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Published: January 4th 2024
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From Vanessa at MarketWatch: Research
supports the idea that exposure to diverse cultures and people promotes personal growth and learning, which in turn, contributes to keeping your mind sharp and young. The possibility of stagnation and immobility (both mind and body) motivates me to embark on group trips, despite my introvert-influenced reluctance of meeting new people.
An 80-year-old
Harvard study confirmed that community, relationships and how happy we are in them influences our health as we grow older. As we age, many of us lose people (through death or otherwise) when, arguably,
we need them the most.(I have quoted this study before).
Friendships are dynamic, not static, changing throughout our lives as our circumstances do, Levine explained. “Most friendships, even very good ones, don’t last forever,” she said. But we can always make new ones.
“We hear stories every day from solo participants that they made lifelong friends on our programs, often traveling together again for years after,” Kelsey Knoedler Perry of Road Scholar said.
“You might get adopted, no matter how old you are,” he added.
“One reason people derive more
enduring satisfaction from experiences than from things — an interesting quirk—is that experiences tend to be more broadly social in
nature,” said Kumar. Beyond the sociality of the experience itself, we also often talk about them more, meaning they contribute to our social lives.
“This greater conversational value seems to add to the happiness people get from them,” said Kumar. This may seem obvious, but what makes it a bit more interesting, Kumar pointed out, is that experiences are often thought of as fleeting, lasting a few hours or a week but, when considered in the way Kumar describes, they live on indefinitely in our memories — and in the stories we tell.
Though I have had some wonderful travel companions over the many decades, I always look forward to my solo ventures. At the top of my list for preferring solo travel are mealtimes and choices, a few planned activities, spontaneous events, and meeting new people.
Being "adopted" by my Greek brothers in Athens was a highlight. But my other friendships, in places like Penang, Bangkok, Lisboa, Munich, Peru, Tokyo, London, Annapolis (Dirty Pat), Seattle, KL, Siem Reap, Toronto, Atlanta, and Iraklio are equally enjoyable.
The "going solo" mindset is much different than traveling with others. There are no limits to time, expense, or excitement
potential. Spending most of the day on an ebike in Iraklio (Crete) with the owner of a bike shop was totally unexpected. Getting to meet his friends and family and join them for dinner made the day even better. It was a fifteen-hour venture, leaving me happily staggering back to my hotel a few blocks away.
Take a good look at the list of travel statistics from my travel hero, Katy. Remarkably, she trekked around the world without flying! I have circled the world, using planes, trains, and more trains (my Trans Siberian Railway trip), but nothing compared to her.
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