How Travel Affects Self-Identity
Introduction
How does travel affect self-identity? Many people have pondered this question once in their lifetime. A trip could take someone across the world, or perhaps just to a different city. Everyone has done some sort of travel one way or another. The question is, though, how does it create a stronger sense of self? Traveling influences self-identity through personal, spiritual, and cultural experiences. In order to better understand the impact traveling has on an individual, this essay will explore the effects it has on self-identity and whether it generates lifelong changes. This is crucial since many people travel and argue it can push towards a greater understanding of themselves. Scholars have wrestled with this topic, from both personal and professional vantage points, using interviews of others who have traveled in the past and have viewpoints regarding traveling versus self-identity.
Context of Study
This essay will be looking at the different ways traveling can affect one’s self-identity and if those changes are permanent or just temporary after returning home. Many people go on trips and encounter experiences that spark an interest of change in different aspects of their lives. Although some change may occur for a short period of time after returning home, often time they can fizzle out and the traveler may go back to old habits or lifestyles. The hope for this research is to determine if people go through experiences that shake them to their core enough to look at life and themselves differently or more clearly. This essay is not about whether traveling to a specific place has more effect than another destination. This is about traveling in general; people may leave any traveling experience with a stronger sense of self. This essay will look at traveling versus self-identity in a broader standpoint than just one city or country; it is not the destination one may go, but the experiences that help build someone into a better version of themselves.
Literature of Review
Extensive research has been conducted on this topic, often focused on travel journalists and those who travel often. This is an important aspect in order to better understand the lifestyle of travelers and how they’ve been changed through their travels. Desforges explains in his journal that “experience of the world is produced rather than simply acquired, through the social development of personhood at specific geohistorical places and moments” (p. 929). Self-identity is not found in an instant; it can occur through the moments and people met on one’s life journey. It is rare for someone to do a 360 in their life immediately. Many writers focus on the travel itself, not as much life after the fact. While this can be useful information, it does not paint a picture of the effect travel has after one’s return home. This essay will further explain the importance travel has on one’s self-identity.
Methodology
In order to properly research the topic of discussion, there are many components to include. Traveling’s impact on self-identity is a widely-discussed topic among travelers across the globe. Throughout this paper, many different qualitative research methods were used. Personal interviews with travelers are included to answer the core questions regarding this topic. It is crucial to incorporate those who are traveling to better understand the impact. There are also interviews from others’ research, with many different perspectives given with raw and truthful answers which paint a picture of the long-term effects traveling has on one’s selfhood. It is important to note that “personal identity work is not the sole preserve of lifestyle travelers, or even other types of backpackers” (Cohen, p. 290). Self-identity is not simply sought out; it is produced through moments of challenge, serendipity, and triumph. One does not acquire self-identity in an instant. Looking at extensive research that has been done in the past, along with personal interviews, will help develop a better idea of how much one’s sense of self is influenced by travel.
Travel vs. Self-Identity
Self-identity can be found in an array of ways. Traveling is a way to step out of one’s comfort zone through different cultures, new people, and boundary spanning experiences. Everyone has done some sort of traveling at one point or another in their life; the question is how deeply has it impacted them? Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, an associate professor of education and psychology at the University of Southern California, explains, “what a lot of psychological research has shown now is that the ability to engage with people from different backgrounds than yourself, and the ability to get out of your own social comfort zone, is helping you to build a strong and accultured sense of your own self” (Crane, para. 7). This can be achieved in multiple ways; personal, spiritual, and cultural experiences. Each have the power to pave cornerstones into a stronger sense of self.
Personal experiences have the power to change the way a person sees themselves and the world around them. Psychologically, there are five dominant personality characteristics-openness, agreeableness, extroversion, conscientiousness and neuroticism. Traveling can influence these traits- “interacting with new people and immersing yourself in a new culture directly affect your openness personality trait, and, depending on your overall experience, it can affect the others as well” (5 Ways, para. 2). Being in a new culture allows one to be more open and allow change to occur inside. There are many ways that personal experiences can create a stronger sense of self. Stretching of comfort zones or undergoing difficulties that build personal growth can in the end develop a stronger self-identity.
When traveling, people often find themselves immersed in experiences they wouldn’t normally be able to have at home that push them out of their comfort zone. Kara Pomicter, who wrote about how to grow spiritually and personally while traveling and believes that “fear prevents us from truly living and doing things we desire. So, pushing beyond the fear and accomplishing something you deemed impossible is a huge confidence boost! It invokes a sense of empowerment because you know “If I can do that, I can do anything!” And maybe you even realize there was, nothing to fear and you can’t wait to do it again” (Pomicter, para. 7). Whether it be zip-lining, climbing a mountain, or even meeting someone of a different background, this can affect one’s outlook on life tremendously. Having a simple conversation with another can push someone’s boundaries, especially since no person has the same story. Marissa Patnode, originally from Minnesota, decided to pack her bags and book a one-way ticket to Hawaii. She now lives to travel. Her personal experiences have shaped who she is as a person and have impacted her outlook on the life around her. In a personal interview with Patnode, she stated:
“In Indonesia, the people are kinder than anywhere I’ve ever been in the world, yet they have next to nothing. I learned that you don’t need to have 5 million dollars, a yacht, or much of anything in order to be happy and a genuinely nice person. In Greece I learned that family is super important. Everything is closed on Sundays and it’s expected that you will spend that day with your family and loved ones. I learn something from every country I travel to and take these little pieces back with me and try to apply them to my own life” (para. 2).
It’s important to remember that personal experiences influence self-identity; it is rare to completely change in an instant. Although, these personal exposures while traveling can push toward a stronger sense of self. When it comes to the topic of personal experiences’ impact on self-identity, one controversial issue has been whether it is temporary or lifelong. On one hand, some people leave a journey and create a completely new lease on life. On the other hand, others believe it simply amounts to a phase or chapter of their life that will not last forever. Cincinnatus, who was interviewed by Conceição and Biniecki, expands on this controversy on traveling out of one’s comfort zone, explaining “I think it was the building block, before that I was a good little Milwaukee boy with limited definitions as to what the world encompassed, and where I might fit into it” (p. 10). Just like Cincinnatus did, it’s important to push comfort zones in order to learn more about one’s self and become more in-tune with one’s passions and morals.
Spiritual experiences are very common when traveling because everyone sees God in a different way. Some may see Him in a sunrise or sunset, others may see him in the conversations they have with new people, or even on the top of a mountain, looking out over a vast landscape. Often people notice God speaking to them while on a new journey, telling them to make a change in their life in order to better His kingdom. Self-identity growth due to spiritual experiences allows someone to have confidence in giving their life to God and trusting that He will protect them and keep them secure.
Missions is a huge way people find a stronger sense of self while traveling. Missions involves volunteering for locals of a different culture in order to help them rebuild their community. Many often feel extremely empowered by this experience and moved to make differences in their lives all to get closer with God and themselves. Writer Ann A. Michel reminds others that “so often, the conventions of our day-to-day lives prevent us from seeing the world through God’s eyes” (para. 5). After people travel on a mission trip, it “makes you more aware of the culture you came from, and you stop taking things for granted. This can make you appreciate your roots more than you used to, but it can also make you question your culture’s ways and perhaps improve them, at least in your microenvironment” (5 Ways, para. 3). It is extremely important to be grateful for everything God has provided, and many people love to show their appreciation by giving back to others. After a mission trip, many are more likely to start having these realizations in their head about how to live more like Jesus. When one has a better understanding of God, they have a better understanding of themselves and who they were created to be.
Growth in a spiritual aspect can be also found through meeting someone who sparks spiritual growth in the traveler. Some scholars believe that “by listening to others about their cultures, ideas, religions, ways of life, joys and struggles, our own knowledge, compassion, and perspectives deepen and expand. This strengthens our understanding that we’re all more alike than different because at the core of all people is the desire to feel love, joy, peace, and happiness” (Pomicter, para. 8). Stepping out of comfort zones by talking to a stranger may end up in a life-changing conversation that pushes one’s spiritual journey into a stronger connection with God. It can be hard sometimes to take that leap but doing this could bring clarity and strength in one’s self-identity and relationship with God. It does not take a substantial budget for travel to happen- “more than one billion people trek the globe annually. In the span of just over a century, travel has transformed from a luxury adventure to a commercial product, available even to modest budgets” (Pirolli, p. 740). Whether traveling to a different city or a new country, spiritual growth can happen anywhere. Everyone has gone through different things in their lifetime and sparking up a conversation with someone from a different background can greatly influence one’s self.
People come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, religions, and cultures. Traveling can be very eye-opening to people because of the different cultures they encounter first-hand. Some may shy away from learning about cultures that are not their own, while others fully embrace the differences and make it their goal to learn and dig deep into the newness of it all. Patnode stated in the personal interview “I travel because I believe that you will learn so much more from exploring new countries than you ever would learn from reading about the world in a textbook”. She goes on to explain “I’ve connected with so many people all over the world, learned how other cultures live, and realized that it’s the simple things like having a roof over your head, clean drinking water and food to eat, that matter most in life” (Patnode para. 4). New cultural experiences can enhance one’s appreciation for the blessings in their life and create a stronger sense of self from cultures not of their own. It can be hard to fully immerse oneself in a new culture, although it can be worth the risk. Experiencing something out of one’s comfort zone in a new culture can play a huge role into growing one’s selfhood. It allows someone to see the world in a different lens, one that they’ve never seen before. Patnode describes her journey, stating “once I started traveling, volunteering abroad, organizing beach clean ups and helping to make a difference in countries all over the world, I knew I had found my purpose” (Patnode, para. 2). Sometimes all it takes is a new challenge to find one’s purpose in life. Cultural experiences truly impact one’s self-identity through the shaping of one’s heart and mind.
Conclusion
Self-Identity is not simply acquired, it is more-so produced. It takes time for one’s selfhood to be grown; there are several ways this can occur. Personal, spiritual, and cultural experiences during travel help shape one’s self-identity. When speaking about a strong selfhood, Chen argues “over time, it can help people gravitate to roles that better fit their personality and values” (Chen, para. 17). Everyone has done some sort of traveling before in their life, whether it be to a new city or different country. It is hard to leave a traveling experience without taking something meaningful away from it. There is always something to be learned. It could be a new perspective on love, life, or one’s self. The possibilities are endless when traveling. A new culture or scenery can expand one’s views on a variety of passions and morals.
While some return home with memories never forgotten, others return with that and much more. Seeing how others live and go about life can truly impact someone and the way the choose to continue life. It can push someone to live more intentionally, truthful, and live with a better understanding of themselves. Patil describes traveling and self-identity in an honest way, stating “travel pulls you out of your comfort zone and forces you to interact with people that have different cultural and historical backgrounds. In doing so, you become less prejudiced and more trusting” (Patil, para. 12). Self-identity is influenced through traveling because of the endless experiences that are possible. Expansions in personal, spiritual, or cultural contexts can allow someone to become closer with their self or the world around them. Someone can make traveling anything they want out of it, it just comes down to openness and ability to let God take the lead.
References
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