In no particular order, here’s a list of mybiggest and best reasons to travel:

1. Color. I don’t know about you, but come November, I can’t think of a better reason to travel than just to see life in bright, exotic colors again. Grey and industrial doesn’t do it for me, much less so for several months at a time.

2. Photographs. You live somewhere, right? And you need wall decorations, right? Well, take your own pictures. My family’s home is adorned with tons of my sister and mom’s photographs from our vacations together. And not only are you not paying lots of money for someone else’s art, your art costs no money, just a little time. Plus, you have cool memories attached to each photo.

3. Good stories. You never want to be the person sitting at a table just listening to someone else’s cool travel stories. We’ve all been there. And it sucks. You want to be able to join in! (Side note:  the more disastrous your trip is, the better a story you’ll have. Think about it. I mean, once, I got stuck in a traffic jam for eight hours in Canada on a detour, then got questioned driving back into the states at 3 a.m. in a blizzard. Great story, right?)

4. New food. Sometimes a cheeseburger is the best-tasting thing in the world. And sometimes you just want something with a little more spice. Or at least, while traveling, you can enjoy your burger with some . . .

5. New drinks. Not only do you get to try new beers, wines, and mixed drinks, everything with a dash of booze just tastes better on a beach. Plus having several is also more socially acceptable.

6. New beaches. More swimming, more surf, more sand, more tan. Enough said.

7. Meeting new people. You get to hear everyone else’s best traveling stories. Also, you get great information on other places to see from people who have been there, that you wouldn’t have heard elsewhere.

8. Learn a language. Or you can teach your language to someone else. While in the Dominican Republic last, I spoke Spanish with the people at our hotel, then taught a little English to some.

9. An excuse to get lost. After being in the same city a while, you know the ins and outs like it’s nobody’s business. It’s fun to go somewhere where everything you see in new.

10. Relaxation. America works too hard. I think we should all do as some European countries do, and start work later, have a long, long lunch break, and go out later, even on weekdays. Traveling lets you disappear for a while, and temporarily relieves you of the every-increasing weight of Accountability.

11. Adventure. Everything is just more exciting when you’re doing it for the first time. Plus, other places have so much to offer that’s unfamiliar to you

12. A way to blow money. Okay, that’s a joke (unless you’ve won the lottery and have a few weeks to live, or you’re trying to rip off your future ex-spouse, I guess). But the thing is, if you’re smart about spending your money traveling, I’ve found you rarely regret spending it.

13. New culture. New celebrations, traditions, and all else that go along with new culture rarely disappoint. There’s a reason people keep these customs going on for years and years.

14. Relive the zoo. If you’re the least bit adventurous, chances are you’ll experience some nature. This means new environments, ecosystems, and with that, new flora, fauna, and animals.

15. Cool swag/decor. If you suck at photography (like me), you can decorate your abode with art that talented people from across the world made. And then you can tell your travel stories.