You're listening to Life Kit from NPR.

Hey everybody, it's Mariel.

You remember the early part of the pandemic when the days of isolation stretched into months.

At night, I would lay on the floor of my apartment with my eyes closed and listen to guided

meditations to try to take myself to a happier place.

One time the prompt was something like, picture yourself doing something that brings you great joy.

The first thing that popped into my head was an image of me wandering the cobblestone streets of some small European village, probably in France.

The sun was shining, and every step I took was a feast for the eyes. Medieval houses,

colorful flowers, resting in vases on outdoor tables, petisseries with gorgeous pastries in

the window, just waiting to be eaten.

I didn't realize until that moment just how much I missed traveling and how badly I wanted

to look at something outside of my four walls or the blocks of my neighborhood.

The next year, I took a three-week trip to the UK and France, and I ate those pastries and wandered until my feet hurt

and filled a hole that had been growing inside of me.

Big trips can do that.

Lali Aracoglund knows what I'm talking about.

She's the articles director at Condé Nass Traveler.

On a really basic level, I think it's just being able to have a break from the crush of regular life, whether that's work or

childcare or school, whatever it may be, you know, the opportunity to just take yourself out of your

routine and be somewhere else and get to immerse yourself in that place, to me, is like the main

drawer of it. Now, when we talk about a big trip, that can mean different things, depending on

your travel style and your budget. You know, it might be a long road trip or an extended stay

...