Originally published on businesstelegraph.co.uk
Good things can happen when you shake up your daily routine, especially if you do so in new surroundings. As business development professional Fahim Imam-Sadeque explains, travelling is an excellent opportunity for growth.
Travelling allows you to relax and recharge your batteries while trying out new things and gaining new perspectives from people you meet in different parts of the world.
A great way to expand your horizons while travelling is to read books. Here are some of the benefits of reading while you travel, as well as three wisdom-packed books you should take with you on your next journey.
Benefits of Reading
A sizeable portion of your vacation is likely to be taken up by periods of inactivity. As long as you’re not driving, you’ll be spending time sitting and waiting as you travel from your home to your holiday destination — no matter how far you’re travelling or what mode of transportation you’re using.
While having “downtime” isn’t a bad thing, you can optimise these periods of inactivity by reading. When you choose the right books, reading is very pleasurable.
It also helps your brain relax, believe it or not, even as you’re learning new things. Reading helps people reduce stress and improve their cognitive functioning — two things that will help make the rest of the travelling experience more enjoyable.
You can choose light reading, serious reading, or something completely new. For an interesting take, you can even immerse yourself in the places you’re travelling to by reading a book about that destination.
If you’re looking for suggestions on wisdom-packed books to pick up for your next holiday, try these three on for size.
1. Fooled by Randomness
This book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb describes just how much things such as luck, chance, and randomness can affect our lives. This book explains how because of what’s known as hindsight bias, people tend not to remember the many people who fail but instead remember the few people who are able to succeed.
Then, as a result, we end up creating patterns and reasons that these people were able to succeed, even if it was all random. This book describes how success in the mild sense can often be explained by putting in hard work and utilising skills. Wild success, however, is more often attributable to luck and variance.
2. Meditations
This book has stood the test of time. It was written by Marcus Aurelius, who served as the emperor of Rome from 161 to 180 CE.
The book first shared Aurelius’ ideas on what he called Stoic philosophy. This is one book that he used himself to have guidance and improve himself constantly.
Large chunks of the book were likely written while Aurelius was on various military campaigns or planning military campaigns that helped expand the Roman Empire.
3. Siddhartha
Herman Hesse’s classic novel from 1922 is a must-read for all travellers. As Fahim Imam-Sadeque explains, it has inspired and influenced writers, thinkers, and readers for generations.
The book follows a man’s search for meaning in his life and incorporates lessons learned from Hesse at the time the book was written. The titular character, Siddhartha, casts off his life full of privilege as an Indian Brahmin to seek a more spiritually fulfilling life full of wisdom.
Along the way to finding that meaning, Siddhartha meets successful merchants, Buddhist monks, and more simple people who share their thoughts into the meaning of life with him.