On a stale Tuesday afternoon at the office it's easy want to get out there and travel—to see the crazy wild world you know is out there. However, when you start rearranging your life to fit in a big trip, you start seeing obstacles and creating reasons not to go.

Well, I'm here to help you quit that, to provide you motivation and shove you (ok, gently) toward the Jetway, to help you grind those gears into motion and, not to oversell it, but give you the greatest gift in the world! Travel!!

So why should you try and fulfill your travel dream? Without getting too new-agey, I've assembled 17 of the best reasons to enrich your woebegone life:

• It's invigorating – If you are open to it, travel will simply make you a more well-rounded human being. Which is really the goal, isn't it?


• It will create lasting relationships – People you meet while on the road usually become some of the most valued ones in your address book, giving you points on the map to visit later on. And people met on the road give you a momentary glimpse outside your hometown circle of friends, forcing you into a new and refreshing perspective on things.


• It will develop skills you didn't know you had – The satisfaction you get when reaching the top of the mountain, or crossing a gorge, or helping a villager clean up after a storm, or simply getting what you wanted at restaurant in China, these things all allow access to skill sets you didn't know you had. And better ones too than setting up a home entertainment system.


• You could learn a language – There's something satisfying about being able to throw around a few words of Greek, knowing how to say hello and thanks in Thai, pulling out that long dormant Spanish to book a room in Santiago, or simply hearing a language you didn't know existed just a few weeks before.


• You'll learn geography – In order to travel effectively it's vital to know how long it takes to get from place to place on the world map. Your around the world trip will do nothing if not teach you basic world geography, lest you spend $2000 extra dollars flying through Sydney in order to get to Europe.


• Gives you adventure – No one looks back fondly on a trip to the dry-cleaner. But after ziplining over the jungle canopy in Peru, successfully navigating the alleys of Brussels, the speedboat ride in New Zealand, or Jeeping out with the grazing animals in Tanzania you get a feel for what being an active human being is like (again). The need for adventure is hardwired; travel lets you tap into it.


• And perspective – Meeting folks from exotic cultures will teach you that the way you look at the world (perhaps through the lens of mass media) is not the way everybody does it. That you could in fact be dead wrong about it. Seeing it for yourself brings a healthy dose of reality to your so-called higher thinking.  


• As a transition – If you happen to be between jobs, schools, kids, or relationships, a round the world trip can be a perfect way to separate these life stages, give you insight into your next phase and provide closure on the last one. Plus there'll be a nice time stamp on that moment in your life.


• For education – Seeing the world provides an endless source of information about how the other 99.99% live, teaching you things about economy, politics, history, geography and sociology. While not an accredited institution, the school of travel is currently taking applications.


• The challenge – Getting your daily Starbucks not nearly interesting enough for you? How about finding an address in downtown Tokyo. Bet you can't.


• To do something new – It sucks to be stuck in a rut. Everyone knows what that's like. Travel can be the perfect solution. And what's not new about being in Bolivia?


• Dreams come true – If you want to do it now you've probably always wanted to. You imagined it, daydreamed about it, envisioned it. Guess what? Now's the time to do it.

• The cool stories – Don't fancy yourself a storyteller? You'll be the life of any party with the stories you come home with. Even if they seemed trivial when they happened, nostalgia will create a epic spin around getting your laundry done.


• You will eat food like you never have – Enough said about this. You will be constantly surprised at the flavors exploding in your mouth. 


• To prove to yourself you can – If you're the kind of person to dream big, and simply by reading this website you've proven that you are, you're probably also the kind to reach for new challenges. Finishing a trip gives you the satisfaction that you were able to accomplish what you set out to do. And to give you energy to set up the next challenge too.


• It's easier than your think – I promise this is true.


• Just for the hell of it – Why not pick up your tickets and set the ball rolling!

Take the first step and plan out your favorite itinerary with Trip Planner. Or else you can call one of our travel consultants and talk to a real live person about it. They love to help.

* photo by kretyen and maybe logic