Is Travel A Hobby? Let's Find Out!

Is travel a hobby? A philosophical question that people do not necessarily agree upon. In this article, I’ll explain what a hobby is and what qualifies. Additionally, I will discuss the differences between hobbies, interests, and lifestyles as they relate to travel.

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Let’s start by defining some terms.

Definition of a Hobby

A hobby is an activity that an individual engages in for pleasure and personal enjoyment during their leisure time.

Hobbies can be pursued for various reasons, including relaxation, creative expression, socializing, learning new skills, or simply for the satisfaction of pursuing an interest or passion. Hobbies can range from simple activities such as reading, gardening, or painting to more complex pursuits such as playing musical instruments, practicing sports, or participating in outdoor activities.

The key characteristic of a hobby is that it is done voluntarily and for personal satisfaction rather than for financial gain or professional development.

Now that we have a technical definition of a hobby, let’s get into the difference between hobbies and interests.

What’s The Difference Between A Hobby And An Interest?

Although they may overlap, a subtle difference exists between a hobby and an interest. You find an interest intriguing, enjoyable, or curious about. It could be a subject, a topic, or an activity that captures your attention, but it doesn’t necessarily require you to engage in any specific action or dedicate a significant amount of time to it.

On the other hand, a hobby is an activity or pursuit that you engage in regularly for pleasure or relaxation, often to escape the demands of daily life. Hobbies are typically more structured and involve greater commitment than interests. They require you to develop skills and knowledge, often involving time, money, and resources.

For example, if you enjoy reading books about history, that’s an interest. But if you regularly visit historical sites, collect historical artifacts, or participate in historical reenactments, that could be considered a hobby.

Interest

Interests are more of a curiosity that do not require active participation, whereas hobbies require active participation. You may be passionate about Ancient Greek ruins and enjoy reading about them. You love to watch YouTube videos and documentaries on all things Ancient Greek. However, this is not a hobby relative to travel because you are not traveling to see Ancient Greek ruins. You are not actively engaged in regularly for pleasure or relaxation.

This is an interest.

Note: I know that some will disagree here. But let’s ground ourselves. We are talking about “Is travel a hobby” – not reading about “is watching travel a hobby”.

If you are not actually engaging in travel but are passionate about ancient ruins, it’s more of an interest than a hobby relative to travel.

Hobby

Let’s take the example of Ancient Greek ruins and apply actively engaged in regularly for pleasure or relaxation. You travel to Greece to view the ancient ruins. You visit Cyprus and cross the border in your quest to see Ancient Salamis.

Then, you expand your horizons. Now you start to plot out all of the ancient ruins you can see in the area and plan another trip. This fascination with ancient ruins will likely inspire you to explore Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan.

This is a hobby.

What could have started as an interest has now become a hobby. You peruse it to fulfill pleasure, fun, and relaxation desires. Often an interest will transform into a hobby, and you may have both a good and a hobby.

Characteristics Of Those Whose Hobby Is Travel

Frequency

A key to a hobby is regular participation, and frequency is important. For example, say you claim your hobby is travel but only do it once a year. Some will argue it is a hobby. To be fair, it might be because not everyone has the means to travel frequently. Others will snuff at this and say it’s an interest they dabble with occasionally.

It is subjective to determine the frequency and may vary depending on the type of trip. For example, some may only travel once a year but for a month and too many countries. I’d consider this example as travel as a hobby.

Depth and Breadth

There’s an age-old eye roller in travel conversations – the “statistics.” You know the ones I am talking about. How many counties, how many continents, or how many states? Then there’s the extravagant factor. I know you know what I mean. These days there’s nothing overly “wow” about I just got back from Cancun. Whereas I just returned from The Galapagos Islands sounds more adventurous, glamorous, and well–impressive. Neither of these two examples demonstrates someone’s experience level or commitment to travel as a hobby.

However, almost all those whose hobby is travel know their own statistics. And it’s unlikely that it’s just Cancun.

Experience

Recall the difference between a hobby and an interest:

Hobbies are typically more structured and involve greater commitment than interests. They require you to develop skills and knowledge, often involving time, money, and resources.

If travel is a hobby, regardless of how far into your hobby, you are gaining experience.

You are:

Committed to it – it’s a priority.
You are developing new skills.
Learning new knowledge
Spending time and money on it
Dedicating your time to it

What Is the Hobby of Traveling Called?

Traveling and tourism are the terms commonly used to describe the hobby of traveling. But today, travel evolved, as has the terminology. You’ll hear wanderlust, thrill seeker, globetrotter, road warrior, nomad, and digital nomad. I could go on and, but you get my drift.

The Benefits Of Travel as a Hobby?

Where to start with this? This topic could be an article of its own. But here are some of the main ones:

Learn firsthand about other cultures.
Experience things outside of your norm.
Experiment with new food.
Learn a new language.
Meet new people.
Relax, detox, and unwind.

Obviously, there are loads more benefits to travel. For me, travel is an escape from reality. More importantly, I’ve always said travel is the best education money can buy.

Is My Travel My Hobby?

It certainly stated that way, but it’s progressed. I still view it as a hobby for me all be it rather all-consuming these days. I’d like to tell you that all my travel is 100% for pure enjoyment, but it’s not. I have no complaints; however, work still needs to be done, even in luxurious accommodations in dreamy destinations.

FAQs

Why is travel a hobby?

For those that engage in it frequently with a commitment, it meets the universal definition of a hobby.

How do you introduce travel as a hobby?

For most, it starts with a vacation. It could be a family road trip or a cruise. For others, it was once an interest that matured. Either way, travel as a hobby then becomes a quest.
You have probably heard the phrase “travel bug,” right? This happens to those who end up with a travel hobby – they “caught” the bug.

What is it called when you travel a lot?

Peripatetic is also a noun for a person who travels from one place to another or moves around a lot.

What do you call people who like to travel?

Hodophile is a noun for a person who loves to travel, a traveler with a special affinity for roads.

Closing Thoughts

Under the right circumstances, travel definitely qualifies as a hobby.

My take is, without a doubt, travel IS a hobby unless you travel solely for work or do it infrequently. In short, if you travel for pleasure vs. work, travel is indeed a hobby. And, even then, I’d argue that most people that travel for work agreed to this upfront. In other words, they are interested in traveling long before they took the job.

Given the subjective elements, the debate about “Is Travel a Hobby” will never end. As with everything today, the debate is almost more important than the actual question.

What’s your take, drop your comments below!

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