“Sometimes go to the places you don’t want to go. If we just stay comfortable, we never grow.”
– Jack Maxwell
Many people travel to escape. Call it vacation, a sabbatical, or just a get-away, the idea is to go places you’ve always dreamt of. Once you get there, you do all those things you’ve always wanted to, even if that’s nothing at all. That’s what vacations were made for!
There are those, though, who view travel as an agent of change. It’s an opportunity to learn, explore, and grow. An opportunity to come back as someone new. As another of our favorite quotes goes, “I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.”
Jack Maxwell drives home the transformative power of travel, and the value of leaving your comfort zone. It may be nice to revisit the familiar, or finally cross that dream destination off of your bucket list, but Southie Jack is right: “Sometimes go to the places you don’t want to go. If we just stay comfortable, we never grow.”
About Jack Maxwell
Coming from the southside of Boston, the Travel Channel host refers to himself as Southie Jack. He is a professional actor with more than twenty years’ of credits in films and television, ranging from the Power Rangers to 24. In 2014, he was cast for the Travel Channel’s Booze Traveler, where he’s been a viewer favorite.
We caught up with Jack at the 2017 Travel Adventure Show, where he charmed the audience and shared his personal and professional experiences. Shortly after that, he publicly revealed a cancer diagnosis, but continued filming season 4 of The Booze Traveler.
About the photo
In 2017, Hurricane Maria brought widespread devestation to the Caribbean. Recovery efforts will be counted in years. Sometimes, travel not only gives you the opportunity to grow, but to help. Whether that help comes in the form of labor and disaster recovery, or helping tourism grow again, it is always appreciated. The ravaged Caribbean islands might not be the first place you’d want to go, but they are places where you can grow, and help.
Discover more Travel Quotes to inspire your wanderlust right here at TravelLatte! If you enjoyed this post, consider signing up for our updates (All wham, no spam!) or sharing with your friends on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter with the buttons below. (A million thanks in advance!)
Find us on Pinterest! We have a gallery of Travel Quotes ready for you to pin on your Pinterest boards. Find your favorites right here!
Great quote and highlights how important it is to see as much of the world as possible – not just the bucket list items! Love this and definitely need to incorporate that into my travel planning more!
Beautiful quote. Life does begin at the end of your comfort zone.
Great quote and one that we should all think about. We all need to go places we don’t want to in order to grow as a person. One way you mentioned is to go to the Caribbean especially after Hurricane Maria to help or later as a tourist that helps their economy. Thanks for sharing. #feetdotravel
Thanks for your comment, Stephanie. It seems to be a pretty common belief that tourism lately is doing more damage than good. But there are places where it is invaluable and we can do good just by being there, contributing to the local economy and, hopefully, finding some way to help. The flip side, of course, is that we deepen our understanding and connection with another culture, and broaden our own horizons. And, if we’re not careful, have some fun and make some friends along the way!
True, true! I have friends who will not travel due to safety concerns. But why miss out on adventures, when I’m probably just as safe in another country as at home?!
I do think safety is a concern, but you’re right – it’s easy to get caught up in warnings about other places without considering the warnings we live with. Thanks for your comment, Sharon!
Love the story of Jack, the man behind the quote, and what a humbling story of the photo. You are right, these places ravaged by natural disasters need tourists help (amongst others) to rebuild and grow. #FeetDoTravel
I am so glad we got to meet Mr. Maxwell! He was exactly what we expected, but 100% not what we expected at the same time. If you’ve watched Booze Traveler, what you see on screen is all him. But TV is like an iceberg – we only see one little bit, and there is SO much more to celebrities. Jack was warm, insightful, funny, sincere, irreverent – the kind of guy you’d love to have a cocktail with! (I guess that’s sort of the point of his whole show. 😉 Thanks for your comment, Angie!
Such an amazing quote! Traveling is the most life-changing experience and the best way to grow as well! I feel like I come back new after every place I visit #TheWeeklyPostcard
Thanks for your comment, Anna, and we feel the same way! I don’t suppose there is really a right or wrong way to travel, but I just don’t see the appeal of spending a week on a beach doing nothing, no matter how beautiful it is. Every destination has something to show you, to teach you. That’s what makes it great!
I can really relate to that quote. I didn’t want to go to India, but got sent there for work and it was really eye opening. I bet Jack gave an interesting talk at the show. #TheWeeklyPostcard.
Jack was great – every bit as wise-acre funny as you’d expect, with some really profound insights along the way. Really glad we had the chance to meet him afterwards. I can imagine India can have a big impact on people. It’s a very different culture from the west with some perspectives that many find challenging. Thanks for your comment, Anisa!
You’ve certainly given me food for thought with the quote “If we just stay comfortable, we never grow” – I always need to get out of my comfort zone and experience new things! #TheWeeklyPostcard!
They say food for thought is the most nourishing. Maybe…but let’s not discount pizza! 😉 New experiences are a huge part of travel in our lives, too, and love the new things we learn along the way. Thanks for your comment, Lolo!
I have to confess that I’m not to brave when it comes to traveling. I will never go to a place that doesn’t attract me in anyway just because other people think it’s “cool”. For me cleanness and safety are my #1 priority when I pick a destination, then it’s the interest that I may have in visiting that place. #TheWeeklyPostcard
Hi Anda! Thanks for your comment. I don’t think you necessarily have to be brave – sometimes our natural curiosity leads us to places we might not ordinarily want to go, and we grow from that. But putting safety first is paramount.
great quote ,very true #theweeklypostcard