Travel Captions & Quotes To Inspire You To Hit the Road in 2023

As we close the year and look ahead to a new year, many people think about what they want to do over the next twelve months. Like a clean slate, it is a chance for a fresh start. If travel is on your wishlist, we have travel captions and quotes to inspire you to hit the road in 2023.

Travel Captions & Quotes

Julie is fascinated with inspirational travel quotes. As we back out of our driveway on any trip, she turns to me and says, “Are you ready for an adventure?” 

Something is exciting about exploring new places and the great unknown upon which you are about to embark. It inspires us and sparks our imagination, breathing life into our souls.

My fondest memories are from family vacations, whether as a child or an adult with my children. Travel has always been a journey shared with my family, enriching our lives with adventure and lifetime memories. Those shared experiences are priceless, never failing to draw a smile upon reflecting on the trip.

Not even bad weather can dampen our adventures. Many of my fondest memories are of outings in the pouring rain. Although not ideal, we made the most of it. 

I can promise you will remember those outings. Our kids reminisce about the unplanned and less-than-ideal experiences more than any others. Those days forged even stronger bonds between us.

Travel captions and quotes should inspire you to think big and do the things that matter most. They spark the imagination and dare you to dream. Travel if you want to explore new places, learn new things, and meet new people. It will forever change your life.

If you think about traveling often but rarely go, I encourage you to change that in the new year. Read these travel captions and quotes. Let them sink in and make plans to go somewhere new.

Travel Captions

Whether you are looking for travel captions for Instagram or short slogans to motivate you to take a vacation, we have you covered. You will find these famous quotes in many circles, and we are still determining their origin. 

Here are our favorites:

• “It feels good to be lost in the right direction.”
• “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”
• “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”
• “Never stop exploring.”
• “I will travel for food (and a good sunset).” 

• “Let’s wander where the WiFi is weak.”
• “I travel so my life isn’t disrupted by routine.” 
• “What’s on my bucket list? Everywhere.”
• “Take only pictures. Leave only footprints.”

• “I don’t know the question, but travel is definitely the answer.”
• “My new routine: Journey. Explore. Discover. Repeat.” 
• “The best things happen outside of our comfort zones.” 
• “When I’m exploring the world is when I feel most at home.” 
• “You don’t know what you’re made of until you step into the unknown.” 
• “Constantly searching for views that take my breath away.”
• “I follow my heart, and it usually leads me to the airport.”  
• “Maybe you can’t buy happiness, but you can buy plane tickets (and that’s kind of the same thing).” 
• “Tan lines and jetlag fade, but memories last forever.” 
• “I’m a travel addict on the road to recovery. Just kidding, I’m headed to the airport.” 
• “BBN.” (Be back never).
• “When in doubt, just travel.”
• “Life is not meant to be in one place.”

• “Travel. Your money will return. Your time won’t.”

• “The only trip you will regret is the one you didn’t take.”
• “Happiness is planning a trip to somewhere new.”
• “Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but photos, and kill nothing but time.”
• “You cannot control the past, but you can control where you go next.”
• “Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.”

• “I need a vacation so long that I forget all my passwords!”

• “I long for margaritas and sunshine.”

• “All I need is a 3-month vacation four times a year. That’s really not asking for much.” 

• “Calories don’t count when you’re on vacation.”
• “It’s bad manners to keep a vacation waiting.”
• “You’ll never know until you go.”

• “Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
• “Travel is not a reward for working. It’s education for living.”
• “I decided to skip ahead to the part of my life where I travel the world.” 

Travel Quotes

Often longer, more detailed, and cited, travel quotes inspire us to leave our worries behind and explore the world. Whether you recognize the names or not, read the excerpts and let them sink in. You will be ready to plan your next trip.

• “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

The first step is often the hardest. Decide to take a trip and make a plan. You will not regret it!

• “May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing views. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.” – Edward Abbey

We first encountered this quote on a chalkboard in the Denali National Park & Preserve coffee shop. It is a fitting quote for such a surreal setting.

• “And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy, and your eyes sparkling.” – Shanti

This simple guideline reminds us not to be a spectator.

• “Live your life by a compass, not a clock.” – Stephen Covey

I love this quote. Julie and I made this decision when we took the bold step of leaving the corporate world to travel and live a life of adventure.

• “If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet.” – Rachel Wolchin

As much as I love trees, this reminds us that we are all explorers.

• “And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.” – John Muir

John Muir deserves your gratitude if you enjoy national parks as much as we do. He created our National Park System. This quote reminds us to leave work and stress behind from time to time by stepping into nature. You may be surprised how a short walk in the woods or along a beach fills your soul with peace.

• “Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.” – Michael Palin

• “It is not the destination where you end up but the mishaps and memories you create along the way!” – Penelope Riley

• “The value of your travels does not hinge on how many stamps you have in your passport when you get home — and the slow nuanced experience of a single country is always better than the hurried, superficial experience of forty countries.” – Rolf Potts

• “Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul.” – Jamie Lyn Beatty

Julie and I have found nothing as rewarding as our adventures. 

• “Not all those who wander are lost” – J.R.R. Tolkien

We encourage you to get lost seeking adventure. It is fantastic!

• “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Saint Augustine
• “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou
• “It is a big and beautiful world. Most of us live and die in the same corner where we were born and never get to see any of it. I don’t want to be most of us.” – Oberyn Martell
• “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” – Confucius
• “Travel is never a matter of money but of courage.” – Paulo Coelho
• “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill

Even though our site is called Miles with McConkey, we agree with this sentiment. In our minds, the word “miles” is figurative and literal. Figuratively, it stands for experiences, wisdom, and friends. We are truly grateful for the friends we have made on our journeys.

• “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide
• “With age, comes wisdom. With travel, comes understanding.” – Sandra Lake

• “You don’t have to be rich to travel well.” – Eugene Fodor

• “People don’t take trips. Trips take people.” – John Steinbeck

• “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsch

Julie and I firmly believe we are not living if we are comfortable. It inspires us to continue pursuing new adventures.

• “Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the trip.” – Babs Hoffman

No trip is perfect. Enjoy the ride, and you will be better for it.

• “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag
• “Take only memories, leave only footprints.” – Chief Seattle
• “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by.” – Robert Frost
• “Oh, the places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

Yes, it is from a children’s book. It reminds us to imagine like a child and not to limit our choices.

• “Investment in travel is an investment in yourself.” – Matthew Karsten
• “Life is short, and the world is wide. The sooner you start exploring it, the better.” – Simon Raven

This one resonates with us. Life is short, and there is so much to see. We wanted to travel before the traditional retirement age. By starting sooner, we can see so much more. 

• “To travel is to live.” – Hans Christian Andersen
• “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it is lethal.” – Paulo Coelho

Complacency can take a mental and physical toll. If you stay in a box long enough, you may not find a way out.

• “Don’t count the days. Make the days count.” – Muhammad Ali

Julie and I found this quote in a restaurant in Vermont. It hits home as many of us count the days to future events when we can live in the moment now.

• “I’m shaking the dust of this crummy little town off my feet, and I’m gonna see the world.” – George Bailey from the 1946 film, It’s a Wonderful Life

My favorite Christmas movie has many pearls of wisdom. George desperately wanted to travel the world, but it always took a backseat. As much as I love the character, it is a stark reminder to make plans to travel. Do not let your travels merely be a dream. Plan the trip and make it happen.

• “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” – Albert Einstein

He is considered a genius for a reason.

•  “If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn

• “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” – Ernest Hemingway

• “One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.” – Henry Miller

• “Surely, of all the wonders of the world, the horizon is the greatest.” – Freya Stark

We love this quote literally, for sunrises and sunsets bring us great joy. Figuratively, horizons represent a vast unknown world that we long to explore.

Wrap-Up: Travel Captions & Quotes

Some travel captions and quotes may seem cliche, but their truth should resonate with you. We hope these travel captions inspire you to visit a new place in 2023. Resolve to travel in 2023 and start planning now. Happy travels!