Most individuals who enjoy traveling would agree that it can be classified as a hobby. However, some people hold a perspective and do not view it in the same way. Traveling as a leisure pursuit can be perceived differently based on various factors. In this article, we will address the age-old query, “Is traveling a hobby?”
What Exactly Is a Hobby?
A hobby is typically an activity that brings joy and fulfillment outside of one’s work hours. It’s what you do to derive fun and pleasure. You can’t expect to get physical rewards from them. Hobbies are, therefore, leisure activities. They add value to our lives. These activities bring satisfaction and happiness to our lives. Hobbies bring us together and help us discover new things. Your hobby makes you explore your passions and disconnect from daily work and rigorous schedules.
Is Traveling My Hobby?
For many of us, traveling is indeed a hobby. Meeting specific criteria while traveling can help classify this activity as such. Do you want to shout “My hobby is traveling!” at the top of your lungs? Then this is what you need to know:
- Your Travel Is Purely for Leisure
Going back to the meaning of a hobby. Engaging in any activity during one’s free time generally encompasses the definition of a hobby. If your pastime involves booking flights, discovering wondrous new locations, and bathing in other cultures, then traveling can certainly be considered your hobby.
- You Travel When You’re Free
Do you mostly travel outside your work hours? If so, your trip is certainly a hobby. Traveling becomes your hobby when you constantly journey away from your workplace and outside working hours strictly for pleasure.
- You Love and Cherish Traveling
If you’re constantly on the internet browsing travel photos and reading through travel-related content in your spare time, you’re passionate about activities that involve journeying somewhere else. This is only possible for those who see traveling as a hobby.
Traveling Isn’t My Hobby
As mentioned, traveling can be your hobby and, equally, not your hobby, depending on different situations. Let’s explore why this activity doesn’t always constitute a hobby to continue with our hot discussion:
- It’s Your Profession
You might travel constantly, not because you love or enjoy it but because it is your profession. Professionals like pilots, tour guides, and drivers traverse a lot. Their trips aren’t necessarily for fun but for work instead. Their work entails traveling, whether they enjoy it or not.
- You Don’t Like or Enjoy Traveling
Not everyone enjoys traveling to new places. Some consider it a waste of time, while others aren’t passionate about exploring new places. Your hobby isn’t traveling if you are among these fellas. If you detest journeying, you can’t mention it as your hobby.
- You Have a Nomadic Lifestyle
There may be instances where you lead a lifestyle, either by choice or due to work obligations. In some cases, extensive travel becomes necessary even if you don’t particularly enjoy it. You change places not out of preference but because circumstances dictate so. Traveling then is something other than your leisure activity.
- Travel Is Part of Your Other Hobby or Hobbies
Your primary hobby cannot be traveling if it is associated with another hobby. A stamp collector who travels to exhibitions and conferences worldwide cannot consider traveling their first passion, nor can an avid hiker who treks to different regions to climb mountains.
- Your Travel Is Work-related
If your work demands you leave your workplace frequently, traveling can’t be your hobby. You might hate traveling, but you must do so for work-related reasons. Here, your trip can’t be your hobby because you aren’t journeying to various places for leisure.
Excellent Benefits of Making Traveling Your Hobby
Anyone can select any hobby based on their interests and situations. Some excellent options include swimming, reading, watching, hiking, or fishing. A hobby is vital for reasons like self-improvement. It can also help rattle your brain’s creative side.
Traveling is such a pleasurable hobby. Anyone who keeps asking, “Is traveling a hobby?” has yet to discover the benefits it entails. These are some surprising benefits of journeying as a leisure activity.
Helps Us Discover and Learn About Different Cultures
Exploring different cultures is one of the reasons why so many people from all walks of life love journeying so much. By visiting various foreign countries, you gain exposure to diverse ways of thinking and seeing the world. Visiting a nation like Australia can be the perfect chance to learn about the vibrant Australian culture. You can immerse yourself in it and learn how to appreciate it. Since your travel hobby will take you to different countries, it will help you explore different cultures, which is a significant advantage!
Exploring Amazing Places
Traveling and seeing exciting new places is a massive advantage of this type of leisure activity. Those against traveling never get a chance to get beyond the comforts of their homes and workplaces.
But the case is different for those for whom traveling is a hobby. Such avid people can experience many new and exciting places during their travels. Their journey activities can take them to places they would otherwise not know about. If you go to different countries, for instance, you can see many new amazing places in them. However, if you do not enjoy traveling or it is not your hobby, you may not be inclined to explore such places.
Opportunity to Meet New People
If you scroll through the social media accounts of people who travel as a hobby, you will discover lots of new faces on those accounts. You can make thousands of lifelong friends if you travel in your spare time. Every new place you explore will undoubtedly have some new faces to encounter. The colorful strangers you will bump into during your trip will become part of the exciting stories you will tell for your lifetime. These new faces can teach you stuff you weren’t aware of and help you discover new things. Meeting new faces is only possible if traveling is your first hobby.
Pushing Your Limits
We can only learn when we leave our comfort zones. Your traveling hobby can help push your limits and get you out of your comfort zone. Feeling anxious while spending time in a new place or meeting new people can be unpleasant. However, it can push you to surpass your limitations and unveil valuable experiences in your life.
A Sense of Accomplishment
Traveling can provide you with a sense of victory like no other. Journeying to a new location and bathing in a new culture feels akin to triumph when you get to experience it. This feeling of accomplishment is what draws many people to see journeying as a hobby.
Conclusion
Traveling can be a truly enriching experience, regardless of your personal opinion. Choosing it as a hobby can bestow several unique opportunities during your lifetime. Be it through learning about different cultures or meeting new people, voyaging as a leisure activity can help you accomplish that and more. Whether or not you enjoy traveling, if the above words resonate with you, perhaps it’s time to consider it as your new passion.
