10 Ways Travel Makes the World a Better Place

The unprecedented pause in travel that we're currently living through is the perfect opportunity to remember what makes travel so special in the first place. In addition to all the carefree fun of suntans, selfies and bucket list checking, travel truly helps make our world a better place, and the following are 10 of the best things it brings into our lives.

Travel brings people from different cultures and nationalities together, allowing us to get to know each other a little better and leave preconceived notions in the dust. Mark Twain told us that "travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness," and it's just as true now as it was in his time.

It doesn't matter if it's a domestic or international destination, travel offers an unmatched understanding of a place and its people, and sometimes we even take bits of a destination back home with us.

Maybe you tried a new tropical drink, asked the bartender for the recipe and then made it for friends back home. Or perhaps it was a street food snack that you had never heard of before the trip, but once back home, spent a Saturday tracking down the ingredients to re-create it in your own kitchen.

The bottom line is that travel opens our eyes to new experiences, ones we couldn't possibly have had back home.

Without travel, our dreams could only grow as big as our backyard. Travel allows us to throw off regional restrictions and chase our aspirations wherever they may take us. Head out to Hollywood or try to make it in London, because after all, home is always just a flight away.

An economic engine equal to or greater than the likes of the oil or automotive industries, travel supports tens of millions of jobs around the world and by some estimates is responsible for 10 percent of all jobs worldwide. From hotels to airports to taxis and tour operators, the list of jobs travel provides is seemingly endless.

When people look through their dusty old photo albums or their digital equivalent, it's typically those old vacation photos that seem to stick out the most and bring back some of the most vivid memories.

Whether it was just a quick trip to the beach or a day out at a local amusement park, the cheap souvenir t-shirt may have long been thrown away, but the memories and bonding we experienced on that adventure never fade.

Trying to speak a new language. Having to ask for directions. Making small talk with the person on the next sun lounger over at the hotel pool. Travel helps us learn new skills and be more assertive; skills we then take back home with us.

It's often said that travel "transforms" people, but more often than not, travel is simply just revealing who you were deep down all along. All over the world, people live hectic lives and all too often put their "real selves" on the shelf; but not while traveling. Travel gives us back that connection to our core and that brings with it many positives that we may have been overlooking.

In addition to connecting with our true selves, travel provides a myriad of health benefits. From short term de-stressing and blowing off steam to a potential boost of vitamin D, travel has been proven over and over again to be beneficial to our health.

It's one thing to read an article about tropical rainforests or watch a documentary about the Serengeti, but another thing entirely to see it with one's own eyes. Travel allows people to experience the wonders of the planet in person and more often than not, return home dedicated to safeguarding it for future travelers.

Like every industry, travel has its challenges regarding sustainability and environmental impact, but there's no doubt that one of the best ways to support the preservation of historic sights, endangered wildlife and stunning natural features is by making them popular with travelers.

Travel provides that little bit of extra motivation to local governments around the world to preserve their most important sights and richest natural resources.