4 Reasons to be Thankful for Travel

During the winter holidays, one of the busiest seasons of the year for travel, it’s easy to feel like Ebenezer Scrooge. With 91.9 million Americansprojected to travel during the holidays (according to AAA), you might find yourself in a lengthy airport security line or stuck in a traffic jam this holiday season. But, before you “bah, humbug” the idea of leaving home just because of the frustrations you might encounter, keep reading. Here are our four reasons to be thankful for travel, not only during the holidays, but all year long.

Reason No. 1: Reuniting with loved ones.

The holidays are often an emotional time of year for parents welcoming home children they haven’t seen for awhile. This feeling becomes magnified when the son or daughter has been away for an extended period of time serving their country. There’s nothing more special during the holiday season than seeing family members reunite who have been kept apart due to physical distance. Emails, phone calls and even video chats still can’t hold a candle to face-to-face interaction with the people you love most.

Reason No. 2: Seeing the world.

Our “world” can sometimes be very limited, offering only a narrow lens of our immediate surroundings. Beyond our offices and homes lies a world just waiting to be discovered. Travel is what gets you from Point A to Point B, and back again (unless you decide you want to permanently relocate to Hawaii, in which case, we wouldn’t blame you).

Reason No. 3: Attending a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Your family is having a reunion in Spain, and they all plan to visit your grandfather’s former childhood home together. Or your sister is having her first child and you want to be there for the birth, but she lives out-of-state. Travel makes it possible for us to celebrate life’s victories together, face-to-face.

Reason No. 4: Appreciating everyday gifts.

Throughout the year, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind, overlooking luxuries that we perceive to be “commonplace.” For example, if you drank a glass of water from your kitchen sink today without worrying about its affect on your health, you did something that isn’t possible for more than 780 million peoplewho still use unsafe drinking water sources. Traveling to provide aid or resources to third-world countries can be a real eye-opener to the many things we have that others don’t. 

Why are you thankful for travel? Share your reasons with us on Google+or in the comments below.

Note: Available plans and coverages may have changed since this blog was published.