Eight Reasons Why I Love to Travel

Early this year, 2020, before COVID-19 hit Zimbabwe, I took a trip to the Great Zimbabwe Ruins and experiencing such a historical site firsthand left me with some euphoria and a sense of inner joy. A few days later, I met a good friend for lunch and of course, I couldn’t help but talk about my trip to the site. Although she seemed to have enjoyed my story, she couldn’t appreciate my passion for traveling since it is presumably expensive (that is not always the case) and planning a trip by oneself involves lots of time and research. I did concur with her to some extent. However, travelling is something that has so many benefits and I would like to share some of these with you based on my experiences so far.

Here are my eight reasons why I love to travel.

Chitsva chirimurutsoka (New opportunities come to those who travel)

Shona Proverb

1. Travelling can be so much fun

Yes, travelling and it’s a cliché – can be fun for many reasons. There isn’t anything as exciting for me as being in a new place just to explore and experience something that is uncommon or unusual for many people. For example, food, music, traditions, facial and hand gestures that you get to see and feel firsthand while travelling. I should also mention that travelling opens up doors to meeting new people, creating new networks, starting new friendships/relationships and coming across new opportunities and ideas. You never know you could meet your significant other while on your trip.

2. Hit the refresh button

In general, travelling also allows me to get out of my own little world. Just taking a break from the daily routines and going to another place for a day trip, a few days or weeks from the norm can be absolutely refreshing, it’s like hitting the F5 button in your life. And in the words of Sheryl Crow ‘a change will do you good ‘ even though the song is not about travelling everybody deserves a break to just explore or go on an adventure, with no responsibilities and being carefree for a while. Travelling can actually be a stress buster if and when done right.

3. Enhancing skills

Enhance your language skills, enhance your communication skills, enhance your socializing skills, enhance your planning itinerary skills, enhance your survival skills, enhance your blogging skills, enhance your photography skills, enhance your ‘being zen/being calm/being patient’ skills because things don’t always go as planned, enhance your memorizing skills, I mean things like memorizing maps, foreign street and train station names, markets and hotels are my thing now. I can design my own itinerary or just go with the flow of the day. The ‘enhancing skills’ list cannot be exhausted.

4. Get out of the comfort zone

Travelling in some instances has taught me to get out of my comfort zone. I am very introverted by nature, yes I am that person that waits for others to initiate a conversation with me but travelling especially by myself has taught me to conduct conversations with complete strangers, whether it’s on a train or on a bus, in a hostel or in a restaurant. I won’t necessarily ‘talk your ear off’ yet but I find that I am able to hold a more well rounded conversation about a variety of topics and I have become more tolerant of views that are contrary to mine. Not just stopping there with my comfort zone, I have eaten raw seafood, danced Jerusarema, (a Shona traditional dance) climbed to the summit of Mt. Fuji things I never imagined I would ever DO in this lifetime!!!

5. Become smarter

What is the capital city of Serbia? What is the staple food in Ghana? What is the population of Japan? What is the official language in Malaysia? Can you answer these questions without Google? Probably not all, however, chances are if you travel you will know some facts about the countries you visit. You will be able to find some obscure places on a map like the Solomon Islands and actually even know the capital cities and some few random basic facts about the countries you travel to. I think my general knowledge about the world map would make my high school geography teacher, Mr. Musanhu so proud.

6. Dialing back on the ignorance.

This is the part I would like to dive into some of the serious reasons for my travelling. First of all, I must admit that travelling has made me aware of my own ignorance and prejudices. There are some stereotypes I have had about other places and people. Some of these stereotypes were harmless and some were just downright racist and therefore unacceptable. I remember meeting the Romanian Ambassador’s wife in Harare whilst in my early 20s and showing my ignorance by asking her if Dracula and Vampires were real. Duh!!! And this was an innocent question brought about by watching the Vincent Price horror movies as a kid. As if that wasn’t embarrassing enough at one point I uttered misguided comments about followers of Islamic religion being terrorists to a Muslim acquittance from Afghanistan which made me realize that I was so wrong after she pointed out that everyone, in her family was also terrified of suicide bombers and terrorists. DUH!!!

7. Crushing the stereotypes

Just as I unpack my own prejudices towards certain people and places that are foreign to me, when I travel I also have to tackle the stereotypes that others too have of me. Travelling with a passport from a developing country can be so disheartening and discouraging at times. One of the burdens of being an African is the negative stereotypes of the continent that tend to outweigh the good realities therein. Dealing with immigration officers that assume the visa in your passport could be fake or that you are planning to overstay your welcome can be a degrading experience. Well, Mr and Ms. Immigration Officers, all I want to do is admire your culture, taste your food and wine, hangout on your beaches and nightclubs, visit your gothic churches, do a bit of shopping and take pictures in front of those historical monuments and famous statues and then when I feel satisfied I will definitely leave. After all, we also get National Geographic in Zimbabwe, where I come from and now I want to visit those places I was exposed to through TV, (yes we have televisions, cable and electricity in Africa). With the exception of a few countries, on many occasions being searched, being asked invasive questions about my bank statements and intentions, have been a common experience in my travels. Nonetheless, I travel and will continue to travel with my head held up high, to overcome the disparaging myth that Africans cannot be tourists.

8. Sense of Identity

Finally, believe it or not being away from my home actually makes me appreciate Zimbabwe more. Being the ‘other‘ is a strange feeling when in a foreign land and it makes me adore my own culture and traditions more. I appreciate the Zimbabwean vibe, how neighbours still greet each other with genuine smiles, the ability to lighten up difficult moments through laughter. Being in Zimbabwe gives me a sense of belonging and an identity that I cannot find elsewhere in the world. It is what it is.