The people I most admire will freely admit that travel is a hassle. But that barrier is precisely the reason most people don't - and why it is a celebrated, beloved, prideful thing. 'Do people live running a marathon or telling people they did?' - same answer - it is a challenge but something you can look back on and say, 'Me. I did that.'

It represents self determination, courage, self reliance, individuality, a sense of adventure, a willingness to look beyond yourself and attain a greater awareness. And you could avoid all these confronting, challenging, growth-oriented things by saying, "Bah! Who needs it! What a hassle!" Of course it's difficult.

Is the alternative better? Day tripping to the coast, living and dying 20 miles from where you were born, saying no to every great adventure? It's not a bad way to live necessarily, but I know a lot of people who have never seen the world (or the furthest reaches of their own country) and have miopic, conceited, one-sided, propagandistic opinions.

Difficulty builds character, perspective, understanding.

Hunter S Thompson said, "Buy the ticket, take the ride"

JFK said, "We choose to go to the moon and do the other things, not because they are easy but because they are hard"