That’s rubbish, of course. But the positive effects of travel are well-documented, including its ability to broaden our perspective, strengthen relationships, help us appreciate home, and increase the number of experiences we have. Because of this, some people are tempted to idealize, over-commercialize, or overstate the benefits of changing geographies. 

This is a mistake. Let’s set the record straight.

You don’t have to travel to travel.

I’ve said this before in this very column, but it bears repeating. When funds, time, or energy levels are low, but you still want to go places, consider planning your next trip, reading a book, taking in a movie, or disorienting yourself at home by creating art or exploring the other side of town. There’s no doubt that crossing physical boundaries can accelerate our enjoyment of life. But mental travel can be just as effective.

It won’t fix us.

Some people travel to stay in constant motion or run from their problems. This is classic avoidance behavior. While standing next to a 5,000-year-old building or hiking the great outdoors is cool and all, doing so probably won’t result in a personal epiphany or universal enlightenment. It might — especially if we’ve already journeyed most of the way emotionally. But the lowly of heart sometimes inject more meaning, power, and/or hope on travel than it’s likely capable of.

It’s a lousy yardstick for happiness.

That emptiness you feel inside? You can’t fill it with travel. You can certainly distract yourself with it, which can be good for your short-term health. Maybe even get a gap year out of it or your first full year of retirement. But measuring your life by the number of trips taken will always leave you feeling unsatisfied. Miles traveled will never mask your personal insecurities. Lasting joy is a work in progress that’s usually rooted at home.

It won’t automatically make us smart.

I’ve met globetrotters that seemingly squandered much of their time overseas and learned very little from the accumulated cultures they were exposed to. And I’ve met sophisticated, tolerant, and sympathetic people who’ve rarely (if ever) left home. In other words, ignorance can still be well-traveled, and home bodies can be amazingly empathetic. While I’m a big advocate for using travel as a mental and physiological enabler, the work of overcoming ignorance still falls on us. Intelligence is earned, not gifted.

It will never replace home.

I’m humbled by, grateful for, and in awe of the many places I’ve visited around the world. The more I travel, the more I’m convinced that Earth and its inhabitants are the most amazing things in the observable universe. But this gift (or “intergalactic luck,” if you will) can never compensate for negligence at home. As awesome as it is, traveling does not grant a free pass from taking care of our domestic, personal, or familial duties. For a life well lived, nailing it both at home and abroad is the goal.

With that said, where will you go next?

Blake Snow contributes to fancy publications and Fortune 500 companies as a bodacious writer-for-hire and seasoned travel journalist to all seven continents. He lives in Provo, Utah with his wife, five children, and one ferocious chihuahua.