But I do believe in living life to the full and so I have no problems spending money on travel and holidays. — Katie Melua

But I do believe in living life to the full and so I have no problems spending money on travel and holidays.

Author: Katie Melua

Insight: There's a quiet rebellion in choosing to spend on experiences rather than things. Most of us have been trained to think of money as something to accumulate and protect, to build walls with. But the longer you live, the more you realize that the memories actually stay with you in a way that objects don't. That trip you took, the conversation you had in a foreign café, the way the light looked at sunset in a place you'd never been—these don't fade into the background like last year's purchases do. The interesting part is that this isn't actually reckless. People who prioritize travel often report feeling richer in their everyday lives, not poorer. They have more stories, more perspective, more reasons to feel curious about the world. They're less vulnerable to the trap of thinking that the next purchase will finally make them happy. Travel has a way of short-circuiting that loop because it shows you, directly and undeniably, that happiness comes from experience and connection, not from owning more. Of course, this only works if you're intentional about it. Spending on experiences can become as mindless as collecting things if you're not paying attention. But when you do choose to invest in travel and new experiences with real awareness, you're making a choice that compounds over time—not in your bank account, but in how you move through the world.