Looking back on your life, there are moments that stand out above the rest. Chances are it’s not the last time you went shopping. Or when you stayed at home watching a youtube video. What about the time you and your family went to Niagara Falls to witness first hand the breathtaking waterfall.

A new study by Harris Group found that 72 percent of millennials now say that personal experiences while traveling are more important to them than any purchased material object. It’s safe to say that traveling is an amazing way to take part in experiences you wouldn’t get the chance to witness in your hometown. It’s also a wonderful way to feel present and grow as a person. Learning and discovering different cultures, languages and other ways of living gives you a bigger perspective of the world around you.

Stepping into an unfamiliar environment has a way of revealing things about yourself that you never knew before. You may discover that you’re more shy or confident in social scenes, or that you tend to be more opened or closed to new experiences. This discovery may help travelers to re-evaluate the way they approach situations in life.

Travel can help unravel many of the false beliefs that a person has been holding onto. Beliefs like Canadians are so…, Southerners always…, Californians act like. Having never traveled to these places before it’s easy to mistake somebody else’s opinion as your own. If a belief of yours hasn’t been formed by your own personal experience, traveling is a great outlet to help make your own conclusions.

Traveling also illustrates that what you may classify as normal can be completely different to others. Whether your witnessing how true Louisianians cook or how Germans greet each other, traveling to unfamiliar places shows you the social norms of different cultures.

The act of traveling is an experience in itself. It gives a person more strength for future challenges, giving an overall greater sense of personal power. What better time to grow and learn then when you are away from the stresses and routines of everyday life.

Going to places you’ve never been before is an amazing opportunity to open up, try new things, confront fears, meet amazing new people and grow as an individual. There is nothing more rewarding than coming back home from a trip and feeling refreshed, positive, happy, clear and more strong than when you left.

Seeing, tasting, hearing and feeling new experiences ignites your senses which allows you to become your most present you. This is when you can really experience life. It gives a sense of fulfillment like no other. Experiencing this while traveling can create a desire and remind a person to continue being present in everyday life. After all, life is about living in the present, not about what happened in the past or the possibilities of the future.