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What Can You Learn from Traveling Abroad?

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Leaving your home, your job, your family, and your comfort zone to travel abroad can be extremely scary. However, visiting new places, meeting new people, and experiencing new cultures can enrich your life in so many ways.

Whether you are traveling abroad for a few days, a few weeks, or even traveling long term, there are some important things you can learn from your travels.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 things you can learn from traveling abroad.

1. To place less emphasis on material things

Travel teaches you the importance of experiences and making memories. Many people who travel realize that new clothes and the latest technology and cars are not as important as the amazing experiences you can have and the memories you can make. Traveling allows you to meet new people, try new foods and see some beautiful sites.

2. To be more spontaneous

Even the best-laid plans sometimes go awry. No matter how much you plan, prepare, and organize, you cannot control every situation.

Traveling can teach you to embrace spontaneity and live a more free, spur-of-the-moment lifestyle. If problems arise, you can learn how to deal with them and go with the flow.

3. To Be More Patience

In your everyday life, it is easy to become impatience. Traffic jams, delayed public transport, and queues are just some of the things people complain about on a day-to-day basis. Many people have become so impatient that they even complain about waiting for food in a restaurant or queueing up in a bank.

Traveling will teach you that most of these things are out of your control and complaining or blaming the people involved probably won’t help. Learning patience can benefit you in many areas of your life.

4. To Be Braver

Leaving your comfort zone and traveling to unknown places takes bravery. Having the courage to travel takes bravery– regardless of whether you are traveling alone or with friends and whether you are visiting countries close to home or traveling to a whole new continent.

You can take the bravery and boldness you learn while traveling into other areas of your life.

5. To Appreciate other cultures

Experiencing countries, cultures, and religions different to your own can be life-changing. It can provide you with a greater understanding and consideration towards other people from a background different to your own.

When you travel, you will likely try new foods, hear new languages, and experience different ways of dressing and behaving.

Some travelers develop a strong appreciation of the places they travel to, they choose to live in these countries, either temporarily or permanently. One of the easiest ways you can live in another country is by attaining a certificate that allows you to teach English as a foreign language. This guide tells you all you need to know about the qualifications you will need and why you should try teaching English abroad.

Here’s a great TED video of Lexie Alford’s life lessons from traveling the world. This 21-year-old broke the Guinness World Record for the youngest person to travel to every country in the world:

6. To not be afraid of trying new things

It’s so easy in everyday life to just stick with the things you know and are comfortable with. Trying new things can feel daunting and it can be easy to convince yourself that you are content with the way things are. Traveling forces you out of your comfort zone and pushes you to try new things and embrace the unfamiliar.

Research has shown that trying new things is actually good for people’s overall well-being. Many people are resistant to change and prefer to stick to their habitual behavior. Neophiles (people who like to do new things) are usually healthier than neophobes (people who dislike anything new). Pushing yourself to try new things could therefore be beneficial to your health and wellbeing.

7. To Learn To Love nature

Traveling inevitably takes you to some of the great natural wonders of the world, including amazing waterfalls, mountains, volcanoes, glaciers, and beautiful beaches. Not only will you experience the beauty of nature, but you will also witness how fragile it can be.

From trash and plastic in the ocean to melting glaciers, traveling can teach you the importance of taking better care of the Earth and a great appreciation of nature.

8. To Have Greater empathy

When you travel, you may visit areas with extreme poverty or communities that don’t have access to clean drinking water or proper education.

This can teach you greater empathy and humility and encourage you to act with more kindness and understanding. Empathy is a great skill that can help you to understand the feelings and experiences of other people.

9. To Learn How to Relax

Sometimes, life can feel like it moves at a million miles an hour. With busier than ever work and home lives, many people struggle to find the time to relax. Traveling can teach you the importance of rest and relaxation.

While traveling, you can search for the best places to relax and have a peaceful trip. You do not always need to have a jam-packed itinerary, sometimes taking a few days to breathe and rest can be extremely beneficial.

10. To Learn How to talk to new people and make new friends

At home, you are likely around the same people day after day. You will probably even visit the same stores and restaurants. Talking to new people, and particularly people who are different from you, becomes less of a regular occurrence.

When you are traveling, you don’t have much choice but to talk to new people and share your experiences. This could be local people or other travelers. Traveling can make it easier to talk to new people and no matter how old you are, it can help you to become more comfortable putting yourself out there and making new friends.