5 Terrible Reasons Why Everyone Should Travel
While I personally love all kinds of travel, this article is not about the kind of travel where you go to a beautiful beach with white sands and crystal clear, turquoise water to relax at an all-inclusive, high-end resort where you can drink all day, lounge in robes and never have to actually leave the hotel. That describes a relaxing vacation, a retreat, a “get-away” and I am not talking about that kind of travel. I am talking about the kind of travel that can sometimes feel like work. The type of travel where you are sweaty and dirty lost in the middle of a bustling foreign town. The type of travel where no one is waiting on you hand-and-foot and you do not know the local language. You might be thinking, “Why would I ever want to do that?” The answer is simple because it will make you a better version of yourself. Travel will give you the tools you need to change yourself forever. Possibly even the world, if you let it.
To Be Uncomfortable
This idea might seem odd. You might be asking yourself, why would I want to be uncomfortable? The answer is simple because discomfort builds character and that will help you grow. In a country where the comforts and luxuries of the modern-day are around every corner, we have come to expect so much. Anything we want can be ordered from Amazon and delivered the next day, Google always at our fingers tips to answer any questions, and Waze always available to tell us what route we need to take to avoid traffic. But if you travel often there is a high likelihood that at some point you will be brought way outside of the realm of these endless comforts.
Have you ever been in an unfamiliar town on a dirt road, not knowing the local language or customs for getting around with no reception and no Wi-Fi? Well, I have and if it sounds pretty uncomfortable that is because it is. But the act of having to use your common sense, instincts, communication skills, and general knowledge in situations like this will teach you more about yourself than any higher education ever will. These instances of discomfort will strengthen and build your character for a more patient, grateful, understanding, and self-sufficient version of yourself.
“Talents are best nurtured in solitude. Character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world.” — Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
To Be Surprised
I remember reading a headline about a man in Thailand that scared me half to death. The headline read, “Python bites Thai man’s penis in terrifying toilet encounter.” That was the headline, word for word. Needless to say, this made me never want to travel to Thailand for fear that something like this could happen to me. It might surprise you that later that exact same month I found myself on my first flight to Bangkok, Thailand. Go figure. In Thailand, I experienced a culture and a way of life that was completely different from western civilization. A culture that, to my surprise, still thrived and flourished, still had its cities and its suburbs, still had its struggles and challenges, still had its ideals and religions. This culture was so different from my own, but it was just as beautiful. The Thai people were so kind and generous, rightfully giving the country its nickname, “the land of smiles.” This trip changed my entire life. Thailand showed me that there was an entire world outside of the U.S. and this world was not all bad, in fact, most of it was marvelously beautiful.
Most of us have a completely distorted view of the world. We see the top 5 headlines on the international news and they are centered around death, destruction, terrorism, poverty, and disease. Do you know why? Because conflict sells and dramatic headlines grab the audience’s attention. Is it really like that in all of those places? Well if you have traveled outside of the United States you would know that most of the time it is not. Other countries have other citizens with good and honest people all just trying to making a place for themselves in this world, just like you and me. Sure, there are places where it is more dangerous than others, and doing your research to avoid those places, at least at current, is important. However, it is almost never as bad as it seems on the 6 o’clock news.
This international journey sparked my love and passion for travel and ultimately lead me to the path that I am on now. To my surprise, I did not encounter one python that entire trip. But, could you imagine if I had let that one headline deter me from visiting that magnificent country? I know I couldn't.
To Be Challenged
Having to communicate with others in a language that you know very little of, having to do currency exchange rate math in your head while out to eat, having to deal with new climates, new cultures, new customs, and differing ideals are all certainly things that can challenge us and all things that come with international travel. You may experience some of this traveling within the United States and by going outside of your local community, but at some point, there will be a limit to the types of challenges you face and the only way to expand that limit, is to challenge it further. By expanding your travels to the outside of your home country, outside of your familiarity, outside of your comfort zone you are opening yourself up to new challenges. Rising to meet these new challenges will be sure to change you forever in the most beautiful ways. I know it has for me. With difficulty and challenge comes growth, with growth comes wisdom, and when we are gone our wisdom is passed to the people and world we leave behind.
“When you rise to meet a challenge, you’ll never be the same again. You’ll either cope or crumble…become better or bitter…emerge stronger or weaker.” — Gary Ryan Blair
To Experience Humility
I think all of us Americans could use a little humility now and again. Okay, maybe a lot of humility. To see that the way things are done in America is not the only way or even the best way. American’s expect everything to be catered to them. For example, while traveling abroad Americans tend to expect the locals to speak perfect English in addition to their native language, while only about 20 percent of Americans know more than one language.¹ How vain is that? I love America, but let’s not bury our heads in the sand to the fact that there are so many other ways than just the “American way.” Traveling will undoubtedly help you to see that and to humble yourself. Embracing a more humble version of yourself can help you to perform better, be a better leader, and practice more self-control.²
To Be Dissatisfied
Traveling abroad and seeing how other communities and cultures live can be so eye-opening. It can make you feel a wide range of emotions from gut-wrenching sadness to inspirational joy. Seeing impoverished communities where the majority of the town’s inhabitants do not have enough food or clean running water. Seeing beautiful communities of people who live and work in peace and harmony with not a lot, but just enough. These experiences might make you think twice before you lodge your next complaint about Chik-fil-A being closed on Sundays or spending half your paycheck on a $250 pair of jeans. The United States is a country with a lot of wealth and innovation, but let’s not forget it makes up only 4 percent of the 7.8 billion people on this planet. And with over 36 percent of humans living in extreme poverty, we should be pretty dissatisfied with ourselves as a country that wastes 30 – 40 percent of the food we grow each year³.
Traveling is important because seeing all of this first hand is so powerful that it might make you so dissatisfied with the world that you are inspired to change it. This is what happened for Logan Green, the founder of Lyft, who got his inspiration from a trip to Zimbabwe. And for Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS, who got his inspiration while traveling in Argentina. And for Scott Harrison, founder of Charity Water, who got his inspiration while traveling and working off the coast of Liberia. After their travels all of these entrepreneurs found themselves dissatisfied with the way the world worked. This dissatisfaction sparked their inspiration to change it and it could do the same for you.
Sources:
[1] The Washington Post. (April 15 2019). Half of the world is bilingual. What’s our problem?https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/half-the-world-is-bilingual-whats-our-problem/2019/04/24/1c2b0cc2-6625-11e9-a1b6-b29b90efa879_story.html
[2] PSYBlog. (April 1 2014). 8 Psychological Benefits of Being Humble. https://www.spring.org.uk/2014/04/8-practical-ways-being-humble-improves-your-life.php
[3] America Chemistry Council. (March 2 2018). There’s a Reason We Use Plastics to Package Food. https://blog.americanchemistry.com