99 Short Travel Quotes to Inspire Your Wanderlust

Inspire your inner traveller.

Knowledge is power. Without language, this phrase, and all of the other symbols on this page, would have no meaning.

Language is the single most important factor to being human. It gives us our depth, and provides us with a means to describe our world. It allows us to differentiate between black and white, apples and oranges, and good and bad. It allows us each to have a name and an individual identity. It gives us a chance to understand all the mysteries of the universe. But the most incredible thing about language is its undeniable power to make us feel something. One group of phrases that are able to stir up inspiration are travel quotes. Although travel quotes allow us to transport our mind to a new destination, they can also be the catalyst to change. The right travel quote can, quite literally, change the direction of your life.

Bearing that in mind, here are the top 25 short travel quotes that have inspired us to explore the world.

1. "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." - Lao Tzu

If you want to travel, but you’re not sure where to start, you just need to take the first step. Research places you’d like to go - if you need some inspiration, check out our instagram (@SmallerEarth) to see some of our favourite places in the world.

2. "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

It’s amazing that a guy named “Waldo” has a quote about being unique and getting lost in the world. The beauty of travel is that there are no rules - you can blaze your own trail, and go wherever you want. You never know where you may find yourself - and who else you may inspire to follow in your tracks.

3. "Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from, with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving." - Terry Pratchett

Coming back home after travelling is tough to describe. Everything that’s familiar to you will seem different, somehow. You’ll appreciate the people, places, and things in your life in a way you never expected.

4. "I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." - Robert Louis Stevenson

It doesn’t matter where you go. You’ll discover new things, and appreciate making the decision to get out into the world.

6. “If I'd learnt one thing from travelling, it was that the way to get things done was to go ahead and do them. Don't talk about going to Borneo. Book a ticket, get a visa, pack a bag, and it just happens.” - Alex Garland

This one is the ultimate “just do it” quote. Thinking about travelling is a bit like standing high on a diving board, and deciding whether or not to take the plunge. You can stand there, trying to convince yourself to jump, for as long as you want - but at some point, you just have to go for it.

7. "Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you’ve travelled." - Mohammed

The experience you gain while travelling is a completely different type of education. In an increasingly global world, the ability to find common ground with people of all backgrounds is more important than ever. Travelling can help you find and develop the skills that a more rigid traditional education won’t provide.

8. "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness." - Mark Twain

Along the same lines as #7 - travelling the world exposes you to different people, cultures, and perspectives. We believe that cultural exchange has the power to change the world by removing the hard divides between people of all backgrounds. Simply put, the best reason to travel is to make the world a better place.

9. "To travel is to take a journey into yourself." - Danny Kaye

If you want to learn about yourself, travel. You’ll learn to rely on yourself, because you’ll surprise yourself with the decisions you’ve made. Your self confidence will grow, and you’ll find a whole new world of things you didn’t know you were passionate about.

10. “Not all those who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

The creator of ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ knew a thing or two about travel. His character Bilbo Baggins was a homebody who turned up his nose at adventure - until he went on one of his own. It may just be that getting lost in the world is where you’ll find yourself.

12. “We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.” - Ray Bradbury

Whatever your reason, see, enjoy and explore.

13. “Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world, the way it is, not the way you imagine it.” – Mark Jenkins

Our perception of the world is influenced by the places we live, and the people we interact with. The risk of seeing the world is that our perspectives may change, and we might not be the same people we were before. But the first sentence suggests that there is a destination to the winding, twisting path of travel.

14. "Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.” - Dalai Lama

We often go on autopilot mode in our typical, comfortable surroundings. The novelty of going to a new place can break us out of that cycle, and allow us to be more intentional with our lives.

16. "Maybe you’ll get more than you ever could have imagined. Who knows where life will take you - the road is long, and in the end, the journey is the destination." - Whitey Durham, One Tree Hill

Ah, One Tree Hill. Who ever thought a show about people growing up in a small town would appear on a blog about travel? The school’s basketball coach, Whitey Durham, makes a great point. Life might take you anywhere - but don’t forget that you have the power to choose which direction you go in.

17. “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” - John A. Shedd

This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you’re going to stay in your comfort zone, you might be rejecting your true purpose in life.

18. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” - Steve Jobs

Apple’s founder is a commonly used example of someone who lived life on their own terms. Having the courage to listen to yourself, even when other people might doubt your decisions, will get you to new places that you never knew you wanted to be.

19. "Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience.” - Francis Bacon

Travel is for everyone. If you’re just starting your own explorations, travel will teach you things that will change you. If you’ve been on a thousand adventures, travel will remind you about the things you’ve forgotten.

21. "I love waking up in the morning not knowing what’s gonna happen or who I’m gonna meet, where I’m gonna wind up." - Leonardo DiCaprio, as “Jack” in Titanic

Firstly, there was definitely room for two on that door. Secondly, any adventurer knows this feeling. You’ll learn that the anticipation of the unknown doesn’t have to be a bad thing. If you want to find ways to deal with anxiety, travelling can help you learn to be excited about what’s coming next in life.

22. "I wandered everywhere, through cities and countries wide. And everywhere I went, the world was on my side." - Roman Payne

This one is a comforting reminder that the world may seem like a scary place, but you’ll make friends, and come across great people, everywhere you go. There’s no better way to learn about the kindness and generosity of fellow human beings than travel.

23. "There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, there is a rapture on the lonely shore. There is society, where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar. I love not man the less, but nature more." - Lord Byron

This is a fancy way of saying that getting out into the world and connecting with nature is a good thing. By exploring, you’ll discover a deep appreciation for the earth and all things in it.

24. “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” - Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine was a heavy hitter when it came to words. The world as we know it is made up of thousands of different characters and stories. The first page of any good book should inspire you to read the rest of it - so if you’re reading this, maybe now is the time to start your next chapter.

26. “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

We will all experience moments of awe and wonder when travelling, those times that stick with us forever. But it’s so important to remember these and to use them as inspiration to keep searching them out in the future.

27. “Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life – and travel – leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks – on your body or on your heart – are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt”. - Anthony Bourdain

You’ll go through all emotions possible when travelling, but through the pain you’ll grow. The good parts however, will change you and your outlook on life, whether you realise it or not.

28. “To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote: To travel is to live.” - Hans Christian Andersen

Whatever you’re chasing, travel can provide it. It shows us everything we’re looking for, which at the end of the day, is what makes us all human.

29. “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist.” - Oscar Wilde

One of our favourite short travel quotes. In our modern world, it’s so easy to just sink into the 9-5 and never explore. The comfort zone is an easy place to exist in, to go outside it is to live.

30. “We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfilment”. – Hilaire Belloc

Have intention. When you decide to travel and open yourself to the world, the world will also deliver back to you.

31. “The traveller sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.” - G.K. Chesterton

Don’t shut yourself off to just wanting to see ‘certain things’. The tourist spots will wait. Allow yourself to explore without boundaries and then you’ll really see what the journey has to offer.

32. “One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller

How much of the journey is intrinsic? It’s not just the road that you follow, but how you develop as a person along it. You’ll open your eyes to new perspectives, opinions and experiences.

33. “I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” - Mary Anne Radmacher

Once you’ve spread your wings and went to other countries, having the most incredible experiences across the world, you’re a new person. For the better. You know what is out there and you’re not content with less.

34. “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” - Albert Einstein

When we start asking questions about ourselves and the world around us, we create the friction needed to grow. So if you get the urge, where you’re wondering “what’s that place like?” or “should I travel there?’, then fulfill your curiosity.

35. “Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” - Pat Conroy

This travel quote really highlights the impact that any sort of travel can have. The memories you’ve made will remain forever, and those experiences will get recounted so many times. Not just as stories to friends and family, but also to yourself. Those moments where you sit down and smile, remembering how much you’ve done.

36. “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.” - Helen Keller

Again, the intrinsic part of the journey is the most important thing of all. It’s not the ‘actual’ journey (I’d rather not have to do another overnight bus in Thailand) but the overall experience is one that lives on.

37. “So shut up, live, travel, adventure, bless and don't be sorry.” - Jack Kerouac

Forget regrets. Suck it up and go for it.

38. “No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” - Lin Yutang

It’s a funny feeling, returning home. The bubble is still the same, yet you’ve grown so much, and seen so much, that it can be a hard adaptation getting back into it. It’s guaranteed that when you get back is when you’ll realise how good travelling really was.

39. “The pleasure we derive from journeys is perhaps dependent more on the mindset with which we travel than on the destination we travel to.” - Alain de Botton

Open yourself. The open, adventurous optimist will gain infinitely more than the closed-off pessimist.

40. “Life is short and the world is wide.” - Simon Raven

Enough said.

41. “Borders? I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people.” - Thor Heyerdahl

The world is everyones. If people are shutting people out because they’re from different areas, it’s a mental border, not a physical one.

42. *“Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.”

Deliberately fall off the beaten path; you'll be pleasantly surprised at what you'll find.

43. “A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.” - Moslih Eddin Saadi

Take your time when travelling. Have a look around, drink it in and remember the moment, as you won’t be in that space forever. Don’t just aimlessly focus on getting to your destination, make sure you enjoy and observe the journey you’re on.

44. “Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions.” - Peter Hoeg

This one certainly rings true. The best times are incredible, and when you feel lost (mentally or geographically) it can really shake you up, as you’re away from your comfort zone. Learn to appreciate what you can and manage yourself when you’re down and you’ll be able to have an incredible time.

45. “We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.” - John Hope Franklin

You’ll learn more about the world by experiencing it, than just reading about it. Whether it’s how you envisaged, or different to your imagination, your experiences are real and are something you can recount back to others.

46. “Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone.” - The Dhammapada

How many times have you planned travels with friends, for them to never end up happening? If that’s the case, don’t rely on others, blaze your own path.

47. “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.” -Yogi Berra

Life isn’t meant to be lived doing the same thing over and over. If there’s an opportunity to do your own thing; do it.

48. “Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.” ― Michael Palin.

It’s tough to describe, but once you’ve travelled, you just want to keep going and going. When you’re home, you’ll start planning your next trip.

49. “Our Nature lies in movement; complete calm is death.” - Pascal, Pensées

We humans are beings of movement. We’re outdoors animals who have moved and hunted throughout our evolution. Yet we now trap ourselves indoors for most of the day. To travel is to move and to be who we truly are.

50. “Adventure is worthwhile.” - Amelia Earhart

Again, what more needs to be said?

51. “Nothing lasts forever, except the day before you start your vacation.” – Gayland Anderson

Every hour feels like ten!!!!

52. “One must travel, to learn. Every day, now, old Scriptural phrases that never possessed any significance for me before, take to themselves a meaning.” - Mark Twain

Have you ever seen a phrase and thought, honestly, what a load of rubbish? Have you ever come across the exact same phrase again at a later point in life, after more experiences, and you’ve been able to relate to it? There’s wisdom in those quotes, yet they can be hard to see without travel.

53. “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” - Oscar Wilde

Working on self-development is so important and a diary is a great way to see ‘where you at’. Allow your creative freedom loose whilst travelling and you’ll be surprised what comes out the pen.

54. “Experience, travel – these are as education in themselves”. - Euripides

The skills you can pick up from travelling can far outweigh some jobs. Your problem solving, people skills, planning and communication will all improve, yet your global view of the world will develop, which will be an important self-education of other cultures and people.

55. “This wasn’t a strange place; it was a new one.” - Paulo Coelho

Just because you like somewhere in particular, it doesn’t mean you can’t like elsewhere. Be open and take in each places personality on its own merit.

56. “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” - Aldous Huxley

Don’t allow your own judgement of somewhere to be clouded through someone's own bad experiences or closed minded nature. Make your own mind up and find out for yourself. Who knows, you may just love it.

57. “Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures.” – Lovelle Drachman

Visit that city. Work that bar job. Have the experience of your life, because you’ve wanted to. Be curious, but find out too.

58. “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” - Marcel Proust

Your experiences will form new lenses in what you’ll see the world around you. Don’t just have your rose tinted glasses on. Explore, learn and look at the world in a free way.

59. “I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” - Lillian Smith

The journey into yourself and how you grow is infinitely further (and more important) than the miles you clock up. Yet the more you travel and the more miles you cover, the more you see and experience, which in turn helps you grow. It’s a positive cycle to be in.

60. “Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” - Anita Desai

Whether you call it ‘your place’, or it simply holds a happy memory which has helped shape you, the places you visit will stick with you, whether you realise it or not.

61. “I always wonder why birds stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on earth. Then I ask myself the same question.” - Harun Yahya.

We’re not meant to be in one place. Yet we do. We have the tools to travel, yet some don’t. If you’ve got those wings (thanks airlines) then use them.

62. “Your true traveler finds boredom rather agreeable than painful. It is the symbol of his liberty-his excessive freedom. He accepts his boredom, when it comes, not merely philosophically, but almost with pleasure.” – Aldous Huxley

Sometimes, downtime is massively important. You’re in an incredible new place, so embrace this moment to take in your environment. See, feel and hear it, you don’t have to be busy to be content.

63. “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” - Terry Pratchett

A bit similar to an earlier quote, yet the message is just as powerful. When you return to your comfort bubble, you’ll find that your returning a different person. You’ve learnt and grown so much, so much so that you may have outgrown your original environment.

64. “If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet” - Rachel Wolchin

Similar to birds having wings, we’re meant to move. Use the tools you have and do it.

65. “We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.” - T. S. Eliot

Even when you think you’ve done all your travelling, your experiences will mean that you’ve grown to a level that your original home feels somewhere new, and that in itself is quite the adventure.

66. “Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” - Anatole France

Travel is the quintessential way of reconnecting with the environment. Most of what you’ll remember are the stunning sunsets and incredible scenery, the times where you sit in quiet and enjoy. Getting that connection back, in an age where most of our connection is through technology, is so important.

67. “Where you come from does matter -- but not nearly as much as where you are headed.” - Jodi Picoult

Everyone has a past, but it’s what you do going forward which matters. No matter if you’ve never travelled before in your life, you could go on and travel the world tomorrow if you wanted to.

68. “Here today, up and off to somewhere else tomorrow! Travel, change, interest, excitement! The whole world before you, and a horizon that's always changing!” - Kenneth Grahame

We live in an incredible moment where all this is possible. If you want to go somewhere new tomorrow, you can. When you’re there, you can chase that horizon further and keep going.

69. “Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” - Miriam Beard

Seeing the Grand Canyon is a cool sight, but how did it make you feel? How about the fact that you’ve travelled America and seen a bucket list item which few get to see? It goes so much deeper than just one picture.

70. “Take only memories, leave only footprints.” - Chief Seattle

This is a great minimalist take on travel. The great Native American chief likely believed that we are here to be observers of nature, not masters of it. Make the most of your time on earth, and the legacy you leave behind will be of the trails you’ve walked.

71. “People don’t take trips, trips take people.” - John Steinbeck

Everyone will get caught up in the excitement of a trip. Whether it’s a common backpacking route like South East Asia, or wandering the Sahara Desert in Africa, you’ll be swept up on the way. So just sit back and enjoy the ride

72. “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It’s lethal.” - Paulo Coelho

In a 9-5 cubicle world, routine is common. Before you know it, day by day, month by month and year by year roll by. Don’t stick to your comfort routine, as it’ll catch up and get the better of you very quickly.

73. “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind. – Seneca

A change can be as good as a rest. Sometimes you’re not rundown, just bored of a routine which doesn’t excite you. Try something new and you’ll be surprised on how much of an impact it makes.

74. And guess what? I have to admit.. I kinda start liking it here.” - Winna Efendi

Who knows, you could find your ‘forever’ home in a place you never thought? Or maybe you’ll find love in a hopeless place? (Wait, isn’t that a song…)

75. “To those who stay put, the world is but an imaginary place. But to the movers, the makers, and the shakers, the world is all around, an endless invitation.” – Unknown

Everywhere you go is new. Even returning to places you’ve been will provide new experiences, but if you stay in the same place, you’ll eventually start reliving the same experiences.

76. “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” - Bill Bryson

Very similar to the above, get moving and don’t get too familiar. When it is, maybe it’s time for new experiences.

77. “Life is a magical journey, so travel endlessly to unfold its profound and heart touching beauty.” - Debasish Mridha

When you travel, you’re exploring your own story which hasn’t been told yet. Keep travelling to find out more..

78. “Travel is never a matter of money but of courage.” - Paulo Coelho

That first step is always the most difficult, especially if you’re on your own. You can save and save, but you have to take the plunge. Once you have, you’ll be eternally grateful that you did.

79. “A year from now, you will wish you had started today.” - Karen Lamb

Again, similar to the one above, it’s about taking the plunge. Plan, and put one foot in front of the other. Before you know, you’re walking the walk.

80. “A wise man travels to discover himself.” - James Russell Lowell

Or woman, we might add!

81. “The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” - Samuel Johnson

Don’t just wonder, check it out. Did that beach really look how you imagined? Did that city live up to your expectations? Don’t just leave it in your mind, do, see and feel it for real.

82. “Somewhere on your journey, don’t forget to turn around and enjoy the view.” – Unknown

Take a breath, take your time and enjoy. Travelling is a whirlwind of excitement, which is over far too quickly. Don’t be scared to slow it down and really take it in.

83. “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” - Ibn Battuta

You say to yourself that you won't be “that person” who goes on about “that one time I was in Australia on my gap year”, but you will. And so you should. Enjoy your moments and tell your stories, that’s what life is about.

84. “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” - Beverly Sills

You’re going to come across difficulties on the way, that’s life. But if you didn’t, the end destination wouldn’t be as sweet.

85. “Do you really want to look back on your life and see how wonderful it could have been had you not been afraid to live it?” - Caroline Myss

Regret is a very scary thought. We all have it over one thing or another, so don’t repeat your mistakes. If you want to do something; do it.

86. “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” - Maya Angelou

It’s an uncertain world we live in currently, but let’s remember that we’re all humans and we all laugh, eat and cry. We may think differently, but at the end of the day, that’s the thing that, if harnessed properly, can bring us together.

87. “She wasn't where she had been. She wasn't where she was going, but she was on her way.” - Jodi Hills

Begin. Start. Move. The past is the past, the next steps are the ones that count.

88. “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” - Jack Kerouac

Who likes chores anyway? We’d much prefer a sunset.

89. “To me, travel is more valuable than any stupid piece of bling money can buy.” - Raquel Cepeda

Listen, everyone is different, some value possessions, and that is totally fine. But the amount you gain from travel can far outweigh a new watch, can you really evenly weight self development against a possession?

90. “Embrace the detours.” - Kevin Charbonneau

If you want to explore, then do just that. You could end up in a new town that becomes your home for life, or you take an unexpected trip where you meet the love of your life. This genuinely happens every day, so be the optimist and try new things.

91. “I’m interested in people who have lived, who are searching and questioning.” - Maria Bello

Have you ever spoken to someone who is mesmerizingly interesting because of their stories? Not one’s that are full of bluster, but one’s that genuinely have you on the edge of your seat? These are travellers, and these are you.

92. “And then there is the most dangerous risk of all – the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.” - Randy Komisar

You can focus on a job and save, save, save to retire on. It’s a prudent bet, but a massively risky one. Use your youth to be exuberant, innocently naive and to grow, whilst you’re open enough to do so. Who knows what can happen tomorrow.

93. “I am not born for one corner; the whole world is my native land.” - Seneca

We’re all one, and each area should be open to explore.

94. “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” - Martin Buber

How many times have you travelled and found a new spot that you weren’t even planning on exploring? The beauty of these places is that they end up creating the most exciting and everlasting stories.

95. “It is better to travel well than to arrive.” - Buddha

The journey is as important as the destination, so be present.

96. “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” - Andre Gide.

It’s time to fly from the roost, burst the bubble and leave the comfort zone. The waters may get a little choppy when you leave the shore, but that’ll make you a better sailor.

97. “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” - John Steinbeck

We’re not going to delve too deep into this one!!

98. “Travel is an investment in yourself.” - The Cultureur

At the very core of everything travel related is self development. Whether you want to be happier, to explore, to love, to see, to experience or whatever else, it is to find yourself in a better place than before. Don’t be scared to invest in yourself, you’ll thank yourself for it later.

99. “Live life with no excuses, travel with no regret.” - Oscar Wilde

A perfect one to end our short travel quotes on. If any of these travel quotes have inspired you to take action, it simply provides confirmation how powerful our words can be.