Why experiences make us happy

When I wrote my first travel story of 2023 I received very encouraging feedback from my friends who were kind enough to spare some time from their busy schedules to read my write up. It felt good to write about something which I believe in and a matter close to my heart. It was about Travel and Happiness. 

So on the first month of 2024, remembering those heartfelt feedback I thought of writing about another topic which I have learnt to appreciate in recent years and would love to share with you all who I think will also connect with this. 

I have thankfully travelled to quite a few countries and experienced a lot of beautiful sights, met wonderful people, tried various cuisines, had some not so good experiences, but overall these years of my life seem to me as the ones I have truly lived and enjoyed to the fullest. 

Yes we do need to work, as we need the money to travel. Then we also need to have time for ourselves and maintain good health. All three are equally important as the cost of travel have gone up substantially in the last few years, specially after the pandemic and with various responsibilities and commitments we seem to be stuck to our base. 

There came a time in my life when I decided to slow down from the daily grind of commuting and working my guts out. And that is when I decided that now is the time to follow my passion and start travelling to those places where I have always wanted to go, whether it was through watching films, documentaries or reading or listening to the experiences of friends and family. 

As I travelled to various countries I realised it was something which gave me more happiness than anything I ever purchased and things lying stuffed somewhere in my wardrobes. Selling my car have me more joy than buying it when I thought it was necessary. It was just another thing which I now know I can live without happily. I have learned that experiences which can be shared with friends, family or even someone you meet on the bus or train gives more happiness than buying any material stuff however expensive they might be. This realisation of mine is also confirmed by many research. I am sharing a few links below if you wish to read further on this topic. 

Spending on Experiences Versus Possessions Advances More Immediate Happiness

Want to boost your happiness? Buy experiences, not material possessions

New and diverse experiences linked to enhanced happiness, new study shows

Experiences Make People Happier Than Material Goods, Says University Of Colorado Prof

During my travels there are times when I forget everything and just live in that moment and experience the happiness of being in a place which I have always thought I would visit someday. That moment of flow is quite difficult to explain and must be felt to truly appreciate it. Flow was described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter.”

8 Traits of Flow According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

I can list some of my peaceful experiences as watching sunset during the Nile cruise in Egypt, appreciating the beauty of Machu Picchu in Peru, cruising through the Sumidero Canyon in Mexico, watching a rainbow over the Iguazu Falls in Brazil, riding a hot air balloon over the Masai Mara in Kenya, enjoying the monsoon from a house boat on the Kerala Backwaters in India and many more of such wonderful times which I can still feel if I close my eyes and imagine them. And no, none of my so called big purchases bring this feeling. 

These are times I felt that all the purchases from my ‘would love to own that’ list did not matter at all. They brought momentary pleasure as I bought them and used them few times but it does not last as long a good experience does. It was just another thing in the house. However, even years after travelling to a place I still relive those experiences, share them with people who are interested to know more, share my tips. And this is what makes me truly happy. And now I know experiences matter to me much more than any material possessions. 

As long as I can afford and my health allows I intend to keep travelling, write about them and share my experiences with anyone interested. 

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