Travel not just to tick off a checklist but to get experientially rich: Why travelling with a purpose to learn and volunteer can be very rewarding

Everyone has travel on their minds these days. Airports and train stations are full; roads are crammed with vehicles taking people to places they wish to see; conducted and curated tours are selling as soon as they are announced; and cruises are filled with eager passengers. Travel is now a'must do’ in the annual list of expenses in a household. Retired people dedicate even more time and resources to travel. They want to see the world before they become too old to do so.

These trips around the world are not essentially travel. They are tours to a place with the intention of ticking something off a list. These tourists have no time to understand the history of a place, pause to consider how people live there, or get to taste the local cuisine, art, music, or theater. They are led by the belief that adding another magnet to their refrigerator is a badge of honour. Bragging on social media is another key objective of these pursuits. Operators offer several packages to cash into the travel bug syndrome.

Should every household now seriously allocate money to travel? Is this now an inevitable expense? Are there alternatives to the ‘been there, done that’ style of tourism that crowds and clogs so many beautiful places around the world? Apart from looking for deals and offers, is there a cost-effective way to get out of home and see what’s out there? Let’s consider some alternatives.

First, travelling with a purpose can be very rewarding. There is a demand for good quality services of various kinds around the world.