Why Do You Travel?
Travel has always been more than a pastime for me. From childhood dreams inspired by books and my grandmother’s stories to journeys that deepened my curiosity, each experience has strengthened my desire to explore new places, cultures, and possibilities. This reflection invites us to consider what draws us into the world and ask ourselves: Why do you travel?
Amanda Kos
8/3/20263 min read
Why Do You Travel?
Have you ever stopped to think about why you travel?
There are no wrong answers to that question. It is deeply personal, and the answer may change and evolve throughout your life.
Recently, while traveling back to a place where I once lived, a friend asked me, “Is there anywhere that feels like home to you?”
I had to answer honestly: no.
I have always felt like a wanderer, someone who never did quite fit in anywhere for long. As a child, the longest I ever lived in one house was about five years. Adulthood extended that record to seven. Still, after three or four years in one place, I usually begin to feel the itch.
It is the itch to move on, to experience life somewhere new, and to surround myself with different people, cultures, and possibilities.
Growing up in an isolated rural area may not have been the best fit for an outgoing, precocious child who was curious about nearly everything. I had endless questions and so much to talk about. Unfortunately, the ears of corn growing around our house were not the best listeners.
I did, however, have a grandmother who loved to read. I believe she dreamed of traveling and seeing the world herself. Those dreams may never have carried her much farther than the eastern United States, but she instilled in me a desire to go out and experience the world.
Although I cannot recall any specific stories she told me, images of places such as Venice, Italy, remain imprinted on my heart. Books, movies, and television shows about distant places and grand adventures consumed my imagination.
It seemed inconceivable to me that other people did not share this burning desire to explore the world and all its marvelous places. I often felt as though most people did not understand my need to explore the world.
As I grew older, I searched for the limited travel opportunities available to me and took them.
By the age of 20, my greatest adventure had been traveling to Arizona and seeing the Grand Canyon. That opportunity came when I was 12 because of my ability to recall facts and participate in a Bible quiz team that traveled to a national competition.
As a junior in college, I had still never flown on a commercial airplane. Then I had the opportunity to travel to Belize and Guatemala with a university group as part of a field course. It was the most expensive class this scholarship student ever took, but it sparked something inside me and fanned the flames of a desire that were already there.
That longing for adventure influenced several of the decisions I made during that stage of my life. I was able to explore, but never quite enough to satisfy the yearning.
One stage of life or another always seemed to limit the paths available to me. Responsibilities, circumstances, and timing had a way of narrowing the road.
Now, however, opportunities are beginning to appear more frequently.
Time changes us all.
Returning to a place you once called home makes that especially clear. The place changes. The circumstances change. The people change. You change.
I am not the same person I was when I moved away.
The more I have explored, the more my desire to see the world has grown. Sometimes you start down one path and realize you cannot reach your destination from there. You may need to backtrack, pause, or wait for the next junction before switching tracks.
Sometimes you finally arrive at a long-anticipated destination only to discover that it has awakened an even greater desire to explore.
Other times, you hear about a place and feel a strange, almost inexplicable pull toward it. You long to visit because of some deep desire to connect with something you cannot quite put into words.
I have never been a fan of the term “bucket list.” To me, it evokes an eerie focus on racing against death.
I prefer the term “wish list.”
My travel wish list continues to grow longer. Each journey introduces me to another place, another culture, another story, or another possibility that I want to understand.
I travel because there is an insatiable desire within me to experience the world.
I travel because curiosity has always been part of who I am.
I travel because every place teaches me something, not only about the world, but also about myself.
Why do you travel?
Gluten Free Will Travel
Thoughtfully and lovingly curated trips for gluten-free travelers.
Contact Me
amanda@glutenfreewilltravel.net
623-299-2246
© 2025. All rights reserved.