Fancy cars, haute couture clothes, opulent homes and expensive wristwatches immediately define luxury as items instead of experiences. But if there is anything I’ve learned over my 16 years of life, it’s that travel is an investment that lasts longer than the novelty of a shiny new Rolex watch or a fancy Porsche.

I have had the fortunate opportunity to travel to more than 16 countries, each one offering a chance to cultivate a greater understanding of diverse cultures and grasp an expanded worldview. The famous line “travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer” has rung true in my life.

I began valuing travel as a seven year old, eager to visit Europe for the first time.

On this trip, we traveled to London, Paris and several cities in northern Italy. I remember the feeling of being in a new place, visiting beautiful museums, landscapes, monuments and delving into a new way of living. I was fascinated by the novelty of a foreign country that could offer me the possibility of living an alternate reality.

That experience, nearly 10 years ago, still resonates with me. But if you were to ask me what toy I cherished or my favorite piece of clothing, I wouldn’t remember. With each new trip, my little self grew as I began to understand the complexity of each new culture and their histories.

The following year, on a trip to Shanghai and Beijing, I was grateful for the chance to witness a culture very different from mine. Each year brought another voyage and opportunity to expand my awareness.

According to Amit Kumar and his research team at the University of Texas at Austin, along with Thomas Gilovich, a psychology professor at Cornell University, consumers are happier when they invest in experiences as rather than material purchases.

This doesn’t mean that these experiences are expensive, long or taxing. It can be as simple discovering the spaces already around you. Many individuals used this principle to guide their travel during the COVID-19 Pandemic, opting to find places within a one-hour radius that offered a new experience, such as a restaurant, museum, town or green space.

So the next time you’re choosing between a new piece of clothing you really want or the chance to go out with friends or explore a new place, I invite you to prioritize the experience and enrich your life.