Why travel? Just because.

MANILA, Philippines — Never before have Filipinos been more well-traveled, more global in perspectives, than now.

Thanks to airlines that have the business acumen—I would rather say, the heart— to make travel more affordable to more people. Thanks also to countries like Japan, Korea and Taiwan that have opened their doors wider by relaxing their visa requirements and offering long-term visas to Filipinos.

Even local travel has been made more attractive and easier on the budget by airlines and resorts. Not just because “it’s more fun” here but because every patriotic citizen should feel that before he aims to be a citizen of the world,  he must first appreciate,  and love, the beauty that is just a heartbeat away.

Why travel? Because our favorite traveler , Anthony Bourdain, said: “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. But that’s okay. The journey changes you, it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something behind.”

So why travel?

Just because.