Does travel make you feel better?

Traveling does something for me. It brings me out of my shell. It makes my day to day feel larger than it is when I stay put for too long.

I think this is because the mind compresses monotonous memories into a single or near-single experience. Monotonous actions are not registered as discrete events but chunked together as one single event over time.

Travel makes each day seem longer, each week fuller. I like this feeling — it helps me feel that my life is being savored.

Travel is disruptive too. I find it very challenging to keep up with habits I cherish while on the road. Meditation, exercise, music practice — there's more friction for doing these super helpful habits. Where is a quiet place to meditate? What gym do I go to? Where can I make noise without disturbing others?

They're not insurmountable, but they cause friction and hassle — they make you less likely to perform on those habits. This can be compensated for with enough determination, but I definitely find myself more permissive of skipping some days depending on the travel.

I prefer to travel slowly. Ideally I am driving no more than 2-3 hours a day. Ideally I am staying somewhere new for at least a few days.

I like to soak it in as I go along. Not quite a local, but not quite a tourist. There's something to that balance I really enjoy.