During my recent visit to Rochester, New York, I made a stop at the Museum of Play. It’s one of those museums that is great for children and adults alike. If you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend you stop by, as the Museum of Play is helping to educate the world on a little known fact: playing is good for us. And I think that travel is like playing, for adults.
The Benefits of Travel and Play
The Museum of Play highlights Plato, who once suggested, “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” I think you could easily say the same about spending a week (or a day?) with someone on the road. Especially if that’s someone you either really like or really don’t. 
Research states that play is important for learning and human development. Some of the positive outputs of play – both children and adults – that the museum highlights include:
- increase in creativity
- improved health
- clarity of mind
- exercise problem solving
- build communication skills
So, like I’ve been saying all this time: travel is good for your health, so travel more!
The Elements of Travel and Play
The museum has a framework that explains what happens when you play. I think this framework is an excellent device to explain what happens to us when travel.
Anticipation
Ahh – the travel dreaming and planning part. Aside from the hours spent pouring through brochures, websites, and recommendations from your travel concierge, I know some people call this the honeymoon stage. You imagine how sweet the air will smell, how the sun will warm your skin, how incredible that hidden hike will be or how tasty the recommended restaurant will be. Swoon – hooray – skip, skip – you’re going on vacation.
Surprise
And then the plane touches down, or the train pulls away towards your destination. And you start to notice a bit of stress – anticipation. Your heart skips a beat when you first get a glimpse of that thundering waterfall, or as the temple glints through the trees. It’s bigger than you thought it would be, or small, or shiner, or more crowded, or…nothing’s exactly like it is in the brochure, right? That’s part of the whole experience.
Pleasure
Live the moment. Be in the moment. Travel is an experience, and here at STE we’re all about experiences. So soak them up – that is what they are there for. Revel in the view, marvel at the intricate design, look into the eyes of the people.. be there. That is why you have come.
Understanding
Now you know why a destination has a particular stereotype. You’ve debunked all the myths, you can now see how those things line up from the pictures, and you can definitely speak from experience on places that are love-it-or-hate-it. It isn’t about ticking an item off your bucket list. It’s about adding another awesome experience to you as a person.
Strength
You feel great! You hiked over those last steps, you got over your fear of heights, you mastered a foreign tongue enough to close the deal, you got where you wanted to be! And if things didn’t go perfectly – the weather, notoriously – or you got lost, or whatever, who cares! You are still alive, and everyone knows if something goes wrong it makes for a better story.
Poise
Reflection. How has this travel experience affected you? Would you repeat it? Would you recommend it?
Sharing. Photos, video, story-telling. What do you now have to say?
Do you think travel = play? Has travel affected your own personal development?
Photo Credit: mikebaird,tibchris
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this post, Andrew. Being an agent I sometimes become careless about planning my own trip. I tend to take what’s left over or do it on the fly. I love the ‘Anticipation’ portion of this post, and I must keep this at hand when planning my next vacation. Like the shoemaker who’s kids run barefoot, I tend to neglect my own planning process.
This article is just how I fell about travel. Thanks
Thanks everyone – now stop reading this and get out there and play!