“A period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday.”
Dictionary.com
“An extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling.”
Definition from Oxford Languages
According to the definitions on traveling from both sources listed above, traveling is an inherent part of vacation’s meaning. You take a break and your vacation is then commonly utilized for traveling. Done. I always thought of vacation as a break, but it isn’t relaxing and it isn’t leisurely (certainly not in my travels).
For me, traveling has always consisted of busy flights to reach your destination, hustling from place to place, checking in and out of hotels, packing/unpacking. It almost seems like work, but work that I love doing and am passionate about. It’s worth flying for nine-twelve hours in a cramped airline seat and going through jet lag, because I get to experience new destinations. Traveling allows me to see new sights, try different cuisines, and meet new people. It’s opened my eyes to a new perspective of life and made me realize there’s a whole world to discover.
That being said, is traveling really a vacation? By definition, yes. By experience, for me, anyways, no. It’s much more than a vacation. It’s not work, but it’s effort, time, and money. It’s an experience.