Why do we travel?

l look forward to downing tools for the summer holidays and taking off somewhere. But where? Doing what? And… why?

It seems like an odd question (and first-world problem). Due to various constraints my wife and I haven’t been able to plan any travel yet for this summer. We have some options and ideas but find it difficult to land on anything.

This made me curious: what drives our desire to travel?

Holiday travel is a relatively new invention. First it was aristocrats who travelled for leisure. Once travel became more affordable, the rest of us followed. But even today, most people in the world have never been to a foreign country. It’s still a great privilege.

Psychology recognises different motivations for travel. For many of us, going on a trip is about decompressing, enjoying nice food, fun activities, or anything else that gives us pleasure. This is known as ‘hedonic’ wellbeing.

But a trip can also be rewarding with a degree of challenge. If we trek across a mountain range or immerse ourselves in an alien culture, we may experience foot blisters or difficulties with foreign customs. But such experiences can create a deeper sense of meaning and personal growth: ‘eudaimonic’ wellbeing (i.e. flourishing).

In recent months I have travelled extensively around the UK for my work as a workshop facilitator. On reflection, these trips provided both eudaimonic and hedonic wellbeing. The work gave me challenge and purpose. And besides I was able to snatch opportunities to visit bookshops, art galleries, cafés, and even a Northumbrian beach. What more does a good trip need?

Alain de Botton, philosopher and author of The Art of Travel, regards travelling as a form of therapy – if we approach it with the right mindset. His School of Life has published a “therapeutic” atlas with obscure and eclectic destinations that can offer surprising wisdom. A simple roadside eatery. A humble lemon tree. A majestic meteor crater. A rusty aeroplane graveyard. The message is basically: travel on your own terms and keep your mind open for insight and reflection.

So what to make of all this?

There is the well-worn cliché of travelling around the world only to find what you’re looking for back home – where it had been hiding all along in plain sight.

That’s probably true for me after a global career. The same is not true for my wife though. Long story short, she needs a break and craves a change of scene. What’s the solution?

I’ll let her decide. It probably won’t be rusty planes.