You always hear about how traveling is such a meaningful, life-changing experience for people; as someone who holds a great interest in personal development and growth, this was one of the major reasons I wanted to travel extensively, and now that I have gotten some major mileage under my belt, I now know firsthand what I had only heard about previously; I firmly believe that anyone serious about personal development must make travel a part of the equation; sure, there are lots of different ways and paths, but I truly feel this is one experience that cannot be missed.
Image source Flickr by Chris Wright www.electricalimage.com
Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone
We can never truly grow unless we are pushed outside our comfort zones, unless we do things we are afraid to do or that feel uncomfortable. Nothing will help you accomplish this faster than traveling to a far away place where you encounter something unfamiliar at every turn. So many people miss out on so much in life because they are simply too afraid to leave the comforts of home, where everything is familiar and predictable. Travel will make you bolder and braver; it will encourage you to try new things all the time, not just on the road. You will realize you are capable of so much more, that you can handle so much more, than you think you can now.
Learning Tolerance
So much conflict in this world is borne out of sheer ignorance ; we fear what we do not know. We judge so harshly even though we have a complete lack of knowledge about why others are the way they are and why they do what they do. There is a whole big world out there that exists outside of our country or local culture, and when you actually see it first hand, it is amazing to see all the differences in ways of thinking and behavior and why that is so; you will also be amazed to see how much we are all alike as people no matter what where we live, our religion or the color of our skin. You will understand that there are different ways of being and one way is not necessarily right or wrong, they are just different. Learning more about others and being accepting of their differences will bring a greater sense of peace to your life since you will spend less time judging and criticizing and focusing on you and making your life better.
Gaining Clarity about What You Want
Travel helps pull us out of our every day routine, where it is easy for our minds to get stuck on auto-pilot; we can easily get into a rut and push our hopes and dreams down so deep we stop making an effort to go after what we want. We get comfortable even if we may not be happy. For me, traveling helped put me in a great space where I was able to really think clearly about what I wanted out of life and how I wanted to spend my time. I am willing to bet that it can do the same for lots of other people too who are maybe feeling stuck or unsure about what to do.
Kelli Cooper is a freelance writer who enjoys writing about her travel experiences and insights ; she hopes her pieces will be useful to current travelers and inspire those who want to travel to finally do it. Visit Expedia for more information on the American travel hotspot of Los Angeles.
