Most people love the idea of travelling, but life tends to get in the way of actually doing it. You can’t take the time off work, or school, it would sabotage your career! But what if I told you, travel can actually help you be successful?
We all have different ideas of success of course, some of you might have instantly thought of money, others of happiness or other abstract concepts. Here’s the best part though, whatever your idea of success is, travelling can help you achieve it.
Travelling teaches you to step outside your comfort zone
It’s easy to do what you know, the same thing day in, day out. A lot of us are guilty of avoiding anything outside of what we know. We don’t cross the comfort zone line, we can’t be bothered with the stress.
Going travelling not only teaches you, but forces you to step outside of your comfort zone. Wherever you go, there’ll be a ton of things you’re not familiar with, from language barriers to new foods. And at first, it’ll all probably seem quite daunting.
But knowing that your flight home isn’t for another month yet will mean that you’ll make the most of it, and eventually, you’ll be more curious than cautious.
When you go back home, that mindset will stay with you. If there are any challenges in your work life or personal life, you’ll approach them with the same attitude you adopted on your travels: enthusiasm.
Travel lets you look at things from a new perspective
Ever run out of ideas with a work task or a project? Sometimes, we’re so wrapped up in life that we can’t see things that are right in front of us. Often, it’s a change of perspective that can help you overcome that.
Travel can give you the ultimate perspective change that could transform your life. Taking a break and seeing something different might seem like procrastination, but actually, you’ll come back with fresh eyes, and you’ll see and think of things you’d never thought of before.
Let’s say you’ve got some project at work that you just can’t figure out. I’m sure you’ve all done the classic, ‘I’ll take a break and come back to it.’ Think about how effective that break can be, but now imagine that rather than just a tea and biscuit break, it’s a couple of months visiting somewhere new.
Sure, your boss probably wouldn’t be that pleased, and that project might not get done in time. But when you get back, you’ll perform every task with a fresh outlook on things, and so probably in a more creative fashion. You’ll go back to work with bright eyes and new ideas.
You’ll learn to embrace change
The prospect of change can be terrifying. Whether it’s a change of location, career, relationship status, whatever: it’s nerve racking. The best thing to do is embrace any upcoming change, rather than worry about it. One problem though, that’s easier said than done, right?
That’s where travel comes in. If you think about it, that’s all travel really is, embracing change. You go from one unfamiliar destination to the next, and the more you do it, the more comfortable you become with change.
After jumping from country to country on your travels, relocating or changing jobs when you’re back home will be a breeze. The more you’ve travelled, the more you’ll be used to change. You’ll embrace it with a smile, rather than a panic attack.
Travelling helps you perform well under stress
No one can deny that travelling has its stressful moments. You might be seeing the wonders of the world, going on the adventure of a lifetime, but it’s not going to be without stress.
Most travellers return with amazing stories, that everyone else can’t help but be envious of. What you don’t often hear about though, is the difficult moments.
From the pictures and the Facebook status updates, it all looks great, and it is, but travelling isn’t effort-free. From the moment you book your flights, your travels will depend on constant decision making. Where to stay, where to eat, where to go next and how to get there. All sounds fairly straightforward, but in a foreign place, where you might not know the language or even the wifi password, it’s a bit more difficult to plan ahead.
Don’t let this put you off travelling though, let it encourage you! Accept the challenge. If you can overcome stress when you’re somewhere totally unfamiliar, or possibly in the middle of nowhere, then what’s a little stress in the workplace compared? Nothing.
You’ll have faced stressful situations, which I know doesn’t sound appealing, but then you’ll also have learnt how to deal with them, and how to perform best in them. It’s a skill that you’ll need for any form of success. It’s something employers look for, and something you’ll need for any tricky personal situation (even if it’s just your partner stressing you out!). You’ll come back from your travels with a more rational approach to stress, and the ability to act calm and do your best no matter how much you want to scream.
Seizing opportunities is what travel is all about
A lot of success depends on seizing opportunities. Sometimes you’ve got to grab new career opportunities, or take a gamble and invest in something you believe in.
By the time you’ve told yourself you’re going to travel the world, you’ve already seized one of the biggest opportunities you’ll ever have in life, and you’ll want to seize more!
Of course everyone wants to travel, but most don’t, and often that’s the same in the world of success. The risk takers who put their jobs or college on hold to see the world and do something for themselves are the ones who’ll take risks in pursuit of success, and make sacrifices in pursuit of happiness, and the likelihood is that they’ll succeed. They’ll succeed because just as they sought to see the world where others didn’t, they’ll reach for opportunities that others won’t.
Get on the road to success by seizing the opportunity to travel, and every opportunity thereafter!
Boost your confidence and independence
This might seem like an obvious one, but travel is one of the best ways you can boost your confidence and independence, especially if you’re travelling solo.
No matter how shy or nervous you might be before you go, travelling will force you (in a nice way) to act confident and trust yourself. ‘Fake it till you make it’ kind of thing.
It’s easy when you’re at home to let your friends, parents, partner or anyone else make the decisions. We’re all guilty of replying with ‘I don’t mind, you decide’ when asked where we want to go or what we want to do.
But when you’re travelling solo, you can’t avoid deciding for yourself. And pretty soon, you’ll find yourself becoming more confident and sure of yourself, and not afraid to do exactly what you want to do, regardless of whether that’s what anyone wants. Being a lone ranger has its benefits.
Travelling solo is the best way to embrace independence. You might now be asking what that has to do with success, but the answer is quite literally: everything.
Let’s say your idea of success is a high flying career, confident independence is what’s going to get you there. Take any managerial position for example, you need to be confident not just in yourself, but confident enough to manage other people. Or if you think of success as working for yourself, how do you expect to do it without learning how to be truly and freely independent?
Even if your idea of success has nothing to do with money or careers, if it’s more about the simple concept of happiness, boosting confidence and independence is still going to help you achieve it. Travelling solo teaches you that your happiness doesn’t have to depend on other people in your life, you can be happy with yourself. After all, travel makes you a better person.
Meet new people
With your newfound confidence you’ll find yourself meeting tons of new people. Until you travel around, you’ll probably find that it’s the same people you meet down the pub each week, and a lot of your friends are the same ones you’ve known since kindergarten, and that’s not a bad thing! But meeting new people on your travels is exciting! It’s a change from the usual Friday night at your local.
Travelling can be lonely, meeting someone along the way can brighten things up a bit. If they’re local or know the area, you might find they can tell you all about local life (including where the best bars are!). Who knows, if you ever decide to revisit the towns of your travels, one of those people you met on your first visit might even have a free sofa for you to kip on.
If you’re into business, think about networking. You can never have too many contacts. The more friends you make across the world, the more support you’ll have for any new business ventures. They say ‘it’s all about who you know, not what you know’ and it’s true! Meeting new people is much more enjoyable than travelling with the mindset of a social recluse, but also people can be useful.
The point is, no successful man or woman has ever made it on their own. We all need help, especially if we’re trying to get on the road to success. Sure, you can meet new people anywhere, but having friends across the globe is priceless.
Having connections is key to your success, but at the same time, so is support. The more friends you have and people you know, the more supported and confident you’ll feel. Life can be tough going sometimes, sometimes a chat is all you need to put you back on track. Plus, you never know what useful ideas and advice people might give you. You might find that small talk develops into a million dollar idea.
Learn to be thrifty
If you’re thinking about financial success, one trick is not to squander your hard earned money on things that can only be described as unnecessary. I know, I know, easier said than done, right? It’s so easy to justify buying that sweater, even though it’s exactly like your other one, or that fridge magnet for your Mum, even though her fridge can’t take any more magnets. But after a few days travelling, you’ll realise that your budget only covers the necessities. You’ll learn to be thrifty.
Even if you keep your travel costs to a minimum, budget airlines and tiny hostels, travel’s still expensive. No matter how cheap you go, travelling is still going to cost you a fair few months worth of savings. You’ll start out with your travel money tucked safely in hidden corners of your rucksack, and you’ll think yourself rich. The thing is though, you’re probably not. That allowance you’ve set yourself for the remainder of your travels may seem like a generous amount, but it’ll go quick.
With the knowledge that if you blow it all you’ll be stuck in a strange country, you’ll figure out a way to budget. You’ll be able to resist buying tat you don’t need and can’t carry.
Then, when you head home, that mindset will stay with you. You’ll think twice about what you buy and what you need, and you’ll find yourself starting to save.
Summary
You can justify jetting off to go travelling by thinking about the positive impact it will have on your life. It can be expensive and take time, but every moment and every penny will have been well spent. Travelling can help you achieve success you might otherwise not have dreamed of.
With each adventure around the globe you’ll become more confident in stepping outside of your comfort zone, and seizing every opportunity life presents to you. You’ll develop skills that will stay with you for life. Performing well under stress, embracing change and being thrifty are skills you’ll need regardless of what you do or who you are.
The people you’ll meet along the way will brighten your spirits, boost your confidence and present more opportunities outside of the ordinary.
Basically, if you want to travel, there’s no reason not to. Indulge yourself whilst also bettering yourself and your prospects.
I live in the UK, in the country’s most uneventful city, where the most interesting story in the local paper is about banning dressing gowns in supermarkets.
I travel and I write, because surely there are more interesting stories than that to write about and share.
