Thinking of traveling while in college? I highly recommend it. Traveling is the ultimate eye-opening experience. Discover the best benefits of traveling for students (and anyone else!).
The concept of traveling is larger than simply taking days off from real life to relax by a tropical beach, or touring the landmarks of European cities on jam-packed day schedules.
Travel offers the chance to interact with people from vastly different cultures and backgrounds, and discover ways of life that seem outlandish to our own. Travel stimulates the taste buds with flavors we didn’t know existed – traveling can be not only a diversion or escape but a school on its own.
And one of the most important schools, as it teaches practical lessons on pretty much any subject your career and personal life could ever need. Moreover, it helps you expand your limits, master social skills, and overcome language barriers with creativity and involvement, allowing you to develop valuable abilities and a broader view of the world.
Traveling is incredibly beneficial for just about everyone, but especially for students who are still discovering themselves and preparing for their future careers, as it will enhance their learning experiences and help them become better professionals.
But what if traveling means missing some classes? Or what if you have to deliver papers while you’re on your trip?
Personally, we think that college is an extremely valuable experience – but traveling is equally important for a whole bunch of reasons that you’ll see down here. If you don’t want to fall behind with your classes and need help with your assignments while you’re traveling, check out this essay writing service Custom Writings with a team of professional academic writers.
You should absolutely complete your own assignments when you can, but if you need help once or twice while traveling… psst, we won’t tell anyone! 😉
In this article you’ll discover some of the most important benefits of traveling for students, and hopefully become inspired to embark on a trip of your own.
Improve Your Social Skills and Communication
One of the major benefits of traveling the world, especially as a student, is the fast pace at which we develop new skills and reinforce the ones we started off with. And this is especially true for communication and social abilities, which are not only helpful in all areas of life but also in any profession you decide to pursue.
Traveling will place you in situations in which you have to express your needs to people who don’t speak your language, while you don’t speak theirs. Or whose cultural background is so different that communication is challenged by contrasting beliefs.
You will also meet people from absolutely all parts of the world (and there’s no way of escaping it if you’re staying in hostels!) You’ll socialize more while traveling than in any other moment of your life, and sometimes it will be with people who don’t share your point of view, who know nothing of your home country, or whose lifestyle you don’t understand.
Those conversations will be some of the most enriching ones you’ll ever have, and your social skills will evolve greatly.
Traveling will challenge you to speak about topics you never thought about before, introduce your values to new people, and overall socialize on a daily basis. If you started your trip being an introvert, you can count on going back home pretty much an extrovert!
Network with People from All Walks of Life
Meeting people goes hand in hand with traveling, so you’ll read quite a bit about it. But there are multiple benefits to it, and one of them is networking. There’s no better way of meeting individuals from all paths of life and making new connections than on the road.
Traveling is a great way of creating a network of contacts from around the globe, which can be very beneficial for your career. You never know – one of your travel friends might end up being your future business partner, or someone who offers you the chance to study abroad, internship in their company, or encourage you to pursue a different path in your profession.
Develop Your Confidence
Confidence is key for all human beings, and absolutely all professions, so it’s a great skill to possess and constantly develop. Turns out that gaining confidence is one of the many benefits of travel – go figure!
This is especially true if you’re embarking on a trip on your own, but even if you’re traveling with other people you’ll be introduced to new situations and experiences that will inevitably take you out of your comfort zone. This will ultimately gift you so much confidence in yourself, and make you realize you’re more capable than you gave yourself credit for. That is invaluable.
If you’re traveling solo, there’s no escaping the growth and sense of independence you’ll gain as you lose your safety net and are completely on your own for making decisions and solving problems. This is also a short-cut recipe for self-confidence.
Learn About the World
Believe it or not, traveling will directly influence and enhance your academic performance. There’s not one single subject, from history and architecture to religion, languages, culinary arts, or public relations that cannot be learned better, and in way more depth abroad.
The world is vast and home to so many cultures, as diverse one from the other as it’s humanly possible, that you’re bound to learn aspects of your field of study you would have never considered before.
Wandering on sites like Pompeii, Chichen Itza, or the Great Pyramids will enrich your archaeological studies way more than reading texts about them could, the same way that your culinary skills will find no limits after being introduced to the flavors and traditions of places like India, Greece, and Latin America.
Traveling is also a great source of inspiration and creativity as you break from your daily routine and class schedules, allowing you to be more original and creative. Artists will deeply benefit from it!
Regardless of your career, seeing how your field is seen and treated in different cultures and countries will broaden your perspective and approach to it, making you a better prepared student and future professional.
Enrich Your Life with New Friendships
Our lives are richer with friendships, and connections made when traveling are always extra special. There’s no point in going over how you’ll meet many people while traveling, because you already know that very well.
And while with some you may develop a temporary relationship that lasts for as long as you’re both in the same city, some friendships will stay with you for years to come. You may even end up planning your next trip around visiting new friends in their home countries, or discovering that some of them live mere blocks from your university.
Socializing with other travelers from different backgrounds and cultures can also be very beneficial to your personal life and character development, and as a side effect to your career.
Appreciate What You Have
Travel is the best education in many aspects, and it is also a big eye-opener as it faces travelers with ways of living vastly different from their own.
Few have returned home without having experienced a deep sense of appreciation at some point of their trip. Appreciation of the experience, but also of the hometown they grew up in, the education they are able to afford, their lifestyle, friends, and coffee shops.
Being confronted with realities that seem irreconcilable to yours, especially those you’re glad are not your own, will make you value your culture differently, and return home feeling grateful for the place you live in.
It can also enhance your commitment to your studies and responsibilities, those you may have resented when feeling stressed or burnt out and now appreciate for the blessing that they are.
Get To Know Yourself
Identity, knowing who we are, what we stand for, and what we want out of life is more often than not easier said than done. Young people especially, when preparing for their professional careers and deciding what they want to be, sometimes struggle with the concept of identity.
Growing up with a peer group and adapting to their interests and behaviors can also prevent them from discovering their own individuality. Guess what will most definitely put them face to face with themselves and help them discover – or develop – their identity?
There’s no better way of learning about yourself than seeing how you interact with different kinds of people, how you deal with difficulties, and act in all sorts of situations and settings.
You’ll also discover what things you like or dislike about your personality, giving you a chance to enhance or work on those traits, as well as get you new hobbies, or make you realize some aspects of your life need to be changed when you get back.
Knowing who you are through and through is incredibly powerful, and the sooner you start working on discovering it the more beneficial it will be for you.
Grow as a Person
If you were looking for the emotional health benefits of traveling…well, there are more you could ever count. But one of the greatest benefits of travel in terms of self development is the cultivation of positive character traits.
Patience, compassion, tolerance, and responsibility are a few of the attributes you’ll develop while trotting the globe, which will be highly advantageous for every area of your life.
You’ll be confronted with difficulties along the way, or occasions in which things don’t go as planned. Learning to manage frustrations, make decisions under pressure, and deal with uncertainties will strengthen your character and equip you with confidence, patience, and critical thinking abilities.
Being exposed to the hardships of other cultures can create feelings of compassion and empathy, making you a more understanding individual. Essentially, you’ll be better prepared to manage whatever comes your way in your personal life and career.
Find Motivation
During your time abroad you might discover new hobbies, come up with ideas you want to carry out when you go back home, or find a new approach to your thesis subject. You might decide on the next destination you want to visit and start planning for it.
Traveling is an energy booster (granted, you’ll be smashed after several days of non-stop explorations, but it’s a different kind of energy!) and it renews your willingness to try new things.
Essentially, it can be the source of serious motivation, which will take you far in whichever route you choose to follow it – career-wise or not. Talk about the mental benefits of traveling!
Improve Your Resume with Your Travel Experiences
This is probably the shallowest-sounding of them all, but it’s still an important perk. International experience is highly valued in the globalized world we live in, and very appreciated by most companies.
The benefits of traveling abroad are real and recognized world-wide, so any potential employer or mentor will know the skills and traits you probably acquired while roaming the globe. It also makes for a great conversation starter on an interview, first day of class, or new job!
Find Joy
Being a happy individual benefits every single area of your life, including your studies and career. And traveling brings so much joy!!
You’ll be a much richer person than when you left (in experiences, self-knowledge, friendships, character…) and that alone is a benefit that justifies the trip.
Having fun is an essential part of life that shouldn’t be neglected even when buried deep in textbooks and exam schedules, and going abroad is guaranteed to be the best part of your student years.
Plus, think of all the educational benefits of travel that we discussed before and come as a side effect of having the time of your life!
Ultimately, we’re all looking for ways to enjoy a happy, fulfilled life. Traveling will not only grant you temporary bliss while you’re on the road, but will give you the tools you need for long-term contentment as you’re much more in tune with who you are, have a deeper appreciation for life and the skills to forge the existence you desire.
Hopefully you now know why travel is beneficial to education and, overall, to the development of your personality and the quality of your life, in all of its categories. And, with a bit of luck, this article inspired you to consider embarking on a trip abroad during your studies. We highly – highly – recommend it!
