How Travel Unleashes Our Alter Egos

At the beginning of March, I booked myself a ticket to Salt Lake City, Utah, with the intention of spending my spring break in the snowy mountains doing various activities such as skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling. While preparing and doing all my pre-vacation shopping, I found myself gravitating towards pieces and clothing items I would never typically wear. As I began telling my friends about this experience, I understood it was more common than I realized. 

A study conducted in October of 2023 surveyed 27,000 "travelers across 33 countries and found that 70% of Americans enjoy the anonymity of travel and the chance of self-invention. The same study said, "68% of travelers believe they transform into the best version of themselves while roaming, as they are able to shed inhibitions and embrace new aspects of their personalities." 

But why do we find ourselves doing this? What unlocks this new level of confidence within us that makes us so comfortable embracing outfits we never would have worn at home and completely transforming our personalities?

During vacations, the routines that typically define our daily lives fade away, granting us freedom from our daily expectations and obligations. Stepping away from our environment and social circles creates a feeling of liberation. It grants us a sort of permission to explore different aspects of our personality. Without judgment from familiar faces, we find it easy to create new versions of ourselves. Furthermore, exploring new places and experiencing different surroundings excite us, igniting a sense of adventure. In this relaxed and excited state, our inhibitions and fears loosen, allowing us to embrace new experiences, clothes, and behaviors we might stray from. 

Essentially, vacations become playgrounds for self-expression, offering opportunities to embrace areas of ourselves that might remain dormant in the routines and expectations of everyday life.

But why should this sense of liberation be confined to our travels alone? Let's carry the spirit of exploration and authenticity back home. Similar to how we embrace new experiences on vacation, let's create a more inclusive atmosphere in our daily lives. When everyone feels comfortable expressing themselves, we celebrate every aspect of our identities and personalities, not just the ones society demands from us daily. Let's apply the lessons from traveling, embracing the many sides of our personalities and new adventures to our everyday routines. Life is too short to hide behind masks; it's time to own all angles and sides of our personalities.

Strike Out,

Anjali Kamath

Boca Raton 

Anjali Kamath is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. When she's not belting her heart out on karaoke, she's either at the yoga studio or spending all her money. She's a textbook Aries and a Diet Coke enthusiast. You can reach her at anjalikamath460@gmail.com