As the philosophical Ferris Bueller famously said; “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” With work, college and social lives to maintain, many of us may get in a rut and stuck into the same old routine. While not a revolutionary idea, travelling can be the best way to change things up a bit and let yourself experience something new.
Ryanair often spring up flash sales, where getting a flight for less than a full bus fare is not unheard of, or if you are a little more cash heavy, Aer Lingus can offer some pretty nifty deals to Europe and even further afield. If you really want to go all out, both Emirates and Etihad operate flights to and from Dublin twice daily to Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. From there, connecting flights to elsewhere in Asia, Australia, and the stunning islands of the exotic Indian Ocean are easily accessible.
Travelling is unique in that it allows you to step back from the realities of life and breathe in a different culture. While many of us visited countries like Spain, Portugal and France during our younger years, taking a country in as an adult is an entirely different experience.
When you don’t have somebody else dictating how you spend your waking hours, you end up learning lots about yourself. I recently took a solo jaunt to Toronto to visit a friend. While I had intended on visiting the many museums described in guidebooks, I ended up spending most of my trip wandering the streets in the sprawling downtown with only a vague idea of where I’d end up. It wasn’t something I intended on happening, but I learned short cuts, where locals went for a coffee and things that no guidebook would have ever taught me.
Like did you know that there’s a bus that operates from Toronto to Niagara Falls Casino for half the price of the usual buses? I didn’t either until I asked around!
Travelling teaches you things about yourself that you didn’t know. You get to push yourself to become familiar with new surroundings, orientate yourself in a different city and find the best way to get about and make the most of it. A trip away with your pals can be done cheaply if you stick to hostels or Airbnb and take advantage of the free activities and student discounts that most major cities offer. If your friends are less eager to go adventuring, there’s no harm in going by yourself, and either kicking back and relaxing or exploring to your hearts content.
The beauty of travelling is that you can make it all your own and no two trips will ever be the same. There are almost two hundred countries on the planet, all offering new, exciting cultures and interesting experiences that you can keep as memories.
So really the question is; What are you waiting for?
Ailbhe Daly
Photo Credit: Zoe Ryan
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