Naomi Sargent

Picture this: you’re sitting in your room, it’s a dreary Thursday evening – the rain is spitting, the sun has set (meaning you’ve only seen sunlight for approximately three hours), you’re struggling to complete a lecture. You give yourself a phone break. While scrolling you’re bombarded by Instagram baddies’ thirst-traps on jet skis, sunset sea pictures and TikToks of holiday compilations and recommendations of the best places you MUST visit. You’re suddenly hit by a craving for the crisp feeling of having showered after a day at the beach – with that atmosphere of the fresh feeling on your skin and clean hair and the smell of sun cream. To add fuel to the fire, the difficulties and stresses of vaccines, PCRs and amber lists surrounding holidaying these past two years accentuate your longing for lounging by the sea.

However, are the arguably most important aspects of travelling and its valuable experiences overlooked in favour of sunbathing and cocktails? It is undeniable that travelling offers many positives. It can teach us vital lessons by providing a gateway into other cultures; allowing us to encounter different foods, architecture, and customs. All of which introduce us to other ways of living, helping us to open our minds and become more accepting and knowledgeable. However, only if we immerse ourselves in these activities can they be truly embraced. They have to be sought out – whether through a tour, stepping out of our comfort zone to try new foods and escapades, or simply strolling around and actively taking in the foreign environment. All of which are all too easy not to do when lounging in the sun, eating in an English-tourist catered restaurant, or partying with cheap drinks.

However, it may not be fair to critique those who choose to welcome the relaxation a holiday can bring. Travelling can provide much needed rest – which is the thing many of us are truly craving when longing for a holiday. It has been linked to reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression by alleviating stress. Travelling also supplies a detached area away from the pressures of work or the draining feeling of being constantly surrounded by people we know. This allows us to temporarily disengage from these without feeling guilt or procrastination and subsequently gives us time to unwind in ways we actually want to. I, for one, love the feeling of reading in the sun – knowing that it is a book of my own choice and being without the pressure of having a deadline I have to finish it in time for.

Furthermore, whether you are on baecation, a lads trip, with the rents or alone travelling allows you to strengthen the bonds with those you are with (including yourself) by giving you the time to focus on them and create lasting memories.

Oscar Wilde wrote ‘travel improves the mind’, in line with this being abroad incontestably offers you many opportunities to do so by creating a secluded environment where there are bountiful chances to experience and learn. However, when looking at the benefits holidays have to offer surely these are also available at home. We have occasions to learn about different cultures and customs through our own education and conversing with others. Moreover, we should feel free to allow ourselves to give ourselves a break and time to destress from the everyday without feeling the need to justify ourselves to others with the excuse of a holiday.

So, in a sense the answer to whether travel is overrated is indefinite. While travel offers easy to access experiences and consequently precious life lessons, we shouldn’t fixate on the need to be abroad in order to do these things. The Dalai Lama said ‘once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before’, and while I agree with this sentiment encouraging