{packing your bags}

(Marie C. Cudraz, via Flickr)

Travel is always on my mind, here is an interesting read--Jonah Lehrer's "Why We Travel" article in the Guardian. In it, he explains that travel makes us more creative and flexible and we become better problem solvers:
The same details that make foreign travel so confusing – Do I tip the waiter? Where is this train taking me? – turn out to have a lasting impact, making us more creative because we're less insular. We're reminded of all that we don't know, which is nearly everything; we're surprised by the constant stream of surprises.

and

We travel because we need to, because distance and difference are the secret tonic of creativity. When we get home, home is still the same. But something in our mind has been changed, and that changes everything.

The last line is particularly striking - that something in our mind has been changed, and that changes everything. This is both why I travel and why I save money all year long to be able to take vacations.

Also of interest, the "Why We Travel" article through Liz Danzico of the Bobulate blog, which is always an interesting read.

About the same time I read "Why We Travel," I also read "To See the World" by Teri of giddy giddy. She explains that "to see the world" is her family mission statement and that they make travel a priority, saving money for trips rather than spending it on things such as new appliances or cars or other luxuries in life. This, of course, really resonated with me. I've never thought of having a family mission statement, but if my family had one while growing up, it would have some variation of "too see the world" as part of it.

Teri also offers four useful and thoughtful tips for getting the most joy out of family trips.
Do you have family travel plans this summer or later in the year? I'd love to hear about the trips you're planning.

Thanks to Charlotte's Fancy for the links and articles.