My [Traveling + With a Purpose] Framework: A Mental Model for Life Satisfaction

It all started with a recent blog post I read from a friend of mine who left his largely sedentary job tied to a cubicle, to travel the world and take on an all-remote job, and his reactions to it. He said that, while it was nice to travel around and see new places and meet new people, he began to feel that life was transitory. Yes, it was great to see the world. But, in seeing the expansive world that we live in, his nomadic life began to lead to feelings of meaninglessness, especially when it was not directly anchored to work (which allows for a tangible & daily sense of purpose) on a regular basis.

On the other hand, many of us know the feeling of working in environments that are largely restricted to one place, in general or at least for the large part of the week. And alongside that, a growing desire to travel and see the world. I’d reckon that the majority of the world’s jobs are of this nature, although this is quickly changing as companies look to incorporate adaptability (especially in preparation for times like these).

Clearly, it’s important to have a balance here. It appears to be a situation where the phrase “too much of a good thing” applies.

And so, I’ve been thinking about this a lot and developing a mental model for how to maximize life satisfaction, in relation to how much we incorporate traveling into our work, or analogously, how we can choose a profession that allows us to experience the optimal allocation of this in order to maximize life satisfaction.

I’m terming it as a “traveling + with a purpose” framework. The ideal career situation (along the gradient of life satisfaction) would be one where we travel often (albeit not constantly), but with each travel’s purpose being tied to the buildout of our career. This is because (1) traveling without any purpose can lead to feelings that life is fleeting and meaningless, in a world so large and expansive, and (2) working without any travel can be claustrophobic and uninspiring. A career that combines traveling with purpose could be one that requires meeting with constituents in other locations, working in multi-faceted organizations, or unique roles within corporations with large geographic footprints. The possibilities are truly limitless, and this framework’s ideal mix can certainly be found in a multitude of ways.

I first experienced the “traveling + with a purpose” framework, albeit unintentionally and without any deliberation behind this, when I was participating in science competitions like the Intel ISEF, Intel STS, JSHS, and Siemens Competition, and I got to travel around the country (and sometimes internationally). And it was immensely invigorating, to be both competing in these events that were tied to my career, and traveling the world. I got to see new places and meet new people, and it was all in tandem with building out my career. I think this is the ideal mix, and moreover, I feel enormously grateful to have had roles in my career so far that have incorporated this mix.

In the model where travel and work are two levers for life satisfaction, it appears that the ideal allocation would be a mix of the two in order to maximize the dependent variable (in this case “life satisfaction”).

I hope this is helpful, interesting, or at the very least, that it stirs the pot of debate over what does/does not promote happiness in our lives - in hopes that we can all figure out our own ways of maximizing it. Thanks for reading out there.