What do people enjoy most about traveling?

What do you enjoy most about travelling? Think back to one of your favorite vacations or travel adventures. If you really take a moment to think about it, what is it that you really remember the most from your travel experiences? Using the psychology of travel, I’ll bet I can take an educated guess at your answer.

Before I take a stab at your answer of what you really enjoyed most about your travel, I’ll start by thinking back to a family vacation to California when I was in middle school. It was a big trip for my family at the time, one we had anticipated all school year waiting until summer time. We would fly in to San Francisco and cruise down scenic Highway One, eventually witnessing the bright lights of Los Angeles. I hardly remember either city. What I do remember, however, was my family and I searching for a decent place to eat dinner during a part of our trip that was less-than-planned (read: didn’t think to make dinner plans at all amidst the frantic to-do lists of whatever city we were in at the time).

We entered a haughty restaurant, myself equipped with flip flops and Umbro shorts (that reference is going to date me for sure!), ready to devour a local feast. A quick glance at the exorbitant prices on the menu, the aghast look on my father’s face as eyes met dollar signs, and the disapproving scowl of a local waiter who was seasoned enough to recognize the fish out of water tourists stumbling in to his fancy establishment, was all we needed to know that this wasn’t going to happen. We would not be eating here. No, we politely excused ourselves though stomachs gurgled with anticipation of some food. Any food at this point.

It turns out that turning away from that restaurant turned into a favorite family memory. We ended up at a fast food joint next door. Due to the financial comparison of having almost eaten at the high-falutin’ restaurant we had just left, my childhood eyes lit up in disbelief when my parents let me know I could have ANYTHING on the menu that I wanted! Travel food utopia here I come! From that moment on, any time my family selected a reduced-price version of whatever dining out option we might have chosen, it’s an automatic reference and laughter to that fateful travel experience from years ago.

Travel Experiences are the Real Memory Makers

So while at first glance we might typically think of travelling as the place or site we visit, that’s not actually what we remember the most. What we remember are the experiences…the people we traveled with, the smells of the ocean or that marketplace, the sounds of those animals that aren’t so local to you, and of course the food we eat when traveling!

Going back to your favorite vacation or travel adventure, of course it was important to get to your desired destination. But do your fond travel memories of that trip only involve the arrival at your destination, or are the really fulfilling points the ones that occurred more spontaneously? The kind person you sat next to on the airplane. How they served that roasted fish on a triangle platter (and what was that sauce they used)? The moment you all realized that this was going to be one of those “forever” memories within your group. So, it’s not the actual destination we tend to remember, but rather the experience of getting there, living an ever-so-brief period of life there, perhaps learning a few things about culture and yourself, and introducing your updated self back to your home environment.

The next time someone asks you what you enjoy about traveling, you can tell them it’s all about the moments. You may not remember every moment of every trip, but truthfully you don’t need to. You can piece together the feel of any trip with only a few cues like a photo or a story. The moments help us construct what the travel meant to us, which in turn helps give us a chance to continue to experience a piece of the travel. This mental slide-show of sorts can generate the same type of mental and emotional response as when you were actually doing the traveling. I’ll say that again, by specific recall of those momentary experiences you enjoyed during your travel, you can generate the same type of neurochemical and emotional response as when you were traveling. That’s pretty powerful stuff!

So if you haven’t already, take a moment to pick a handful of moments from a recent enjoyable travel experience. Remember who you were with, what you were feeling in those moments, the things that caught your attention then as those same things will surely catch your minds eye now. What do you enjoy most about traveling? If I had to guess, I’d say it’s the moments you continue to carry with you.

Happy Travels,

-Dr. L
Founder of psychologyoftravel.com