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10 Travel Moments That Make The Journey Worth It

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There are many aspects of travel that make it worthwhile — meeting new people, having novel experiences, getting out of your comfort zone, relaxing. That being said, there are a few very special moments that truly make the trip worth the journey.

Have you experienced any of the special travel moments below?

When You Have A Conversation Without Words

When you travel, your world and itโ€™s possibilities open up, especially in terms of the kinds of people you decide to spend time with. Think about what happens when youโ€™re at home and you meet someone who doesnโ€™t speak the same language as you, or has trouble speaking it well. You probably smile politely and begin talking to someone else; however, when traveling many times the goal is to meet locals who possibly donโ€™t speak your language.

My favorite example of this occurred when I was in Paraty during a Brazil solo travel experience. I was sipping a caipirinha at a bar on the beach when a very handsome 20-something local approached me.

โ€œOlรกโ€ he said, a shy smile on his face. โ€œComo vocรช estรก?โ€

โ€œNo Portuguese,โ€ I responded. โ€œEspanol?โ€

โ€œUn poco.โ€

We spent the next few ours conversing through a mix of broken Spanish, charades and body language before going to a club and dancing until sunrise. It was essentially a date without words, and one of the best Iโ€™ve ever been on. Iโ€™m not naive to the fact if a guy back in New York took me on a date and couldnโ€™t speak English it wouldnโ€™t be so romantic; however, travel opens our minds and allows us to appreciate these types of exchanges and remember them fondly.

Discovering A New Favorite Food

One of my favorite ways of exploring a new destination is through the tongue. These kinds of travel moments are especially exciting when you can sample foods youโ€™ve never even dreamed of. Even better, sometimes a dish has a way of completely altering your palate forever. For me, this experience happened in Argentina when I had my first asado. Growing up in a hunting family, Iโ€™ve eaten a variety of fresh meats my entire life; however, nothing compares to the melt-in-your-mouth texture and buttery, spicy flavors of an asado. My favorite is the asado de tira, flanken cut short ribs with a salty, savory flavor and a tender, juicy texture.

A vibrant vegan burger topped with avocado, served with a side of salad and sweet potato fries, alongside a latte, set in the lush, plant-filled outdoor seating area of Arte Sano on Holbox Island.
Eating a delicious meal in Mexico. Photo via Jessie Festa.

Solving A Problem

Itโ€™s expected things will go wrong during a trip. Reservations will be misplaced, trains will be missed, wallets will be stolen, youโ€™ll get lost, taxi drivers will rip you off; however, itโ€™s when we rise above these issues gracefully and successfully solve them we realize we can do anything if we need to.

During a trip backpacking Europe, Air Berlin lost my luggage. This would have been fine, except I was moving almost every other day. When the time came for me to leave Nice, France, and they still hadnโ€™t located it, they told me to continue on to the next city and they would deliver it to me. I was told the same thing each day, that it would be arriving that afternoon to my hostel, but it never did. It wasnโ€™t until a week later I got a call telling me I had to go back to Nice to retrieve the bag. I was furious. I had nothing! And now they wanted ME to go back to Nice, four hours away at this point, when I had to be in Florence that night, and retrieve the bag they lost. While the round-trip journey to get the bag was long and expensive, once I got it back I felt accomplished. Itโ€™s not like I had done anything that life-changing; however, Iโ€™d navigated trains, buses and subways in record time in order to get my backpack and get to Florence before my hostel reception closed. Whenever I get lost and find my way, figure out how to use an unfamiliar mode of transportation or solve a booking problem I get that same feeling of satisfaction that comes with solving a problem in an unfamiliar place. Enhancing problem solving skills is just one of the ways travel can bolster your resume.

Facing A Fear

As stated above, travel opens up our minds and puts us in a โ€œyesโ€ mindset. Experiences you might say no to at home due to fears, money or time constraints now become experiences youโ€™re likely to try.

While Iโ€™ve faced my fear of heights numerous times throughout the years through travel moments like bungy jumping, sky diving, cliff diving and canyoning, my most proud was swimming with sharks in the Galapagos Islands. Iโ€™ve always been a bit hesitant about jumping into deep waters where Iโ€™m not able to see the bottom, but on a snorkeling trip from San Cristobal I took the plunge — literally. My entire group jumped in without a care, despite the fact there were at least 20 black tip, Galapagos and hammerhead sharks swimming directly below us. I held back, my heart racing.

โ€œDonโ€™t I need a cage for this?โ€ I asked my guide, who was already swimming in care-free fashion in the water.

โ€œJust jump,โ€ he laughed. โ€œThey donโ€™t care about you. I promise.โ€

I counted to three (okay, maybe 20), and jumped, shrieking as soon as my feet left the safe haven of the boat. After spending some time clinging to the guideโ€™s back and panting like a dog whoโ€™d just raced in 100-degree heat, I relaxed, put on my snorkeling mask, and enjoyed the show going on below me. At one point there were two hammerheads about eight feet below my toes. Yes, I was scared, but I treaded water and watched them swim around, not even noticing I was there. It was liberating, and undoubtedly my most memorable fear-fighting moment.

snorkeling in Bali
Don’t let fear stop you. Just dive in! Photo via Jessie Festa.

Mastering Small Talk In A Foreign Language

When visiting a destination that doesnโ€™t share the same official language as you, it came be worthwhile to learn a few regularly used phrases, for example, โ€œHow are you?,โ€ โ€œThank you.โ€ and โ€œWhat is your name?โ€. While learning these phrases alone is something to be proud of, thereโ€™s something special about that moment when you realize you can string them together to have a short conversation with a local. Even if itโ€™s just three sentences, it still has a way of making your feel closer to the culture and is always an important moment.

When You Realize A Stereotype You Previously Held Isnโ€™t True

Thereโ€™s almost nothing I love more than when travel shatters a stereotype I had previously held. It makes me feel like Iโ€™m not just skimming the surface of a culture, but really learning about it and getting to know its truths.

This moment was most profound for me when visiting Jordan. While Iโ€™d held an image in my head of oppressed women, an extremely conservative society and people who lived in fear, Jordan was NOTHING like this. Locals were happy and friendly, and I met women who were everything from lawyers to doctors to college students. Moreover, my first night in Amman was spent in heels and a skirt sipping local organic wine at a rooftop bar. It felt great to experience the culture firsthand and learn things I had not previously known.

Taking Part In A Local Ceremony

Ceremonies, festivals and traditions bring local culture to life in a colorful way. You can read all you want about these lively happenings, but until you experience them for yourself itโ€™s just words and pictures on a page. Additionally, once youโ€™ve experienced this for yourself it will be one of those moments that make the journey worth it.

One of the most special ceremonies I attended was a Dong Minority Show in Chinaโ€™s Chengyang Village. The music, singing and dancing were beautiful, depicting local folklore. At one point, the onlookers were given rice wine to take in unison, while at another, I was pulled up with the dancers to perform a conga line of sorts.

Another memorable moment for me was attending a church service in Ghana. I had been doing a homestay in Ghana and decided to go with the house mom to experience Sunday church. It was like nothing I had ever experienced at home: Singing, crying, dancing, conga lines, tambourines and people basically seizing from their strong love of God. While Iโ€™m not exactly a religious person, it was an interesting look into the culture and, to be completely honest, a lot of fun in general.

Falling In Love

Falling in love on the road is something youโ€™ll never forget. Itโ€™s passionate, crazy, spontaneous and everything feels romantic, whether youโ€™re having pasta you made at your hostel with some 1 Euro wine or taking a waterside stroll under the stars.

When I fell in love on the road I was in Amsterdam at the Flying Pig Hostel Downtown. I knew the moment I saw Chris I liked him. He was 6โ€™6โ€™โ€™, broad, played football, had an infectious smile and knew how to make people laugh. We stayed up all night dancing and then spent the entire next day laying in bed asking each other silly questions. And after four passionate days of being together we parted ways, Chris heading home to Canada and me continuing on my backpacking route. The experience meant a lot to both of us, so much so that we tried a long distance relationship for awhile. And although it didnโ€™t work out itโ€™s still one of those moments that made the journey worth it.

sunset over the Gulf of Mexico near Playa Holbox
Watching the sunset in Mexico. Photo via Jessie Festa.

Seeing A Dramatic Landscape

The world is full of aesthetically pleasing landscapes; however, there are only so many places in the world that are truly one-of-a-kind. When you find one of the these dramatic, other-worldly settings it can be life changing, opening your eyes up to beauty you didnโ€™t even know existed. On my travels, some of these kinds of landscapes have included Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia; Torres del Paine in Chile; Fitz Roy in El Chalten, Argentina; Moon Valley in San Pedro, Chile; the Bioluminescent Bay in Vieques Island, Puerto Rico; and Wadi Rum in Jordan.

Realizing Itโ€™s A Small Yet Big World

Travel helps you see just how small yet big the world really is — big enough that itโ€™s full of unique people and places but small enough that we can go almost anywhere we want to. While it may be something you know in your mind, it isnโ€™t until you truly realize and understand it that you have this special moment. For me, I get this feeling every time I have a conversation online with someone I met in a faraway land, or find something in common with a local from a culture thatโ€™s completely different than my own. Itโ€™s a beautiful feeling, and a very special moment.

Have you ever had a special travel moment that changed you in some way?

About Jessie Festa

Jessie Festa is a New York-based travel content creator who is passionate about empowering her audience to experience new places and live a life of adventure. She is the founder of the solo female travel blog, Jessie on a Journey, and is editor-in-chief of Epicure & Culture, an online conscious tourism magazine. Along with writing, Jessie is a professional photographer and is the owner of NYC Photo Journeys, which offers New York photo tours, photo shoots, and wedding photography. Her work has appeared in publications like USA Today, CNN, Business Insider, Thrillist, and WestJet Magazine.