How Travel Feeds Your Soul and Improves Your Nap Game

A little while ago I was in San Francisco’s De Young museum gift shop when I saw an old woman in a wheelchair tucked into a corner. She looked a little dazed, like she’d either just time-traveled or was halfway through a very philosophical thought. She was gazing intently at a coffee table book full of photos of old doors.

She turned to me like an oracle and said, totally serious, “I think it would be a good idea to buy all of these doors and line them up along a wall in a room. Then I’d put up a sign that says ‘All destinations are possible.’”

Reader, I was stunned and almost tearful. And then I thought, Wait, is this a metaphor or interior design advice?

This led me to DEEP THOUGHTS about travel. What is it that makes travel so appealing and rewarding to (some of) us? Here is what I’ve come up with so far…

Why Do We Like to Travel? (Besides the Snacks)

Travel feels a little magical, even when it’s chaotic. Especially when it’s chaotic.

There’s a weird thrill in landing somewhere new and immediately trying to remember where you packed your toothbrush and why the light switches don’t work the same way. You start checking off micro-achievements like a travel ninja. Figuring out public transit. Ordering coffee without accidentally asking for goat cheese. Not losing your passport in the first 24 hours. Victory.

Even the boring parts feel kind of exciting. Waiting in a train station becomes a people-watching masterclass. Sitting on a bus becomes a window seat meditation. You’re fully present because nothing is automatic.

You also get weirdly good at efficiency. Suddenly you’re a packing genius, a logistics wizard, a time management guru who can navigate a museum, a grocery store, and a gelato stand before noon.

Also naps. Travel makes naps feel like self-care instead of laziness. You’re not resting because you’re tired. You’re resting because your legs walked ten miles and your brain learned three centuries of history before lunch.

Travel Is Basically Perspective With Room Service

Something happens when you’re standing in a thousand-year-old church or staring at ancient ruins or reading a plaque about some guy who invented the water wheel and changed the world without a smartphone.

You realize that nobody back then knew what was coming. They weren’t thinking about their legacy. They were just trying to make it through the week and maybe find a decent snack.

It makes everything feel smaller in a good way. Whatever drama is happening back home, whatever worry is rolling around in your brain, it shrinks a little. Travel nudges you to zoom out and remember what actually matters. You. Your joy. Your curiosity. That pastry in your hand.

All Destinations Are Possible

I keep thinking about that woman and her wall of doors. It sounds like something out of a dream. Or maybe a slightly offbeat HGTV show. But also? She was onto something.

Every trip, every leap into the unfamiliar, is like opening a door to a new version of yourself. The bolder you. The relaxed you. The “I just haggled for earrings in Italian” you.

And the sign above it all? All destinations are possible.

Even the ones you didn’t plan for. Especially those.

S0 What Keeps Us Coming Back to Travel Again and Again

It’s not just the landmarks or bucket list photos that make travel unforgettable, it’s the feeling. Here’s what I think draws us back to traveling, again and again:

• Presence: Travel forces you to be in the moment, noticing the little things, like how espresso tastes better on a cobblestone street.
• Perspective: Ancient ruins and foreign conversations remind you the world is bigger than your worries.
• Pride: Every small win (navigating a metro, not losing your passport, ordering in another language) feels like a triumph.
• Fun: You laugh more, wonder more, and let go of being “put together.”
• Possibility: Every trip unlocks a new version of yourself you didn’t know was waiting.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to go, maybe this is it. I’d love to hear where your heart’s been tugging you lately. Drop it in the comments, or come read how I started solo traveling and what pushed me to take that very first step. It might be just the nudge you need.