In order to become a better person, one must learn and grow. There certain things in life that you will learn from the confines of a school, but there are far more things you can learn beyond the walls of an educational institution. Becoming successful requires more than just academic knowledge or professional abilities; it demands other life skills that you will only acquire when you go beyond your comfort zone.
Traveling is one of the best ways to build the most practical life skills that will help you become a better person. Here are some reasons you should travel to build a better character:
1. Traveling will teach you to become respectful.
The most dangerous trait a person could have is being indifferent to other people’s views and opinions. The risk in staying in one city or place for a long time is that it will hinder you from learning about what life is out there, what kind of life do people from other places have, what food do they eat, how do they communicate and socialize. Traveling will introduce you to new cultures and practices that will teach you far more things than being in one place your whole life.
You may read about other cultures in books, but experiencing them firsthand is a thousand times more valuable. When you visit places with people who do things differently, you will learn how to respect their culture and their norms. This will help you become a person who can easily adapt to people with different personalities and backgrounds, helping you communicate to them more effectively and harmoniously.
2. Traveling will help you develop strong organizing and planning skills.
When you are traveling to a new city, you must equip yourself with knowledge on how to move around between the places you want to visit. Proper planning is vital in ensuring your travel is as free from hassle as possible. Organizing a comprehensive itinerary is not as easy as listing down the places you wish to visit. You must carefully plan your daily schedule so you do not go through unnecessary troubles that you could avoid only if you have planned things early. Many things could go wrong if you are not careful such as missing your train rides, not having enough cash on hand, or even getting lost on your way around.
Developing good organizing and planning skills from your travels can go a long way in life. It could be applied in many aspects of living especially at work, personal finances, maintaining a household, among many others.
3. Traveling will enlighten you on which things are truly essential.
The absolute truth that you have to face when leaving your home for a trip is that you simply cannot bring all your things. More often than not, people learn this truth the hard way. Many people try to pack way too much for a trip that will only last a few days, making them end up dragging heavy luggages loaded with items they don’t really need. Over time, you will learn that you can definitely survive without some material things that you thought you cannot live without.
Being flexible is an important thing that you can learn when you travel. You will realize that you can actually live without that hair straightener, or that you only need one jacket for a four-day trip. Applying this in help will help you declutter in your home, cut down on your luxuries, so you can focus only on things that matter, things that are truly essential for you.
4. Traveling will teach you the value of time.
When you only have four days to explore an entire city, you have to be smart about managing your time and following your schedule. In school or office work, you may be able to procrastinate and simply ask for an extension when cannot stick to your deadline, or you may just apologize when you arrive late for your meetings, but when you are traveling, tardiness will cost you a lot of money. May it be a flight, train ride, or tour schedule — you have to learn to be prompt and adherent to schedule if you do not want to mess up your trip.
This will help you become more responsible with your time and to be more respectful of others’. No one will ever frown upon a person who is on time, that’s why it’s always better to be early than to cause delays that may disrupt other people’s schedules or even yours. Being punctual is a very valuable trait to become a better person
5. Traveling will make you more interesting.
Traveling is an opportunity to learn new things, to explore, and to do things many people may not have tried before. These experiences make very good stories to the people you meet. It can even help you connect with people who have encountered the same things you did when you were traveling. You can also share interesting trivias you have learned while you were away. You will only get these knowledge and experiences when you put yourself out in the world.
6. Traveling can strengthen relationships.
Many people say that if you want to test your friendship or relationship with someone, you must travel with them. Being on a trip could get stressful and challenging, and these difficulties could easily affect people’s moods making them more short-tempered or irritable. You could also be presented with instances that arise disagreements due to differences in priorities and preferences. These are just a few of the many reasons how travel can put relationships to a test.
Conflicts are inevitable when traveling with other people. When you have no other choice but spend hours and days together, you have to resolve these issues that you may encounter to prevent these from spoiling your trip. Being able to face these disagreements and settle it for the better will definitely bring your relationship to a new level.
7. Traveling will teach you how to embrace uncertainty and handle the unexpected.
No matter how much you prepare for your trip or how hard you stick to your schedule, it’s inevitable that some things just do not go according to plan, and that’s okay. What’s important is that you can adjust to the unexpected changes that can happen during your trip. This is all just part of going beyond your comfort zone.
Traveling will make you realize that change of plans may not be as bad as they seem. More often than not, these changes are just small bumps on the road that can be easily overcome. You may find it difficult to adapt at first, but over time, you will learn to easily adjust to unforeseen events. Eventually, you will learn to embrace uncertainties not just in your travel plans, but also in life. You just have to remember that the most important thing is that you stay open and resilient to any unprecedented change of plans you might encounter.
These are just some of the ways traveling can help you become a better person in the society. You will find out more lessons once you are finally out there and experiencing the world. What are you waiting for? Book that flight and get going!
