“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page” – so said Saint Augustine in the fourth century A.D. Whether they are familiar with this quotation or not, those who like to travel hold its sentiment in their hearts. When undertaken with the right attitude, traveling expands one’s mind and helps the traveler appreciate other countries and cultures. Furthermore, a journey almost always lends the traveler a greater appreciation of home.

What is it about travel that is so broadening? Travel itself is a skill – some might call it an art. During travel, one must constantly make decisions and evaluate information. Senses are heightened; awareness is accelerated. Interpreting one’s surroundings is critical. And since travel generally is not free or inexpensive, most travelers are compelled to make every minute of a vacation count. This means giving each travel experience one’s full attention and savoring every new encounter, every unfamiliar taste, every unusual smell or unique sound.

Inevitably, travelers compare their chosen vacation spot to their home. At times, such comparisons are made with a negative attitude; indeed, even the most broad-minded traveler experiences things that seem inferior to what he or she is accustomed to at home. Comparing one’s destination to one’s home is a normal part of travel. It can help the traveler appreciate his or her home culture, as well as the foreign culture being experienced. Comparisons are only harmful when they are made automatically, without an attempt at understanding the reason things are done one way at home, and another way elsewhere.

Naturally, no traveler sets out into the world with the simple expectation of broadening his or her mind through travel. Most travelers want to see sights they’d only previously encountered in movies, taste authentic versions of foods they enjoy at home, or brush up on language skills that have lain dormant. But in doing all of these things – scaling the steps of an ancient cathedral, tasting a fresh-from-the-oven pastry, or mastering the proper use of a tricky verb – people actively experience the larger world, rather than remaining in the comfort of home.

There are those people for whom simple contentment with home is enough to keep wanderlust at bay. Some restless travelers may envy these people, who are happy to limit their explorations of the world to the reports they see on the news, or the accounts travelers have laid down in memoirs. For those who prefer to stay at home, the world is quite literally a book – one to be read in an easy chair. But for travelers, vagabonds, and wanderers, reading others’ stories of the road is not enough. They must always be moving, always turning the pages of the world’s book themselves – and maybe writing a few stories of their own.