5 Ways Travel will Help Your Growth as a Person
5 Ways Travel is great for Personal Growth
Travel and Personal Growth
Iāve got those butterflies again!Ā Itās that time of year.Ā Christmas holidays, road trips, new horizons and new adventures!Ā But, besides just having a good time, do you believe that travel is important for personal growth?
Many of us do a stint overseas after school.Ā We head off to experience how the ārest of the worldā lives.Ā As we soak up the differences in language and cultureĀ we learn that there are different ways to see the world.Ā We open our minds, and our hearts, by diving headfirst into these experiences.Ā They make us richer, more well-rounded, and happier!Ā We feel more connected to this life experience because we have found a commonality!Ā And, we also learn to understand our differences better because we have exposed ourselves to the way others live.
We enjoy all these experiences, but I donāt think we often realize that travel is actually important for our personal development.Ā Instead weāre kind of just going along for the ride.
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For me Travel has always been a Symbol of Growth
Travels means expanded horizons and learning about the rest of the world.Ā Travel enriches us like almost nothing else can.Ā And, with our family road trip to Wellington in just 2 days, letās just say Iām excited!Ā But, letās actually look at what connects personal growth and travel.Ā What do we learn and how do we grow through our experiences?Ā Well, hereās my list:
1) Getting outside of your comfort zone
As with any situation in life where you are faced with something new that you have never had to handle before, new destinations (or countries) provide new situations.Ā You have to talk to people you donāt know, maybe even in a language you donāt know.Ā You might have to ask for directions or find yourself trying a new activity that scares you a little.Ā These are all situations that provide room for growth.Ā Getting outside of your comfort zone helps you push back fear and makes you a stronger person.
2) Experiencing new cultures/a different cross section of society
One of the things I loved about travelling was meeting people from different part of the world.Ā If you stay in your old familiar surroundings youāll never have the opportunity to experience the cultural dance or music of different countries.Ā I come from South Africa and have Irish ancestors, they could not be more different and I find that fascinating!Ā Exposing yourself to other cultures helps you peel back those blinkers youāve been wearing.Ā You realize that there are many ways to view the world.Ā It helps build compassion and empathy, which in turn can help you to become a kinder, more patient person.
3) Learning Compromise/Juggling family personalities
Going on holiday involves spending lots of time with people!Ā Whether these are people you live with every day, or people you donāt usually share a living space with, there WILL be friction, compromise, raised voices and arguing over which room is theirs for the night.Ā This one is like going back to your childhood, itās a basic lesson of learning to get along with our fellow man.Ā Once we become adults we are used to being the ones that lay down the law, so these situations are a reminder that thereās always a new opportunity for growth.
4) Teaches you to be prepared for anything
Nobody likes to be the one that showed up at the beach without a towel.Ā Itās taken me years to finally get to the point where I would consider myself organized.Ā That comes from having 2 kids and living in more than one city that has 4 seasons in one day!Ā Plus, a campervan holiday cemented the āpack EVERYTHING, but nothing you donāt NEEDā way of thinking.Ā If you stayed at home every holiday how would you ever figure out how painful it is to leave something behind!Ā Being organized doesnāt come naturally to all of us but travel can definitely teach us a little bit about it!
5) The more you experience the more you know what brings you joy
This is the cherry on the cake for me.Ā Life is about experiences!Ā Thatās what itās all about!Ā We learn what we love, we learn what weāre good at, and we learn what just doesnāt do it for us.Ā If youāve ever climbed a mountain you know if itās something youāre going to do again or not!Ā Same with frozen margaritas, you know!Ā How do you know if you like the chocolate cake if you donāt try it?
Pack your bags and go exploring, thereās nothing quite like it.Ā Whether you venture an hour away from your home town or book a flight to Fiji, it doesnāt matter!Ā What this is all about is taking the lessons that travel has to offer.Ā Lessons on yourself, ie. where do I draw the line with personal space, what is my ideal daytrip or how do I handle this uncomfortable conversation about dirty cutlery?Ā We learn through our experience and setting off on a holiday means you can tick off some of those bucket list items.Ā Live this life while you can, and pay attention to where the lessons are showing themselves.
Planning a trip?Ā Get some inspiration for your travels on Expedia
If you enjoyed this blog you might enjoy Thrive by Arianna Huffington: The Power of a Book to help us Thrive
Disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.Ā Thank you for your support.
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I love your statement, āThe more you experience the more you know what brings you joy.ā So much truth in that!
Thanks for reading, Jen. Life is there to be enjoyed, right! š
Really nice article, makes you keep your thoughts about traveling organised!
Thanks for reading, so glad you enjoyed it!
Spot on. Live to travel and dream about it everyday.
Travel is a worthy dream for sure! š
Amazing! We love to travel too and agree with all 5 of your reasons here.. Resonate most with #5- it brings so much joy exploring and learning about new things.
There is so much to learn and such a fun way to learn it!
Yes I love to travel! I agree with all your points here. Really nice post.Thanks for sharing all great ideas/reasons.
Thanks for reading! Iām glad you enjoyed it. Happy travels!
Travel unravels your perceptions about other countries
One of the biggest gains from travelling! 100% Agree!
Great post, I totally agree with you, I have grown so much from traveling and living in different countries, especially when I have gone solo. Traveling is the best education there is!
Thanks for reading, Sara! Travelling solo is so great for personal growth, I agree 100%!
I believe that every time you go to another country you have a new perspective of that country,and the people, different, and usually good.
Yes, I agree! You open yourself up to a new way of thinking š