There are many things that you cannot learn from school alone, and travelling is among the ways to learn new things outside of formal learning. In fact, it teaches you so much more than you think, and it can teach you more things about the real world than your relationship or job ever will.
When you embark of a journey of leaving your comfort zone behind, you are opening yourself up to experience unknown things. You take yourself away from the things and the life you are used to, and you manage to learn so much about different people, customs and cultures.
Here are some lessons choosing to be a traveler is among the best choices you can make.
Becoming a patient person
Many of us live in a very fast-paced lifestyle. You may be one of them as well – coming from the urban lifestyle, where everything is instantaneous, and you are constantly rushing to beat so many deadlines imposed on you. You may be unaware of the effects of living this lifestyle, but it ingrains a habit of impatience.
Because you want to rush every day, you will find yourself annoyed when something is holding you up – be it waiting in line to receive a service, getting stuck in traffic, or waiting for a response from someone. Travelling forces you to learn that patience is a virtue – and that you need to learn to relax.
Along with patience comes the lesson of seeking help when you are not sure of something, and always be patient as you look for help. It is unglamorous to be stuck in a situation you have no control over, and travelling blogs will make it seem as though there are no problems with backpacking lifestyles, even though they are many. For instance, you may get sick, get lost along the way of your travels, or being stuck at the airport. Every trial you go through strengthens your character, and you will become a better person because of it.
Leaving your comfort zone
Traveling is a lot of work, more than you imagine. You are basically leaving your safe space and the things you are familiar with, for instance your family, friends, pets, foods, and so on.
You have to learn to take care of yourself in an unfamiliar environment – something that school never teaches you. Travelling gives you that opportunity to get away from the mundane and familiar, while expanding your horizons.
When you tackle and succeed in an unfamiliar environment, that alone gives you a massive boost in confidence, and it only takes a simple step – simply taking a leap of faith, and coming back home with endless entertaining stories.
Builds curiosity
Travelling makes the ideas of understanding something completely worth the effort. In the quest to getting accustomed to the place you are going to, your curiosity about it builds up, and you will find yourself wanting to learn more about the customs and ideas from that place.
It builds a sense of wanting to learn everything there is – trying new foods, learning the languages of the area, mingling with the locals, as well as religious and cultural practices. That curiosity eventually becomes a discovery, which makes you ask all the right questions and immerse yourself.
It teaches you to appreciate other cultures
As a human being, you will find it very easy to be prejudiced and judgmental about a culture that is vastly different from yours. However, the act of going somewhere new teaches you to open your mind and learn from others, even cultures that are vastly different from what you know.
This will allow you to immerse yourself in that culture, as well as appreciating where you live and the aspects you find – clothing, foods, languages and people. This is something school cannot teach you beyond a certain point.
Living simply and appreciating what you have
Having been in a comfort zone for much of your life, it is easy to take what you have for granted. You may have no idea if you can survive without the resources you are used to having.
However, travelling teaches you the art of survival – and that you are fully capable of surviving on your own even if you have few resources. You have to learn to pack lightly as you travel, and you eventually discover that sleeping in a tent or renting a cheap guestroom is not the end of the world. After all, so many people survive on so little, and they have managed to use their limited resources to their maximum potential.
That will cause a change in perspective, and you will soon realize that you do not require all the luxuries you are used to just to survive.
Making new friendships
Travelling opens the door to human interaction, and fresh ones at that. The good news is, every traveler wants the same thing, whether they are travelling alone or with someone else.
Everyone along the way wants to hear your story, where you come from, how long you are staying, and your opinions about issues and things, such as Oregon drug and alcohol treatment resources. That opens the opportunity to make new friends on your journey, and the experience of connecting to a stranger from another part of the world definitely makes the experience worth it.
Boosts creative thinking
To get by, travelling will sometimes force you to make decisions that utilize the resources available. For instance, when you are in a place that does not have Wi-Fi, you cannot simply complain the whole day – you will find other ways of connecting to the internet. If you are in a situation where the buses to your next destination are all booked, you can always seek alternatives – and that should never discourage you from exploring your environment.
Those are situations that force you to adapt quickly – and you will become a richer person in terms of experience because of it.
Final thoughts
Travelling is like reading – you get to explore and see the world, and that will teach you some important lessons that will make you a better person. It teaches you to find beauty in the simple life, appreciating the resources at your disposal, becoming more open minded as well as patient with yourself and with others.
