One piece of advice that I’ve learned over the years and that I’ll often pass on to people who ask for advice on personal development is the following. Get out of your comfort zone. Being around the people, places and situations where we’re most comfortable is a good thing for a certain amount of time but not always. While growth can occur in comfort we need periods of discomfort to break out of ruts and take significant leaps. One way to get out of your comfort zone is to travel to a place where things are different. Things like the people, the landscape, the weather, the culture, the food and the language. All of those things don’t need to be different for the change to make a difference but the further away you move from your ordinary life the greater the potential for personal growth. Experiencing life as a foreigner and outsider in a new place can offer you a perspective that changes the way you approach everyday life at home. Below I give some examples of how I’ve developed personally via travel.
When I was a kid my parents took the family on what vacations that they could afford, and while it was never anything extravagant it was enough to ignite my sense of adventure. I didn’t understand it then, but early travel within the United States instilled in me a sense of adventure and an understanding that there was a much larger world out there to be explored. A car ride to Montreal. A flight to the Bahamas. A cross-country flight to California. These trips during my middle school years were eye openers and I’m grateful that my parents sacrificed to make them happen. Perhaps it’s because I knew that these trips were a stretch financially that I did not take them for granted. I think those trips also opened my eyes to the possibilities for future travel if I worked hard, earned money and invested that money well. Those early trips were surely a catalyst that drove me to want to be a conscientious worker and successful in my careers. In high school and college I was definitely a dreamer when it came to the possibility of far away places and also the possibilities in life if one were able to build wealth.
One of the habits highlighted in the Stephen Covey book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is, “Seek first to understand. Then be understood.” Travel affords a person an opportunity to understand other cultures and other points of view. And while traveling in itself won’t necessarily offer immediate dividends in terms of personal development, people often find that eventually they see things in a different light after returning home and considering their travel experiences. After returning home to a trip from Central America many years ago I remember thinking about poverty in America in a different light. What I’d seen in Guatemala for example helped me to understand that the poor in America were living measurably better than the poor in other countries. Even just traveling to California as a teenager helped me understand that there are lifestyles that don’t require the shoveling of snow in January! These differences may not seem earth shattering in themselves but over time I learned to consider them when making life and business decisions. One thing was for sure. The broader my world became, the richer my dreams became. And the richer my dreams became, the more possibilities opened up to me.
As I mentioned above my family was not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination when I was growing up so as I matured it was up to me to gain the means to continue to travel so that I could expand my horizons. Perhaps the most unconventional thing that I did to expand my travel opportunities was joining the US Army. There were no guarantees of exact places I’d end up (good or bad) but I took the chance of enlisting anyway. That experience took me to some places in the US that I may not have seen before, such as Georgia and Kentucky, an eventually it landed my in Germany. Although my experiences in the American south as a US Army soldier were impactful, I still had the benefit of the English language being the same and the customs largely being the same. Germany, on the other hand, was a total culture shock. Although there’s a lot of insulation around soldiers serving overseas when on military bases (it’s basically like being home in America) those first steps out into the local town were a bit scary. You’re dealing with a different language, a different culture, a different currency and more. But these are things that are easily overcome with a little courage and they force you into learning new things. Having to learn things that are abstract and not the typical types of things you’d need to learn is a fantastic way to get better at learning in general.
Being in Germany for years offered me additional opportunities to travel and experience other cultures around Europe. Germany is very centrally located in Europe. To the east are former Iron Curtain nations such as Poland and The Czech Republic. To the south are Austria, Switzerland and Italy. To the west are Luxembourg, Belgium and France. To the north are the Netherlands and Denmark. If nothing else my geographic knowledge was greatly improved! I don’t expect that the average person will be in the position that I was, having traveled to all of the aforementioned countries and then some. What I can do is attest to the dividends that each of my experiences paid down the line in my life and career. I found myself able to engage with people on a wide variety of topics and to be able to engage people with stories of my travels. When people understand that you have a broad sense of the world and a broad set of experiences they tend to lend more credence to your thoughts and they tend to pay more attention to what you have to say.
Understanding some of the personal development benefits of traveling is one thing. Actually being able to travel is another. There are practical issues to consider such as the cost to travel and the time it takes away from your career, friends and family. Like me you may start out doing a lot more dreaming than actual traveling. That’s okay. Dreams are the catalyst of future actions. The important thing is that you eventually see some dreams turn into a reality. What you want is that your dreams eventually turn into plans and that you see those plans through to reality. Money is an important resource when you want to travel. So it’s critical that your plans include making a budget and saving for your trips. Money is often constrained when you’re younger or even if you are older and in the midst of life changes. For that reason it’s okay if your travel ambitions are not so grand to begin with. A weekend trip by car, train or bus to or out of the city can be extremely worthwhile. I grew up in the middle of a city and for years the local park was as much greenery as I experienced. On my first family trip “upstate” I was shocked that there were mountains and waterfalls only two hours away. Planning for and saving for small trips are a way to build the all important momentum that can serve as a springboard for future adventures.
Another important thought with respect to traveling is as follows. It’s okay for the experience of the trip itself to be the purpose of the trip. You may have a goal of seeing specific sites or doing specific things. I also find that soaking up the atmosphere of a place, such as sitting in a cafe for a few hours enjoying some food and drink and observing the goings on, can be very worthwhile. The temptation to overload a trip with activities so as to justify the time and expense is not necessary. Do seek to take away some worthwhile lessons from any trip but also take care not to overburden yourself. A word of caution that I will offer is this. It can be tempting to use travel as an excuse to party or otherwise overindulge. I’ve done that (particularly when I was younger) and it was always a mistake. There’s a time and place for enjoying yourself but always keep the importance of discipline in mind. Do you really want fuzzy memories of a trip as a result of overindulgence of alcohol…for example? Or would you like vivid memories of wonderful times and rich experiences. I’ll go for the latter every time!
For all my advocacy in this post about the benefits of travel I will confess that for many years while I was starting and growing a family that I didn’t spread my wings like I did in my younger years. During that period I had successes (and failures) and many good times. So regular travel is not necessary to lead a good and rewarding life. Travel does add to the spice of life though. If you are looking for a way out of a rut in your life or a way to expand your horizons without quitting your job and going back to school for an advanced degree then travel may just be up your alley. Sure, travel is not recognized in the business world like a standard credential. That doesn’t mean you can’t use your improved interpersonal skills, your broader view of the world and the stories that you compile from your travels as an advantage. These are traits that ultimately will impress people more than the accomplishments listed on your resume. You may also find that traveling offers networking opportunities with other professionals who you happen to meet while traveling. At times when traveling I’ve run into people who I wouldn’t have otherwise run into that have resulted in unexpected business opportunities.
In late 2019 I was able to get back into the swing of traveling again with a return trip to London over a long weekend. At that time I had big goals for traveling in the coming years but, for obvious reasons, those goals didn’t take flight again (no pun intended) till 2023. More recently I enjoyed my first trip to Asia in many years and have also committed myself to exploring areas of the US that I’ve long wanted to visit. As a result the benefits of traveling have been at the top of my mind lately. Hence, the motivation for this post. I’ve worked hard and smart, and earned the capability to enjoy a bit of traveling and the benefits that come with it. My hope is that you can be just a bit inspired by this post to shoot for similar results. Happy and safe travels!
In The Midst Of A Journey 