Last month I was attending the workshop for a new project when we were asked to introduce ourselves by drawing a picture of one thing which we were passionate about. The facilitator introduced herself with a picture of the globe. The second person also had a travel related picture. Third was me, who obviously had a picture of myself roaming around the globe. In short by the end of introductions, half of the room had ‘Travel’ as their hobby!

For a moment, I felt like being ‘Another brick in the wall’!

That kept me thinking, why is that everyone wants to travel? Is it because it is easy? Or because there is money? Or the peer pressure? Or we think of travel as the life changing medicine? Or just simply the sheer love for travel? ( Need more reasons? , read 75 inspirational Travel quotes here)

The more I thought, I could see the reasons why it is a relatively easier hobby to pursue.

Increased Sense of Safety

Increased sense of safety brought in by the connectivity & accessibility has made travel more feasible for many. Initiatives such as AirBnB helps you to check on the safety of your accommodation to a certain extent. Staying connected has also improved the female travel safety which explains the huge leap in solo female travels.

Myth that Travel changes your Life

As we all know, cyberspace is overflowing with the stories of those who left boring 9-5 jobs and made travel as their lifestyle. Though those who made it to a success is the minority, that in itself is quite inspiring for many. People look at travel as something which is capable of changing everything for them which is not quite true, though.  Travel changes your perspective, and might let you see the same things through different eyes. But it might not be a drastic change. Irrespective of that, people do take up travel to find if it brings out a change in their own life.

Technology & Connectivity

The invention of smart phones and wifi has changed everything about travel. Availability & accessibility of information has drastically increased in recent times. Including apps to travel, travel blogs & maps everything is at our fingertips which make travel very easy compared to the olden times.

Tourism Industry & Travel Deals

Tourism Industry in itself is highly facilitating which makes Travel a cake walk .

Airlines come up with such sweet deals that they take away your entire vacation expenditure to another country. Even though that place was never even on your bucket list, a 200 Dollar ticket for travelling miles and miles altogether, makes you consider visiting that place.

At times, all inclusive packages work out very well as they save you the amount of time spent on googling,  researching and organising trips. At times I choose travel packages because of the same reason . When time is valuable, it is a good trade-off to consider.

Money & Social Status

You work hard, buy a house, pay the mortgage and now when you have to take a break , the obvious choice is travel because it will have something for everyone in the family( at least most of the times! ). The kind of vacations you take is a reflection of the social status in some cultures. So that makes it important, to make sure that you spend your money on an exotic vacation  (And of course stacking up expensive souvenirs from the countries you have visited add-on to your social profile! An expensive hobby, though! )

No specific Skill Set/Talent needed

Unlike other hobbies which require talent or special skills, travel is once such hobby which does not need any. Though fine travellers possess great qualities, it is not that important for holiday travellers.

Keeps you Healthy & Fit 

Being a health conscious generation, it is very much obvious that multiple day treks or any adventurous activity will be a definite choice for a hobby as it helps you enjoy your leisure time along with taking care of your fitness.

Solo Travel & Sense of Achievement

At times you find that Travel is overrated as a hobby (cliched Instagram pictures to Tourism industry promotion tactics to solo travel experiences, you find it has become tired, boring & stereotyped). Collectively, yes it is stereotyped, but individually there is a sense of achievement lying beneath it.

During the initial days of my Solo Travel, I used to feel the same sense of achievement which has later on helped me both personally & professionally. I think the need for that sense of achievement is a very strong driving factor for many which make Travel a highly pursued hobby .

Those are my thoughts. Do you feel a lot of people around you are talking about Travel as a hobby ? Do you see any other reason which makes it look like an easy hobby to Pursue ?

None of the photos in this article are edited for enhanced visual effects in order to bring out the authenticity of Travel experience.