Traveling Solo: How I Enhanced My Professional Skills While Studying Abroad
Emily Whitworth
Master of Science in Marketing Student at the University of Arkansas
Even though experiencing Italy’s mesmerizing monuments, delicious dishes, and amazing architecture has made a lasting impression on me, one of my best and proudest moments of living abroad has been traveling by myself. This is the first time I have traveled throughout different cities and a different country without someone by my side, whether that be a parent or school guardian. Before this adventure, I was able to depend on a parent or guardian figure for guidance on where to go in a city and what to do. Figuring out the best way to get somewhere, finding the best days to book trips, and conversing with diverse groups of people have all pushed me to use the new skills I have gained and has made me more globally aware. Traveling solo has been a transformative experience, allowing me to acquire invaluable business skills such as adaptability, independence, and communication. I firmly believe that these skills will serve as a solid foundation for my future career.
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Adaptability has been a major theme in my time studying abroad in Italy. Usually, I am a planner. I like to have a set plan and stick to that plan. While in Rome, I quickly learned that the city did not care what my plans were and I needed to adapt to how the city itself operated. For example, I’ve had to rely on the public transportation system, which mostly consists of buses. Something I rapidly learned was that the bus may say it is leaving at one time, and that time may be the perfect time for you; however, that does not mean the bus will not be late, early, or not even show up at all. Whenever this happens, I’ve had to adjust my original plans, opting to either wait for a later bus or walk to my destination. This has given me a deeper appreciation for the Roman citizens that travel by bus every day. Also, I have learned to be okay if my plans do not go perfectly and to use my creativity when a change of plans is needed. Not to stray off track, another event that derailed my previous plans was experiencing not one, but two train strikes within two weeks. The second weekend of my time abroad, a train strike caused me to move my pre-planned trip to Venice to the next weekend at the last minute. Obviously, I was bummed that I would not be visiting the city after my excitement had built up the whole week. Regardless, I was able to enjoy the city the next weekend as well as experience the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, and Tuscany the weekend of the train strike by booking day trips that used vans as a mode of transportation. Being adaptable in those situations helped me also learn the ins and outs of the different modes of transportation available in different Italian cities. Whether I traveled by van, bus, metro, or train, I have learned what time to show up, what to do if the transportation did not show up, and where to stop to arrive at my destination. This article published by Yale titled "Learn and Grow," states that when we accept the fact that things can change it allows workers to grow personally and professionally. By learning to adapt abroad, I have evolved and learned to acknowledge that sometimes my plans may not go perfectly. Even if my plans have gone correctly, I would not have gained a new skill I can use within my future career which is adapting and being creative when a conflict arises unplanned.?
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Though independence is a skill I already possessed before coming abroad, I have been able to expand this skill through several of my weekend trips to different Italian cities. Traveling by myself has pushed me out of my comfort zone. Not only was it pretty nerve-racking traveling between foreign cities by myself, but also participating in things without the support of someone else was a big shock for me. When traveling around Europe before this program, I had members of my family around to help brainstorm on how to navigate many train stations and monuments. Without my family members around, I have had to solely rely on my knowledge and sense of direction to get me to the right train platform, on the right train, and ultimately around my final destination. Also, when I usually travel, I can have someone in my family or friend group take pictures of me for the memories. Without someone familiar with me, I have had to learn how to take a picture in front of all of the monuments that I wanted to remember. In this LinkedIn Article written by Wanda Shreve titled "Five Freedoms for Workplace Independence," workplace independence is also about empowering self-determination. If there is one thing I have taken away from being a solo traveler, it is a newfound enhancement in my belief of getting to decide my fate. Before taking the numerous weekend trips throughout Italy, I simply did not believe that I would be able to travel or live in a place far from my friends and family. After partaking in these trips, I have taken my independence to a new level and now know that I can do many things by myself, whether that be traveling, taking on a new career in a different city, or working on an independent task.??
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While I pride myself on being an independent person, the one thing that I have always struggled with is talking to strangers without someone familiar next to me. Traveling throughout the different parts of Italy and participating in events surrounded by strangers has pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to gain experience in communication. I have been able to connect with diverse groups of people by putting myself out there and taking an interest in the other person. In the book “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” Dale Carnegie states “Talk to someone about themselves and they’ll listen for hours.” I took this approach when starting a conversation with strangers. When being approached or approaching someone to start a conversation, I tried to ask the person questions about themselves and tried to take a genuine interest in their answers. I found that when I took this approach, the more likely the person was to continue to talk to me throughout the day. Another fascinating thing about meeting people through these trips is the diversity among all of the people I have gotten to know. I met people from Scotland, the United States, Australia, and, of course, Italy. These conversations have given me the opportunity to become more aware of how people from different countries communicate. Some of these people spoke different languages or had never been to Europe before. I met a woman from the US who worked in business, and I was able to bond with her by asking for career and education advice. The couple from Scotland that approached me were going on a cruise and I was able to relate to them through my parents doing the same thing in the fall. The long, emotive conversations that I’ve had with the other tourists will always stick with me as I continue to grow. Not only did I get introduced to some fascinating and kindhearted people, but I also learned that it is okay to be nervous to put yourself out there and meet new people. When you do, life is so much more rewarding. Whether it be briefly meeting other tourists on a trip or making acquaintances with my coworkers, it can only be beneficial to me and my communication skills.
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Traveling by myself throughout the different cities of Italy has been one of the scariest and most thrilling parts of my life. With this being the first time I have traveled through major cities, let alone a country, by myself I did not know entirely what to expect. I knew I would be able to immerse myself within the culture while also fitting it in with my schedule, but I gained so much more than that. What I learned is that there is more to independent travel than just the sights, food, and experience. You may also gain and enhance many skills that can easily be translated to the business world as well as future careers.