Traveling is not a part of my life that I advertise a lot. However, it is something that I genuinely believe in, and it is a big reason for a lot of the things that I do.
I hope this brief article helps persuade you to get out and see different parts of the world that you may not have seen before.
Before I do, I just wanted to let you know that I covered this topic on episode #164 of the Build Your Network Podcast – so if you’d prefer to listen than read this article, CLICK HERE to check that out now. If you’d rather read – keep scrolling!
Travel Gets You Out Of Your Comfort Zone
The best things in life happen outside of your comfort zone, so be intentional about leaving it! We all should be more comfortable with being uncomfortable, and international travel certainly puts you in that boat.
There have been many times when I’ve been in a completely foreign country, didn’t speak the language, didn’t have cell phone service, and just had to figure it out. Please don’t misunderstand me. It is best to be wise about your travel decisions. Don’t intentionally put yourself in dangerous situations.
The main idea is that putting yourself in those situations where you feel uncomfortable can be very beneficial. The best traveling stories I have come from situations where we were unsure of what was happening.
One time, I was traveling in Costa Rica with a few buddies. We participated in a massive hike – the purpose of which was to find a giant, 75-foot waterfall to jump off.
The problem is, the Jeep we had rented was not meant to tow or carry large loads. It didn’t have much torque, didn’t have much power at all. So we were driving this pathetic Jeep over steep hills to find this epic waterfall.
Long story short, we found the legendary waterfall. It was not what we expected. It was no larger than 10 feet, and it was trickling. Not only was it too shallow to jump in, but it also wasn’t even large enough to swim.
On our journey back, we arrived at a particularly steep hill that our humble Jeep was unable to climb.
We remained stuck in the Costa Rican jungle for a few hours until luckily, someone who had a more powerful Jeep towed us out of there.
We didn’t get to make it to an epic waterfall, but we did get some fun memories and a funny story.
Travel Makes You Appreciate Where You’re From
I love to travel, and I love being in different places. Still, there’s just something about coming back home to the States.
When I walk off the plane, I feel a sense of peace and pride in my home country. If you’re not from America, you probably think the same when you return to your home country.
Traveling makes you appreciate that you have a place to call home.
Travel Enables You to Get Better Connected to Others
There are very few people that I talk to now that I can’t at least have some level of conversation with them about where they’re from – whether it’s England or Australia or Canada or Mexico or anywhere in Central America, any of the places that I’ve traveled.
When I’ve been to their home country, I have an instant conversational piece. Very few Americans get out and travel, so travel can establish a unique connection with people you usually would not be able to.
Travel Brings Perspective
Perhaps the biggest reason there are hatred and polarizing opinions in the world is that most people don’t ever take the time to try to understand things from everybody else’s perspective.
When you travel, it opens up your mind. You see how somebody could think or believe the things that they do.
Living in a small circle and being always surrounded by the same influences and people in your Facebook feed is going to deeply entrench you in the beliefs and the perspectives you already have.
Visit a country and see how they live, the food they eat, or the church they attend. By doing this, you can better understand their perspective.
My challenge to you is to get out and travel a little bit more. Make this the year where you visit three or four countries that you’ve never seen. Don’t wait. Get your passport if you don’t have one and complete this challenge
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