Travel is an awesome teacher….it would take forever to explain how positively influential it can be. In no particular order, here are 15 of the best lessons I feel travel has taught me.
Excuses Will Always Be There
We are really good at one thing…making excuses. The usual suspects? Time, money, responsibility. The biggest culprit? Fear. There is always going to be a significant other, job offer, or financial burden that will deter you from traveling. If you really want to do it, find a way and GO. It is very possible to manage all of your responsibilities and travel. We often forget that there is so much more to our existence than a busy life of schedules, work and routine. There are out of this world, beautiful places that we can visit and enjoy being in. Traveling can change the mindset of living life in a bubble.
Learn To Adopt A “Less Baggage Less Stuff” Mantra
Luggage can be a big liability. We often tend to over pack and take things with us that we end up not using at all. Traveling extensively teaches you how to organize and carry things that matter to you. Bringing only what is necessary makes things a lot more convenient and stress free. A good strategy to adopt in travel…and life as well!
Exploration – Finding New Places
The very essence of travel is to explore! You never know what’s out there or how amazing a location is. People often miss out on unique places because it’s not mentioned in a travel guide. Don’t always depend travel guides. It pays to do your own research of the area you’re visiting. Take your time to explore. Make stops. Lots of them!
Developing New Hobbies
Sometimes the beauty of a place is so awe-inspiring that you want to capture it in the best way possible. That’s how skills like photography and writing can develop. Or maybe a visit to a national park inspires you to take up hiking. Or a trip to the ocean or lake inspires you to try paddle boarding. Travel can introduce you to many things that you didn’t even know existed or that you never knew you might be interested in. It’s a fantastic way to expand your horizons.
Adventure
Traveling compels a sense of adventure that many don’t get in their day to day lives. Tap into the excitement. Loosen up! Try something new, but don’t get too lost in the moment…you’re not invincible. There’s nothing wrong with living for thrills, and a healthy sense of adventure can juice up any trip.
Travel 101
Traveling provides an education that is utterly impossible to get in school. Travel teaches you sociology, geography, history, politics, and economics in an intense, hands-on way no class ever will. Learning about the history of a place and how it came to be gets more interesting as you travel. You can’t help but to be compelled to visit more places and be excited to learn more about them.
Travel will also teach you that it’s ok not to love a place. Not every destination you visit is going to wow you. Even if it has something interesting to discover, it might not be your thing. But you’ll never know until you go, and regardless of the experience you will learn valuable insight and knowledge that you didn’t have before.
Broadening Your Perspective
Meeting people from different places will teach you that the way you view the world isn’t the way that everybody else does. In fact, your point-of-view might have some major blind spots. Seeing the world for yourself will improve your vision and your grip on reality, help you learn how to communicate better and teach you how to be more social. Becoming an open minded individual will make you a more well-rounded human being.
You’ve Got Skills!
Travel will present challenges and opportunities that will help you discover who you are in a way that’s only possible on the road. Overcoming challenges gives you some of the greatest joys of all. Sometimes it’s only far from home that you realize you’ve got skills you’ve never used or even knew you had. Travel brings those skills to the surface and gives you a sense of accomplishment. You really can accomplish anything you set your mind to – maybe you just need a little motivation. ; )
Food!
Want to unleash your inner foodie? No travel is complete without having tasted the local cuisine. Traveling to different places and tasting different food is fun, not to mention an adventure of it’s own! You’ll constantly be surprised by the flavors the world has to offer. Sometimes you end up loving a dish so much that you’ll do anything to replicate it when you go home. Then again, the original is so good you’ll just have to plan a trip back to taste it again.
Bonding And Creating Meaningful Relationships
Traveling teaches you how to work with friends, family and significant others. You work out difficult situations. Be it a breakdown or bad weather, you face it together. Travel builds interactions and a sense of togetherness. If you’re going through a rough patch, it gives you room to mend relationships. People you meet while on the road become some of the most valued names on your contact list. They become friends and acquaintances to visit or catch up with later on. These folks give you a glimpse outside your hometown circle of friends, and force you to take in new and refreshing perspectives.
Reassessing Your Life
If you’re between jobs, schools, kids, or relationships, travel can be a perfect way to move from one of these phases of life into your next great adventure. A trip gives you a chance to reflect on where you’ve been, where you’re going, and where you want to end up. Traveling can help give you a fresh sense of perspective that you otherwise may not of considered.
Cool Stories To Tell
Share your story. Your adventures, misadventures, experiences. What did you hate? Love? If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently, if anything? You never know who needs to hear about your experiences or who they might help. You might even positively inspire or motivate someone to travel. What may seem like the most mundane thing that happened to you in your travels could be incredibly interesting to someone who doesn’t get to travel very much. But, some things are just for you. Don’t forget to keep some experiences and moments for yourself.
Cheap vs. Frugal
Sometimes you need to splurge. Being frugal means being smart about logistics and planning – camping instead of staying in a hotel, or cooking at home instead of going to a fancy restaurant. Know when to splurge and when to save. Make a list of your priorities and the comforts you can’t live without. Learn to be comfortable enough with living cheaply so that you can splurge on an event or trip that would make it all worth while.
Gratitude
One of the most worthwhile outcomes of travel? A deepened sense of gratitude and appreciation for what we normally take for granted. Having the ability to travel in the first place – regardless off how close or far from home that may be – is something to be thankful for in and of itself. Traveling enriches your view of the world around you. Being exposed to new surroundings and the diversity of our world leads to a greater sense of appreciation for life, and can be personally enlightening and gratifying.
Just Go
Why travel? Because you can, you want to and because it beats the alternative – staying home. Travel shakes things up. It sucks to be stuck in a rut…a trip can be your perfect solution. You can sit at home wondering what’s out there or you can go make some memories. Get out there and visit all of the places you’ve always wanted to visit. And when you’re done seeing those places? Go find some more. The world is your oyster – what are you waiting for? Get packing!