3 of the Best Travel Quotes and Why - According to a Female Solo Traveler 

Why talk about quotes?

The answer is this: because sometimes other people put certain feelings into words better than I ever would have thought to do. When I read one, I think “Yes that’s it! They get it!”. 

A really excellent quote can be the perfect ray of sunshine on an otherwise gloomy day, or the boost of motivation you need to finish a current project. In this case, it might be the burst of inspiration you need to figure out how to take the idea for your next trip and make it into a reality. 

Without further ado, these are 3 of my all-time favorite quotes on travel. 

1: “Seek not just sights but the stories behind them.” - Unknown

I’m not sure who said this, but I am sure that whoever did knew what they were talking about. I love this quote because it encapsulates a large part of what I think it means to really travel, not just take surface-level trips.

If you’ve ever visited a new state, country, or region, your itinerary likely included a stop at a landmark that the given place is most famous for. For example, this could be the Golden Gate Bridge in California, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, or the Great Wall of China in China, to name a few of the most famous sights. However, sights aren’t always landmarks; they can be streets, cities, national parks, lakes, or other things. 

When you saw this sight, it was probably pretty cool to be there in person, especially after seeing a picture or hearing about it. But what makes the thing special? Sure, the architecture or landscape might be objectively pretty, but it’s the story behind it that adds a whole other layer. Next time you see a sight but don’t know its history, I encourage you to do a little research; it will make your experience much more meaningful. 

2. “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover” - Mark Twain

Ok, maybe this one doesn’t explicitly mention traveling, but it certainly has a lot to do with traveling. Sometimes, it can be hard to justify the time, effort, energy, and money that goes into taking a trip and planning an adventure. But when you take the perspective of the quote, that changes. 

Looking back on my own life, it’s the opportunities I didn’t take that make up most of my regrets, not the ones I did. So, as Mark Twain says, explore, dream, and discover; you won’t regret it. 

3. “The best education you will ever get is traveling. Nothing teaches you more than exploring the world and accumulating experiences.” - Mark Patterson

This is a statement I not only agree with wholeheartedly, but am extremely passionate about. Experience truly is the greatest teacher. At school, you learn academics, but while traveling, you learn about the real world. 

You also learn about yourself, how you handle tough situations, how you navigate, how you interact with people, your strengths, your weaknesses, your likes, your dislikes, and who you are in a room full of people you’ve never met and have no preconceived notions of you.