I’d been looking forward to my Japan trip for weeks; all the temples and shrines I’d visit, the incredible sushi and ramen I’d eat, and experiencing Japanese culture first-hand. Yet a few days in, I’d started to experience temple fatigue and I felt compelled to find a cozy coffee shop to take time to write. The guilt was palpable - I should be going to the Silver Temple and checking everything off my list while I’m here, I shouldn’t be sitting in a coffee shop. Yet that’s what I was called to, and I found myself ordering a Royal Milk Tea and journaling.

Two hours flew by. As I sat there, I reflected on all the great moments I’d had so far on the trip. But I recognized a conflicting feeling too, I was missing home. Entering the coffee shop where the barista knows my order before I say it, being able to go to the movie theatre and watch movies in English, and the comfort of expressing gratitude in my native language without fumbling over the words. This trip reminded me of what I had waiting for me back home.

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If you're like me, when you think about an upcoming trip you'll picture its most tangible aspects like the temples you're going to see or the slopes that you're going to ski. You imagine the amazement and joy you'll experience during these moments and eagerly look forward to these experiences. Yet when you're there, you might find yourself thinking about home in a way you never have before.

Travel helps increase our gratitude for what we have in our lives. It’s all too easy to get used to the norms of our lives, forget what we love. But travel gives us the opportunity to miss these, to experience a temporary sense of loss for what we have. When you’re feeling lonely solo traveling, you gain a new appreciation for the community of friends that you’ve got back at home. When you’ve barely eaten fresh fruit and veg in a week because you’ve been dining out every meal, you suddenly miss your weekly grocery shop.

This distance in our lives serves a crucial purpose. Research by psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough has shown that people who regularly practice gratitude report significantly greater life satisfaction and optimism about their futures compared to those who don't. Yet practicing gratitude is challenging, it’s part of the human condition to see our lives through the lens of what we’re missing and always seek more. This helps us to make progress in our lives, but it also stops us from noticing and appreciating the good things in our lives.

Travel breaks this adaptation. By temporarily removing us from our normal environment, it helps us see our lives with fresh eyes. When you’re thousands of miles from home, you are reminded of all the comforts in your life that you normally look over - the nice shampoo in your bathroom, your favorite tea, your guitar always ready to be picked up and played. Travel also reminds you of things that are so ingrained that you don’t even think to be grateful for them - like the movie theatre playing films in your language.

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What I’ve come to see is that our current stories about travel put too much value on what we gain during the trip - new experiences, photos of tourist attractions, and funny travel stories. 

But perhaps the greatest travel gift is what it helps us realize we already have. 

When we return home, we bring with us not just souvenirs and photos, but a renewed appreciation for our daily lives. The morning coffee tastes better, the familiar faces at the grocery store seem more precious, even our own bed feels like a luxury. This heightened gratitude might fade over time, but it leaves a lasting impression. It reminds us that many of the things that make our lives rich and meaningful are already present - we just needed some distance to see them clearly.

Great travel then, isn't just about what we discover about new places, but what we rediscover about home. It acts as a reset button for our gratitude, enabling us to return with fresh eyes and a fuller appreciation for the life we've built. 

Next time you're traveling, allow yourself to experience the full breadth of your emotions. Create space for reflection - trade the tourist sites for an afternoon in a neighborhood park. These moments of pause might feel like we're missing out, but they're often where the real transformation happens. 

The ultimate souvenir from a trip isn't a photograph or a charm, it's the renewed ability to see the extraordinary in our lives once we return home.