Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the term “wanderlust”: the desire to travel. I’m sure most of us have experienced it at some point or another. Maybe it never really goes away, or maybe it can be satiated by an exceptional trip once a year. Maybe your desire is based in being dissatisfied with your current living situation, maybe you want to collect as many stamps in your passport as possible, or maybe you just enjoy soaking up the culture of new places.

I think we can all agree that travel is a beneficial life experience. Here are nine reasons why you might want to travel.

1) See and do famous things. There’s a reason places like Niagara Falls and the Eiffel Tower are so popular… they’re beautiful! Sure, they get ultra-touristy after a while, but it’s still wonderful to experience them at least once. And don’t forget about recreating famous moments! You can run up the steps like Rocky or play the piano from Big.

2) Attend events. Maybe the event will help further your career, like my trip to Texas for the Blogcademy, or maybe it’s for pure pleasure. I’m not big into comics, but seeing the cast of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia sing “Day Man” in front of me was worth the trip to San Diego’s Comic Con on its own.

3) Visit friends. Thanks to the internet, it has become much easier to find kindred spirits. The downfall is that they don’t always live very close. Four of my favorite people in the entire world live in separate states (Virginia, Utah, Illinois, and Texas), and I’ve made trips to see all of them. Getting together with the people you love makes for great memories and opportunities to truly be yourselves, even if that means singing carols at a vacant train station with trumpet accompaniment.

4) Go shopping. The best store I’ve ever been to is Lost Eras in Chicago. If Chicago wasn’t one of my top three favorite places, I would still make a trip back there just to shop at this fantastic antique/costume store.

5) Try something newEven if that new thing ends up being something you hate. My trip to Atlantic City was kind of ridiculous, and I have no desire to go back, but at least now I know!

6. Discover local treasures. Traveling doesn’t need to involve an expensive plane or train ticket. Drive thirty minutes from your house, and you’ll find that there really is more than meets the eye. Less than twenty miles from my front door is a magical land called the Enchanted Forest. Giant Mother Goose sculptures? Yes please.

7. Celebrate something. Is it your birthday, graduation, or anniversary? Great! Take a trip to celebrate. Last year, I took two of my friends to Philly to dance on a pirate boat to 90’s music on my birthday. It was just as fabulous as you’re imagining it to be.

8. Experience the off-season. Places like Ocean City are packed during the summer, and a ghost town in the winter. It’s really interesting to walk a desolate boardwalk and see completely stationary carnival rides.

9. Send mail. All you mail enthusiasts out there know what I’m talking about. You can experience purchasing foreign stamps and their post offices. Plus, as I’ve learned from Bonnie Jeanne, there are some places like Hell, Michigan that do some extra fancy things with your outgoing mail. (Like burn the edges!)

Every month, I host a link-up on a different topic, and this month we’re talking about Travel! If you’re interested in getting notifications to prepare for future link-ups, just send me an e-mail, and I’ll put you on the list! Even if you didn’t know about the link-up, please feel free to link any applicable post at the bottom of this page. If you are leaving your link, please be sure to leave a comment on this post, and click around to see what other people have to say on this topic!

1. Antwerp 2. Paris (Centre Pompidou) 3. Thailand – Monkey Temple 4. Bangkok – China Town 5. Travel | South Africa 6. Show Me The Way To Your Letters 7. Vera’s Ashes 8. Tammy 9. Travel (Photos) 10. Buenos Aires Bookshop (German and Spanish) 11. Eloisa Cartonera in B.A. (German and Spanish) 12. New York City Travel Tips 13. Wanderlust 14. Mim 15. Sandra D