10 REASONS TO BE THANKFUL FOR TRAVEL

I used the travel the world a lot. At least once a month, I was somewhere other than home. The whole world became “home” in a way. Much of it was for business, and much was for pleasure. I always tried to make sure that every trip had a pleasure component, adding at least a few days on to the itinerary to just explore or relax -- or to learn something new. I banked well over a million frequent flier miles. I kept travel bags organized and ready-to-go. I had it down to a system. I loved the diverse experiences. It was a thrill! It was a gift! And then, due to a confluence of circumstances beyond my control, I was grounded for more than a year. I had to stay put.

At first, I used the time to catch up on things and spend more time with people I care about, now that I had more time at home to spend with them. It was good. But as time went on, I began to get the urge for going again.

I began to think about the many things that I am grateful for, both because I am lucky enough to travel a lot and lucky enough to bring some of the joys of travel home with me. While I am still staying local for a little while longer, I will travel again as soon as I am able.

My team and I took a poll of friends, family, and BeautifulNow community members and asked them to tell us the reasons they are most grateful for travel once they return home. Here are the top ten answers we got: