.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 26th, 2016