Written by Amanda Noor
When you hear the word “travel”, what do you think of? Do you think of going on vacation somewhere warm and sunny? Or maybe you think of hopping on a plane to go someplace exotic? To tell you the truth, traveling is so much more than just going on vacation and taking Instagram worthy photos. It includes broadening your horizons to experience new cultures, cuisines, and landscapes. The transformation that takes place within is often the strongest reason why travel is important.
Some may argue that it’s an indulgent expense – spending money to globetrot, especially when you have big families. However, when you travel someplace different, it impacts you as a person, your interactions with others, and your view towards the rest of the world.
So if you need a little help convincing yourself why traveling is worth it, here are five reasons why it’s important.
Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone
Sometimes we are too comfortable in our daily lives and the thought of breaking out of it can be scary. This leaves us feeling uneasy. In our everyday routines, you know how to respond to certain people and your surroundings. But, by traveling, you learn more by being in a new place with different people who, perhaps, lead a life unlike yours. Though it might be frightening at first, once you figure out that it’s possible to find similarities with other people, and you acquire the ability to navigate foreign environments, you become a smarter and more knowledgeable individual.
Learn About Other Cultures
When you travel around the globe, chances are your awareness and sensitivity to new cultures will heighten. By being aware of cultural values and norms, we can learn a tremendous amount from them. The experience allows us to develop an important skill that shifts our perspective to see how someone else thinks.
Build Confidence
When journeying to foreign countries, there is no doubt you will encounter several obstacles while figuring out how to use public transit or asking where the nearest convenience store is. However, by doing this, you are building self-confidence and the ability to adapt to situations. This is the reason why a new adventure has so much potential to transform us. As we allow ourselves to break free of our comfort zones and dive deep into new cultures, our self-confidence grows because we learn to rely on ourselves.
Be Adventurous
When you explore new places, you need to take risks. Do something that scares you: learn to speak in the native language, try food that you are not familiar with, take public transportation, get along with strangers who are interested in sharing their culture, and sign up for an activity that you might not get the opportunity to do at home such as paragliding, sailing, or snorkeling. Opportunities like these come up once in a lifetime. So be adventurous!
Puts Life in Perspective
As Canadians, most of us are lucky to grow up with the luxury of having the comforts of the modern world like a smartphone and Netflix. Having said that, it’s easy to forget that this isn’t the case for everyone. By traveling, you might establish a new sense of modesty that puts your own life in perspective. Find a new appreciation for simple things that you need to track down as you travel.
Conclusion
Once you take a break from your everyday routine, you start to expand your awareness of how truly diverse our world is. This will help you to grow as a person while developing self-confidence and empathy for others. Traveling has the capacity to change you for the better. Therefore, get ready to become more experienced after doing so. You only live once, so why not make the best of it?
Are you looking for more travel advice? Read Working or Studying Abroad: Culture Shock Doesn’t Have to be a Shock!