6.1 Preface: Travel is the Best Mental Workout#

For us, insisting on traveling abroad twice a year is more than just leisure and play; it is a crucial “brain stimulation exercise.”

As we age, accumulated experience is undoubtedly an asset, but it can also become a major obstacle for seniors. Firstly, relying on experience often makes it difficult to keep up with the times, especially given the rapid changes in technology. Secondly, when past experience is sufficient to handle daily life, people tend to switch into “autopilot” mode. We stop actively thinking, and as a result, the brain begins to degenerate.

Take a personal example: Every day when I head to the office, I “automatically” walk to the subway station, pass through the gates, and “automatically” go down two levels to the platform—the entire process requires absolutely no brainpower. However, on one occasion when I needed to visit a doctor, my destination required a train in the opposite direction, which meant I only needed to go down one level. Yet, my body unthinkingly followed my old habit and descended two levels. It wasn’t until the moment I was about to board the train that I started to realize I had gone the wrong way.

Walking one extra floor of “unnecessary steps” is no big deal, but this small interlude sounded a warning bell: because we are too familiar with our surroundings, we stop thinking.

Therefore, one of the significant meanings of traveling abroad lies in forcing oneself into an unfamiliar environment, completely different from the everyday. This stimulates the brain to resume functioning: to observe, to judge, and to adapt.

Of course, even if one travels frequently, if the mindset remains rigid, old stereotypes will still color new experiences. Only by maintaining an open attitude at all times and constantly updating our perceptions can we truly achieve the effect of a “mental workout”!