I believe we shouldn’t devote ourselves to chase after everything we ever wanted. So Oscar Wilde’s annotation “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it” isn’t completely accurate. There wouldn’t be enough time and energy to fulfill the endless amount of dreams we all have. On the quest for satisfaction concentrating on a few essential things proofed to be the better strategy.

Everybody has a different perception of his or her surrounding and is able to control the extent of its change. Our course of education is a never ending story and therefore we broaden our horizon step by step. Drawing the right conclusion of experiences can accelerate the process, whereas inaccurate deliberations cause the opposite effect. Most need inputs of their social environment to master certain challenges and are grateful for supporting friends and family members.

Living in a prosperous society raises the amount of leisure time and enables us  to reflect on our actions. Self-reflection leads to self-awareness which in turn gives us the knowledge about our needs. And only by figuring out your personal ingredients for happiness gives you the chance to actually reach it. Now we could say self-reflection is the key to happiness, but unfortunately it is not that simple.

As said before, inputs from our surrounding affect the perception and therefore the way how we reflect ourselves. But what should we do if we feel that the available input isn’t sufficient and doesn’t help anymore? Some realized that traveling can be their source of almost infinite inspiration. Getting in touch with foreign cultures and being pushed into unfamiliar situations forces us to react accordingly and results in a constant confrontation with ourselves. This conduces to a different perspective, not only of ourselves but also of others.

I wouldn’t say that traveling on your own is the only way to reach this state of mind, but it’s definitely more intense without any companions. Being alone constrains us to open up. As a result we act differently and have an altered appearance to others. This higher level of openness offers the possibility to get in closer contact with our fellow men in a much shorter time. So besides the observing component, which is part of every journey, we have the additional opportunity to benefit from the acquaintances we make. Summarizing I would say that the promise of faraway places doesn’t consist in seeking new landscapes but in shaping your point of view.