When you stay in one spot, you get comfortable. You learn the ins and outs of your home, and you never want to leave. You feel safe. But, just like a plant relegated to an adequate pot, you never get to grow beyond your allotted space. When you travel beyond the confines of your comfort zone, you inevitably become a better person. You see the world from new perspectives; you learn things about yourself you wouldn’t have otherwise, and most of all, you grow in ways you could never have anticipated.
It’s undeniable: travel just makes you a better person.
Travel Forces You to Adopt New Perspectives
Traveling to a country you’ve never been to before forces you to adopt new perspectives you might never have considered before. The people you’ll meet will, no doubt, have a different way of looking at the world than you do.
The beauty of intercultural exchanges is that everyone involved leaves with a broader sense of the universe.
Travel Helps You Learn About Yourself
Even if you learn nothing about the way other cultures operate—which would be a real shame—travel helps you to learn about the one person you’ll definitely spend the rest of your life with: yourself.
When you’re without your metaphorical safety net, you get the chance to explore who really you are. Traveling to a place where no one knows you allows you to be a more authentic version of yourself—a version that doesn’t care what other people think.
Travel Lets You Grow in Amazing Ways
Let’s say you’re dropped in the middle of Sri Lanka. You know nothing about their culture. You have a vague conception of their history, and you know maybe one word in their native tongue—and it’s probably, “Hello.”
In order to get around, you have to be able to communicate in other ways. You have to have the fortitude to stretch outside of your comfort zone. If you’re an introvert, you’ll have to break out of that shell of yours. And, if you’re an extrovert, you may have to temper your outgoing tendencies to go with the flow. Either way, you’ll be growing in amazing ways. You’ll leave having learned so much about yourself, your surroundings, and the people whose lives you’ve touched.
Travel doesn’t force you to grow or change; really, it just allows you to expand your personal horizons.
So true!
Travel helps us appreciate others as well as what we’ve been blessed with. Thanks, Ryder and Nicole.
I used to feel somewhat ‘guilty’ and ‘selfish’ about desiring to travel, and through these things brought out here, I see travel through a different set of eyes! I am excited to travel, after reading this, and have a new sense of FREEDOM as I now see it as an opportunity to GROW; nothing to feel ‘guilty’ about!! There is now a new value along with my appreciation to learn about and explore the awesome world we live in! Thanks!!
Never heard it put so well, thank you
The pictures are awesome and I believe, reflect the love you guys have for each other. They say a pictures is worth a thousand words… So true, and reflected here. Also, I know that mentorship is important and missing in our lives. Most organizations do not get it… So, you guys do a great job of summing that up; “…it’s about helping others to find their purposes, develop useful life skills, get out of debt, and enhance their personal relationships.” Thanks!
This is so true.