Traveling opens up your world in ways you could never imagine. It transforms you – helping you grow personally and professionally as you face people and situations that you’ve never been exposed to before, making you more adaptable with each adventure you take. Why go see the world? Because it’s there – and yours for the taking! I’m on a mission to step foot on all 7 continents, so as I daydream about my cruise to Antarctica, below are 7 wonderful wanderlust reasons to spark your travel dreams and motivate you to start planning your next trip!

1. 193 Choices

There are 193 countries across 7 continents in this world to choose from! This gives you so many choices of different cultures, customs, monuments and mountains to see and experience. Lee Abbamonte is the youngest person to ever travel to all 193 countries; he chose to experience all 193 countries and 7 continents because "it's fun to have a goal and along the way you learn a lot about yourself and the country's and cultures you visit. It's the best education you can get!” Each journey is unique, and yours will be as well.

2. Priceless Adventure

There are countless adventures to be had across the world! They are all achievable if you put your mind to it; and they will be the ridiculous, breathtaking, hilarious, priceless memories that you carry throughout your entire life. Whether you decide to go see the Eiffel Tower, climb inside The Great Pyramids, take a gondola ride in Venice, or book a basecamp cruise to Antarctica to snowshoe alongside the penguins, you’re sure to have a fun adventure that will bring joy for a lifetime to come.

Photo Credit: Oceanwide Expeditions

3. Mental Strength

Traveling across the world from Asia to Europe to Australia and Antarctica will help your mind grow as it gets faced with challenges and opportunities along the way. Whether it’s learning patience in India, kindness in Nepal, or respect in Cairo – there won’t be a trip that you don’t learn a lesson on! Your mental strength and endurance is critical to success as you pursue your passions, and the more adventure you take on, the more you grow.

4. Grow Personally and Professionally

Traveling can be exposing as it puts you in a lot of new and uncomfortable situations. Learning to adapt and adjust quickly will help you grow quickly both personally and professionally. Globetrotting allows you to develop empathy and understanding, and you return home with a new worldview each time. Your travel experiences are valuable and help you connect with a wide variety of friends, family, neighbors and co-workers.

5. Send The Elevator Back Down

Exposing yourself to cities and cultures around the world grants you to be able to give back on a global scale. Through traveling you can volunteer, support, and teach others along your journey and change the world for the better. Research each country you visit and take the power of knowledge with you on your journey.

6. Challenges and Accomplishments

In life and traveling there are ups and downs – you get lost, you fall down, you see breathtaking sights and the darkest nights. You can’t expect life to remain constant; sometimes you’re skipping through the trail and other times it takes all of your effort to put one foot in front of the other. Travel is the only thing in life that you can buy that makes you richer, and the challenges and accomplishments that come along with those experiences will enhance your every day life.

7. Live Out Your Dreams

Take advantage of the time you have now, there is no better day than today to start living out your dreams. You never know what challenges will come your way in the future, so we must take advantage of the present.

Even if it takes months or years until you’re on an airplane, gondola, camel, zodiac, or tuk tuk, I hope that you will live fearlessly in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire. Start right now by searching for a destination that you’ve always been curious about, see where it takes you, and enjoy the journey!

Photo Credit: Oceanwide Expeditions

Stephanie [@StrategicStephanie] is a writer, career mentor, volunteer, social media strategist, and world traveler living and working in New York City. A passionate traveler, Stephanie has explored 27 countries across 6 continents and will be going on an Antarctica Basecamp Cruise to her 7th continent this November 2016 with Oceanwide Expeditions. Use her giftcode: STEPH500GIFT for $500 off your next Basecamp Antarctica adventure (offer ends 31-01-2017)!