7 Ways Traveling Encourages Self-Development

A quote by American self-help author and blogger, Mark Manson reads, “Travel is a self-development tool. It extricates you from your culture’s values and shows that a different society can survive with several other values and yet function without hating themselves.” There is no denying that travel is a tool that leads to self-development and improves us as a human being. One of the primary reasons for this is because vacationing is a necessary form of experiential learning. It can educate, enlighten, and enchant you – all at the same time. Traveling teaches you various skills, but it exposes you to circumstances that no school ever can. It enables you to extend beyond classroom-learning at your pace by your personal choice and making it effortlessly fun.

To make the best of your travel experience, it is also essential to know how it improves you as a human being. Therefore, dive in to understand travel beyond the picturesque landscapes and mouth-watering food. Here’s a list of seven ways traveling encourages self-development, both in the personal and professional realm of life.

1.  It Makes You Independent & Reflective.

Travel triggers you to reflect on things you otherwise neglect. From making you ponder upon the older man carrying bricks on his shoulders to dogs wagging their tails around you, travel opens your mind towards compassion while also teaching you how to be independent. If you haven’t ever traveled solo, then do not wait for anymore.

Solo travel will make you independent as you’ll do everything yourself- right from packing to exploring a city and also making decisions. People often tend to make the best of connections when they travel and converse with people they meet during the journey. Speaking freely and connecting with strangers is only possible when traveling solo, which gives you a reason to bond with fellow travelers.

Further, it is imperative to use travel as a means to communicate without words- all you need to do is independently observe the people around you and connect. If you are not traveling alone and are on a trip with your family, even then going on a trip enables you to do so many things- all by yourself. Again, making you feel fiercely liberated. From itinerary management to a ‘thing to buy’ checklist, you independently manage it all, and isn’t learning how to be free a big part of self-development? This is precisely what travel teaches you- to evolve, embrace peace, dive more in-depth, and hear your inner voice. You need not hold back and enjoy every bit of what you do. Take one day at a time, and your trip will be worthwhile.

2.  It Makes You Responsible.

More often than not, traveling is mostly about taking the calls (not the literal calls!), calling the shots, making decisions for yourself, and the ones you are traveling with (that is if you are not vacationing solo). It is essential to understand that travel makes you take care of many things, which instill the seeds of responsibility in otherwise careless souls.

From planning where to go, budgeting your entire trip to buying necessary accessories, packing, and booking the tickets- travel paves the way for a different world altogether. A world where you have to be your father, mother, and sibling. A world where you have to take responsibility for your finances and security. It is one of the ways you learn how to spend your money wisely- a lesson that always comes handy at all stages of life. So, when you set out, make sure that your car is equipped with a universal roof rack to make things easier for you and your luggage.

3.  It Boosts Your Self-Confidence And Makes You Self-Reliant.

Traveling these days has become a lot about exploring new places and interacting with people you know nothing about, people who are strangers. Dealing with new situations, unforeseen circumstances like never before infuses a sense of confidence in you. Even those who are introverts for most of their lives are forced to let go of their self-consciousness and embrace situations. Travel brings along various challenges, and the more of these you take on, the more confident and self-reliant you become.

4.  It Aggravates Experiential Learning.

Most of the travelers don’t realize how much they learn during a trip. You might end up learning the basics of a new language, the one spoken at the destination you’re traveling to. Apart from this, you’d undoubtedly learn a lot about different currencies if going to a foreign land. This is most likely since, as a traveler, one does make purchases across places, and for that, one certainly needs to know the difference between a US dollar and a British pound.

Travel infuses a sense of learning that no school or textbook can provide. It only comes with experience – the solemn maturity of travel across regions, states, countries, and continents. Immersive and experiential learning that is going on a journey brings along is different from what’s taught in classrooms or digital webinars.

5.  It Instils Adventure.

Traveling makes you adventurous and also a risk-taker. One of the best ways to develop yourself is to do away with fear. This can happen only when you start feeling passionate about something that takes all your worries away. And, travel will take away all your worries, instilling within you a desire to be adventurous at the same time. For example, all those travelers who are willing to trek for kilometers in the snow are both fearless and bold.

This is a significant trait of self-development that goes a long way in both professional and personal life. It strengthens your personality, and you practice an adventurous and (fearless) attitude in all walks of life. Travel adventures also prepare you for any unforeseen circumstances and make you brave with a caution bell always at the back of your mind. You might not realize these things while you are in the moment, but these experiences of a lifetime across cities and towns go a long way in shaping your personality.

6.  It Makes You Tolerant By Forcing You Out Of Comfort Zone.

Whenever you travel, you’re forced to step out of your comfort zone. This is precisely what makes you tolerant because not everything is going your way, and still, you do your best to manage the situation with patience and tolerance. Take this situation, for instance. How many times did you get a snoring fellow-passenger while traveling on the plane or train? Quite often, right? This is precisely what travel teaches you- a lifelong lesson of self-development to be patient and tolerate whatever is not in your hands.

Whenever you travel (especially solo), you are away from the protection of your family, parents, and teachers. If you are going to a foreign land, you will probably encounter people speaking foreign languages and eating food that you never saw before. But, this step out of your comfort zone only makes you stronger. Honestly, many things are not in our hands while traveling; therefore, there are so many incidents to learn from.

7.  Time Management.

Self-development is a sense of energy, and so is travel. Just like a vacation connects you back to being real, developing into a better individual makes everything seem vibrant. Without travel, there are so many ways you go about doing regular chores of your mechanic lives, but the journey is what sets you free and delves deep into thoughts.

And gradually, a self-developed version of you can see everything come to life- the colors that you understand and the languages you speak. You feel happy, fulfilled, and real. Thus journeys expose you to many circumstances that encourage you to become self-developed. The lessons are not from a school or college but are the memorable, challenging, trying experiences of travel- something that wonders for you and your self-development.

Conclusion

Self-development is a sense of energy, and so is travel. Just like a vacation connects you back to being real, developing into a better individual makes everything seem vibrant. Without travel, there are so many ways you go about doing regular chores of your mechanic lives, but travel is what sets you free, makes you delve deep into thoughts. And gradually, a self-developed version of you can see everything come to life – the colors that you understand and the languages you speak. You feel happy, fulfilled, and real. Thus travel exposes you to many circumstances that encourage you to become self-developed. The lessons are not from a school or college but are the memorable, challenging, trying experiences of travel – something that does wonders for you and your self-development.