Tasha Dhanraj on why travel broadens the mind

My cousin, David, is taking a year out to go travelling. A bit like a gap year, but he’s 27. I couldn’t be more proud. It takes such courage and drive to suspend a career you are doing well in to take the opportunity to see the world. He’s visiting countries in the furthest and most dangerous parts of the globe and as far out of his comfort zone as he can manage.

David is a product of the kind of economy and society we have created, where people leave school and fall into any job they can get without any interest in it except for the tidy pay cheque at the end. People put so much emphasis on happiness being synonymous with wealth but it just isn’t the case. David was fortunate enough to enjoy his job, but decided that the planet has so many things to offer that he has not yet experienced and he wasn’t content with missing the short window in his life when he could.

“People put so much emphasis on happiness being synonymous with wealth”

A few years ago, my Grandpa died and left all his money to his grandchildren, David of course being one of them. We all loved our Grandpa, but he died sufficiently long enough ago for us to feel excited about getting money without being branded a Shylock. There were only two rules attached to this lump sum of money, unlike a loan from Wonga.com. One rule was that we had to be over 18 before we could get it (so yes – being 18 as of two weeks ago I am pretty happy right now) and the second rule was that it had to be spent on something frivolous. It is with this money that David is travelling the world.

My sister has flittered away all her inheritance in Top Shop. Some cousins are using it to pay off debt. I have yet to decide, but I think David is doing the most sensible thing with it. Clothes stop fitting, everyone will always owe money to someone and items break. The only things that really are worth something forever are the experiences we collect throughout our life. Nobody on their death bed thinks ‘I am so glad I bought that television and paid off that overdraft.’ I am going to miss him like crazy, but I am proud to have a cousin who has taken hold of his own life so that one day he can look back and know that he did all he could to see all he could.