What is the point of reading quotes and literature about travel? Isn’t it best to just do the thing, rather than read about it?

Well, yes and no. For those of us who are not able to travel for whatever reason; thanks to the pandemic we should all have some shared experience of this, reading about travel can really help!

Following in the footsteps of those who have travelled before us gives a glimpse of the places they went, the people they met, and the experiences they had. Their quotes are a direct but often very deep insight into these experiences.

It helps us paint a better picture of what our dream location might look like, and we may even find ourselves walking through the same feelings and emotions they did.

Reading about our travel destinations is a great way to mentally prepare ourselves for the day, when we finally travel.

Most importantly quotes and readings, help us keep the dream alive. It encourages us to always keep our wanderlust candle burning, and dare to dream.

So with that, here are 8 travel quotes that I hope will inspire you to travel or present a different angle on travel.

Please note, these quotes are not said by myself. They are written or attributed to travelers, writers, and content producers old and new. What I have contributed is the visual presentation as well as any of my own thoughts on these quotes.

These were all previously uploaded onto my Instagram. If you would like to see more of what I upload there, follow this link!

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” – Anite Desai

This quote speaks to a lot of world nomads, expats, and TCK’s. You could even argue that that feeling you get when you return home from a holiday is an expression of this. Your body and soul missing the piece of you that was left on your last vacation.

As I grow older and the more I travel, the more I believe this. You can give nothing of yourself to the place you are staying, but then you will not receive anything back. Or you can allow your current location to bury itself into your heart. You will get more back from the city you live and from its people, but you will also feel that longing more when you finally leave.

If you’d like to read more about settling in, to your new city or country, check out my article with my own experiences here!

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide

A lot of people talk about how travel helps you grow. It will help you when applying for jobs. But how? It is after all, not always easy to measure the value that travel can provide.

So in this way, this quote can really help clarify that dilemma.

You are not able to discover what is out there in the great unknown, without plunging yourself into it. You cannot learn to benefit from your travels, until you recognise that there is something you must learn. That we are all imperfect, yet capable of becoming better.

If you would like to read about some more mindsets, that can help prepare you for travel, check out a post I wrote here.

“Travelling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

Travel has the amazing, dual ability to silence you, but then also inspire you and turn you into a storyteller.

As you come across various wonders in the world, you may not have anything to say or feel. Sometimes being speechless can be embarrassing. Why don’t I have anything to say? Why is it so hard?!

But give it some time, some space, if what you saw was truly awe inspiring the memories will not leave you.

Rather you will find a strange feeling in your stomach when you think about these people and places. Something might trigger you to recall back those fond memories. Maybe a specific taste, smell, sound, or otherwise will bring you straight back to those memories. And like the cap finally being pulled of a bottle, you will find it hard to stop talking about your experiences!

I can only imagine the thoughts of the traveller Ibn Battuta. Was he also taking in everything, while travelling along his ship, in silence? How did he clear his thoughts to finally present them in a cohesive and beautiful manner in his writing?

Nowadays, story-telling exists in many forms. Instagram, YouTube, and many other platforms are essentially the modern, online version of story-telling. If you would like to know how you can create a blog to tell your own story, check out my article here.

“I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Rademacher

What does traveling do to someone? Yes it changes them, but how exactly?

As you may have learnt from some of these quotes already, the answer is very rarely simple or cut and dry. However one particular way pertains to this quote here.

Travel has the amazing capacity for change by presenting you with unique perspectives. Whether it be the moon (as in this quote), or less tangible concepts, like how one should live, how should we interact with others, and what is our role and responsibility in this world. We see things we thought were hard facts, in a completely altered light.

We see different interpretations of things that we thought we knew. What we considered normal, or took for granted, may be completely different in another part of the world. Initially our understanding is shocked, but after some recovery it never returns back to the way it was. Travel has completely changed our perspective.

Something I have noticed that often initially divides people, but then eventually brings them back together is food! Check out my experiences with the different ways cultures and peoples handle their food.

“Travelling allows you to become so many different versions of yourself.” -Anon

You are yourself, of course, and this post is not trying to tell you to live in any other way.

However one of the great liberties that travel provides to you, is that it takes you away from your previous life. You do not necessarily have the pressure or judgement from others when you are in your new city.

No-one knows who you are, and no-one really cares!

It is a way to contemplate your life, try things you otherwise would not, and in some ways start anew. In this process of discovery you may find out something about yourself that, without travel, you probably never would have!

If you would like to read more about the importance of friends and socialising in the expatriate context, check out my post about it here.

“Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake.” – Wallace Stevens

Truth or “the truth” is a funny thing. And you could say that in some ways, travel is a means of discovering what this elusive truth is.

Of course, most of us don’t ever get this metaphysical when it comes to travel. But, the transformative power of travel is a familiar theme for many of us. It is quite common to look to movies, books, and even celebrities; who have completely changed their lives around thanks to travel.

Whether it be a new religion, a new culture, a new language, or simply, just a different way of doing things. Many people find out how to live their truth because of travel. Thanks to the huge exposure to new things it provides.

Travel should be about experiencing new things, and almost pushing yourself to do something you otherwise wouldn’t. If you would like some ideas for tourist activities on your next holiday, check out my article here.

“We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.” – Katie Thurmes

“People are always taking selfies and photos on their travels now! It’s like they’re barely even experiencing the place.”

Some out-of-touch person who doesn’t understand what you do and therefore hates you because of it… probably.

While I’m probably wrong about the exact semantics of the quote above, the intent is correct!

Photography, videos, and generally recording our travels digitally can be looked down upon. The common wisdom is that if we spend so much time on our devices, we must be doing it at the expense of experiencing our holiday or vacation.

Well firstly, people can enjoy their holidays in different ways. And they’re allowed to do it.

Secondly, photos and videos are an important way of documenting our emotions, feelings, and experiences of a certain place.

And if we follow the logic of the quote, these become our own unique souvenirs. You do not see others complaining about people who buy the same mass produced key-chains wherever they go. So what is wrong with creating our own memories and saving them?

However if you would like a list of some truly unique and authentic Turkish souvenirs, follow the link to my article here!

“It feels good to be lost in the right direction.” – Anon

Of all the famous travel quotes, you may have noticed one that I missed… And maybe you’re wondering why I didn’t include it here. But I think it goes along perfectly with the above quote.

“…Not all those who wander are lost…”

J.R.R. Tolkien

It’s from a poem that is recited by a character in Tolkien’s, “The Fellowship of the Ring”. But it’s often this phrase alone that is remembered and recited.

So yes, not all who wander are lost, and not all who are lost are truly without direction.

Just like there is a freedom in wandering an old town without much purpose. Or like taking a random train somewhere, just to see what it’s like. Wandering throughout life is not only completely fine, but it might be just the necessary thing to contemplate, and finally reach the place you were supposed to be!

I hope that these travel quotes have given you something to think about, and if you’re feeling it, helped with your wanderlust. If you still haven’t satisfied your wanderlust, follow onto my article about it here.