Why Travel Is Important for Personal Development

With the explosion of websites, podcasts, and conferences teaching you how to improve your life (this one being no exception), it’s clear many of us want to become a better version of ourselves. We all want to be the person we imagine we could be if given just the right circumstances. However, i have always found that Traveling is one of the best tool for personal development and to have a new eyes that sees the world differently.

It’s a ‘certified’ confidence booster

It is just so incredibly easy to become ‘encased’ in the routine of your daily habits. With your mind wrapped around the minutia of mundane living, you forget what it means to get out of your comfort zone and venture out to see the world. As wallowing in the humdrum of life lowers your guard and your mental fortitude, traveling does the opposite. In fact, a confidence boost is one of the most obvious upsides of traveling and pretty much everyone can get behind that. I always try to get in touch with people through couchsurfing and meet as many as i can. This has changed my personality from a  nerdy introvert person to a better version person that confidently interact and open to meet anyone and have a productive discussion.

It will challenge your attitude and perspective

You may have a preconceived notion of what Serbia or Georgia or Laos truly look like until you finally step off the tarmac and immerse yourself in the local cultures. Preconceived notions and stereotypes are a natural part of human existence, but traveling challenges your assumed perspectives and teaches you that there is more to everything than meets the eye. Our need to use ‘low-resolution’ approach to understanding the world shatters into pieces as we get a chance to see only a singular foreign culture up close, let alone ten of them. Furthermore, the opinions we hear from other people may not favorably reflect what our own impression can turn out to be. Traveling transforms your attitude for better or worse.

It improves intelligence

It has already been mentioned that traveling, since it forces you out of your comfort zone, puts you in situations where your hidden talents have to emerge in order to navigate a foreign environment. Through your travels, you may have to learn several phrases in different languages, become familiar with how certain tools work and learn how to take care of yourself and your health in the most efficient way possible. You will also have to expand your understanding of how people work, not to mention the minutia of documentation and paperwork. In other words, traveling will undoubtedly improve your intelligence.

Traveling may be the fastest and the most organic way to improve your skills and develop new talents. While a lot of what you acquire ad hoc may be circumstantial, it pays off in the long run as your experiences compile and turn you into a person that can find a way out of every situation. While travels can force you to reach deep into your pocket, the impact that they have on your personal development is priceless.