OK, OK. So maybe Confucius didn’t exactly say, “Journey on, dude.” But, as you’ll see below, he did have some sage advice about what to do once you get where you’re going. In fact, many great and famous minds over the centuries have weighed in on the benefits of travel, both as a physical journey and an intellectual odyssey.

What follows is a collection of quotes, traversing diverse categories, from exploration and culture to nature and self-reflection. The words of these luminaries reveal the allure of the unknown and the profound impact travel has on our self-perception. Others emphasize its power to foster cultural empathy and ignite creativity.

Ultimately, these quotes affirm that travel transcends mere movement; it’s a transformative force, encouraging us to explore the world and, in the process, to uncover deeper truths about ourselves.

St. Augustine – “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page”

Exploration

“To travel is to live.” – Hans Christian Andersen, Danish author

“Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life” – Michael Palin, British humorist 

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Saint Augustine, theologian and philosopher

“I travel not to go anywhere but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish novelist

“Travel is the best way to be lost and found all at the same time.” – Brenna Smith, American writer

Inspiration

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta, Moroccan explorer

“Traveling is like flirting with life. It’s like saying, ‘I would stay and love you, but I have to go; this is my station.'” – Lisa St. Aubin de Terán, English author

“Travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer.” – Anonymous

“The journey not the arrival matters.” – T.S. Eliot, American-British poet

“Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard, American writer

Lao Tzu – “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving”

Knowledge

“Is it not gentlemanly, on a trip to an unvisited state, to behave as though you were meeting an honored guest?” – Confucius, Chinese philosopher

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson, English writer

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist and philosopher

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” – Martin Buber, Austrian and Israeli Scholar

“I haven’t been everywhere but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag, American writer

Discovery

“Travel far enough, you meet yourself.” – David Mitchell, British author

“Traveling solo does not always mean you’re alone. Most often, you meet marvelous people along the way and make connections that last a lifetime.” – Jacqueline Boone, writer and podcaster

“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher

“Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” — Lawrence Block, American writer

“Not all those who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien, British writer

Benjamin Disraeli – “Travel teaches Toleration”

Perspective

“Travel teaches toleration.” – Benjamin Disraeli, British statesman and novelist

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness” – Mark Twain, American writer

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman, American author

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” – Aldous Huxley, English writer

“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” – Lillian Smith, American writer

So, diverse perspectives on travel from famous individuals who have explored the world, found inspiration in their journeys, and shared their wisdom on the subject. Whether it’s the call of adventure, the quest for self-discovery, or an appreciation for cultural diversity, these quotes capture the essence of what travel means to different people.

Do you have a favorite quote about the joys of travel? Tell us about it in the comments below!