Who doesn’t like to travel? Travelling is something that freshens up your mind and makes you learn more new things if that is abroad, which is placed on every explorer’s bucket list. When travelling the world, it’s easy to tell yourself you’ll have time to do it…later. And yes, waiting until you’re older to travel can mean you have time to save money for broader experiences, but it also means finding time amongst more responsibility, making it difficult to get away and explore the world on your terms, so it is said that travel the world in your young age when you can have your self-time and can explore the places on your conditions.
There are plenty of reasons why you should travel while you’re young instead of waiting for the “perfect” time, the reality is there will always be an excuse not to travel. When you travel while you’re young, you can throw yourself in head first and learn more about yourself and what you want out of life—while you still have your whole life ahead of you.
Why you should travel while you’re young?
Travel is truly one of the best ways to learn about yourself and the world. No matter how old you are and what parts of the world you decide to explore, there are always lessons to be learned and opportunities to shift your perspective and grow more deeply into who you are. It is life-changing at any age, but when young people travel, they discover more about who they want to be and how they want to show up in the world. What could be better than that?
Here are the six reasons why travelling is important for youth.
1. You’ll Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
As young people most of us have a self-made comfort zone. At home with mom and dad, in a community that has known you for probably a good part of your life. You have your friends and have done activities, hangouts and possibly jobs. We become comfortable in these daily roles and the idea of breaking out of them can be scary and uncomfortable. Exploring a new place, with different people, who hold different values, and cultural diversity brings you out of that zone and makes you stronger. It can be scary, but once you figure out that you can connect with people despite differences, and you can navigate foreign environments, you become a smarter, more competent individual. Embrace the discomfort. Search for it, because it will help you grow.
2. Travelling Builds Confidence
As you conquer the obstacles of figuring out how to use public transit in a foreign country or asking for simple things in a grocery store, you are building confidence and the ability to adapt to foreign situations. Building confidence when you’re young will take you anywhere you want to go in life. Travel experiences for young adults are the best confidence boosters. As you learn how to be independent, navigate a new country, and communicate across cultures will increase your confidence and you can discover how to think on your feet, budget, and stay organized. Confidence is important while entering any professional field.
3. You’ll become more culturally sensitive.
In a world that is expanding and constantly breaking down borders, it’s necessary to understand cultures that are different from your own. Youth have the greater ability to embrace the rituals or traditions of others. When young people travel, they learn what other cultures find normal and what they value, and they gain the ability to open their minds to new ways of living. It’s a lot easier to do this when you’re young, and it gives you skills you can carry with you everywhere. You’ll be able to relate to people more easily and understand international conflicts and issues. It will help you to be a better communicator and an understanding person—whether you choose to use that in your personal life or your studies and career.
4. You Can Adapt to Globalization
With digitalization, we are quickly evolving globally. It is not unlikely that you would end up with a job that has you travel for business or take part in conference calls with international business partners. In our globalizing world, it is important to be culturally sensitive and it can’t hurt to know a foreign language. In the business world, having lived abroad can give you a competitive edge. Use the confidence and cultural sensitivity that travelling helps you develop and help make you successful ahead.
5. Be Immersed in a Second (or Third) Language
Travelling abroad teaches you different languages. In the United States, we don’t need to know another language, or many would argue that. Once you travel abroad you realize that especially in Europe, almost everyone you meet speaks at least two languages somewhat proficiently. We in the States have a bit of a disadvantage since geographically we cannot country-hop as easily as Europeans can. This is why travelling, especially for us, is even more important, it opens up a whole new world of people you can now connect with and understand that you would never have gotten the chance to get to know had you never learned their language. Living abroad is the best way to learn a new language since you are forced to challenge and practice your skills daily.
6. Infinite Opportunities to expand the Network
Studying or working abroad and making some incredibly valuable connections internationally or even just having a couch to stay on in a country that you love, never underestimate the value of networking wherever you go. One thing to learn abroad is that people are generally very friendly and love to talk about their home and culture. This is not always the case, but more often it is. Making friendships abroad can make this big world seem a little smaller and help you feel more connected wherever you go.
So, what are you thinking pack a bag visit abroad and create memories before stepping into old age. Travelling while you’re young might be out of your comfort zone, especially if you’ve never travelled abroad. One of the best parts about travelling while you’re young is that there are endless youth travel programs out there so you don’t have to deal with the nitty-gritty of travel on your own. Youth travel groups give you structure, freedom, confidence, support, immediate friends, and guidance every step away. While it’s possible to find group travel programs for adults, there are a lot more limitations…and many of the most epic youth travel programs are only available to you while you’re young.
