Travel and Personal Growth: How and Why Traveling Helps Us Become Better Human Beings
Self-Discovery Journey
From providing a wider global scope to overcoming obstacles, here are 12 answers to the question, “Why and/or how can traveling help us become better human beings?”
- Relieves Stress
- Provides New Perspectives
- Makes You Appreciate What You Have
- Strengthens Empathy
- Leads to Self-Discovery
- Deepens Compassion and Understanding
- Develops and Refines the Holistic Self
- Gives Us Patience
- Presents Growth-Inducing Challenges
- Exposes Us to New Cultures
- Builds Confidence
- Teaches You Conflict Resolution
Relieves Stress
Traveling is one of my favorite activities, and it often helps me to become a better person in ways that are hard to quantify. On days when life seems too overwhelming, packing my bags and heading off on an adventure can be just the thing I need to recharge and gain perspective.
By getting away from the everyday hustle and bustle, I can regroup and relax. Being able to explore someplace new can also open my eyes to unique experiences and cultures, giving me a wider scope of understanding of our global community.
With this increased mindfulness, I not only feel more compassionate but also relieved from the stress that had piled up at home.
Antreas Koutis, Administrative Manager, Financer.com
Provides New Perspectives
I think everyone can stand to travel to gain a different perspective on life. When I traveled for the first time, I remember thinking of life in a very linear sort of way. Seeing different parts of the world gave me a peek into a world I was really unfamiliar with. By taking the time to become familiar with different ways of life/thinking, I felt I became a better human. If you can make it happen, take that trip!
Maegan Griffin, Founder, CEO, and Nurse Practitioner, Skin Pharm
Makes You Appreciate What You Have
The United States, despite all its flaws, has luxuries, freedoms, and programs that other countries clearly do not have. This is on full display when you go to faraway places. Even bustling cities like Quito, Ecuador, or Istanbul, Turkey, have areas that give you an idea of the level of poverty many disadvantaged people have around the world.
You gain an appreciation of the safety nets that America offers people. Various places around the world have still not resolved their conflicts, even generations after they have simmered down. You don’t see that across the United States. You gain a greater perspective of how the world lives when you travel to different countries and continents, and it’s hard to describe how valuable such a perspective can be.
Rachel Blank, Founder and CEO, Allara
Strengthens Empathy
Everyday life can lead to a small worldview. You surround yourself with people with whom you get along and share commonalities. And if that’s all your knowledge of the world, you assume everyone everywhere is like you. Traveling exposes you to vastly different cultures, lifestyles, and ways of thinking, which helps you to become more empathetic.
You think of yourself and your opinions as equal with, and not superior to, others. When you interact with different cultures, you’ll understand humanity more deeply and fully. Other cultures become personal.
And when you return home, you’ll start incorporating what you’ve learned and your empathy into how you live your daily life. You’ll take time to listen to people you ignored before.
Michelle Robbins, Licensed Insurance Agent, Clearsurance
Leads to Self-Discovery
Traveling can help us become better human beings by providing experiences that teach us how to be more independent and what being alone means, giving us a deeper understanding of our identity and values.
Exploring unknown places on our own, without relying on others, can help us build our self-confidence and develop a more self-assured mindset. Meeting and interacting with people from different backgrounds can help us be more aware of other people’s struggles and situations, which can help us become more empathetic and caring.
Traveling can help us be more mindful and present at the moment, leading to a greater appreciation for life and the people in it. When we immerse ourselves in different cultures and societies, we can reflect on our beliefs and appreciate what makes us unique.
Tristan Harris, Demand Generation Senior Marketing Manager, Thrive Agency
Deepens Compassion and Understanding
Serving in the US Peace Corps in the Northern Province of Zambia, Africa afforded me many opportunities to enrich my humanity. I could learn a new language and experience different seasons, traditions, foods, and ways of daily living.
I understood what it was like to go without electricity and running water, to ride my bike or hitchhike to get around. I could feel what it was like to be “other” or an outsider. This all gave me a more global perspective and made me a more compassionate, grateful, and well-rounded person.
Susan Snipes, Chief People and Culture Consultant, GoCo
Develops and Refines the Holistic Self
Traveling has the unique ability to broaden our horizons and expose us to new cultures, perspectives, and experiences. By immersing ourselves in unfamiliar environments and engaging with diverse communities, we can develop empathy, open-mindedness, and a deeper understanding of the world.
Traveling challenges us to step outside of our comfort zones, confront our biases, and expand our worldview, ultimately leading to personal growth and a greater appreciation for the richness and diversity of human life.
James Scott, Founder, Embassy Row Project
Gives Us Patience
Traveling teaches us how to be patient. Whether it’s with ourselves or with other people, it’s never easy. For example, you might end up in a different country where you might not be familiar with the new language.
Have patience with yourself to keep up the best you can and with others who may not know English as well as you do.
Lindsay Malu Kido, CEO, Empower Pleasure
Presents Growth-Inducing Challenges
Traveling can help us become better human beings by exposing us to diverse cultures, lifestyles, and perspectives. When we immerse ourselves in unfamiliar surroundings and interact with people from different backgrounds, we are forced to step outside of our comfort zones and confront our own biases and assumptions.
This can lead to increased empathy, understanding, and tolerance for others, as well as a greater appreciation for the world’s beauty and complexity. Traveling can promote personal growth and self-discovery as we confront new challenges and push ourselves to adapt and learn. Ultimately, traveling can broaden our horizons and help us become more compassionate, open-minded, and well-rounded individuals.
Cynthia Hamilton, Marketing Director, OGLF
Exposes Us to New Cultures
Travel can certainly help us become better human beings, which I think is primarily because of exposure to new cultures. Exposure to different cultures and new ways of life can help travelers empathize with and improve their understanding of people from different environments.
By engaging with new cultures and experiences, travelers can gain a more nuanced understanding of the world, promoting a more open-minded and tolerant perspective. Overall, the experience of exploring and learning from other cultures equips travelers well to appreciate and integrate into the complex world around us as better human beings.
Denisa Podhrazska, Owner, Let me show you London
Builds Confidence
Traveling can help people become more confident. When you travel, you’re bound to run into challenges along the way. It takes a certain level of confidence to navigate those challenges, especially if you’re in a country where you don’t speak the language.
You learn to stand on your own two feet and find creative solutions to problems you’ve never encountered before, increasing your confidence.
Andrew Meyer, CEO, Arbor
Teaches You Conflict Resolution
When we travel, we interact with other cultures, meet new people, and even face difficulties. Although it’s often portrayed as romantic and enjoyable, frequent travelers know traveling isn’t always easy.
Unexpected obstacles occasionally stand in our way, and the only way to overcome them is to gather our wits, keep a cool head, and focus on addressing the dispute with minimal hassles. Frequent travel teaches us patience with others and the sometimes-necessary decision to prioritize our destination over everything else.
Ariav Cohen, VP of Marketing and Sales, Proprep
Thanks for reading.Happy learning 😄
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