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You think you know a place, even if you’ve never seen it. After all, you’ve watched it on television. You’ve heard the music. You’ve tasted the food at the corner restaurant. But you don’t really know a city or country until you’ve walked its streets, seen its people, and breathed its air. That’s why travelling – whether near or far – changes you in 7 surprising ways….

It helps your intuition grow – Travelling can involve many snap decisions. Plans change. You meet new people. You’re out of your comfort zone and routine. You’re forced to rely on instinct. Things happen with travel that don’t happen back home. You must adapt.

And that’s a good thing. Because you come to trust your intuition and that little voice that speaks in hunches and feelings. You come to trust in your ability to read people and situations.

It opens your heart — I know people who had long-held beliefs about other cultures and races, based on what people told them or the media. But then they visited a certain place. They saw loving parents with children and doting grandparents. They saw young people in love. Surprisingly, they saw themselves. That’s when they realized we’re more alike than different.

Travelling expands our hearts. Sometimes its not until you venture from your own neighborhood that you see how inter-connected we all are. We’re bound by our common humanity.

It invigorates the brain – Exploring is stimulating. You hear foreign words, walk unfamiliar streets, and taste new foods. You’re constantly processing new information. And our brains love this. In fact, our minds were made for it.

The good news is that you don’t have to go far. I’ve lived outside Manhattan most of my life. I try and get in every few months. No matter how many visits I’ve made, it’s a new experience each time. Something is always under construction. There are new, interesting restaurants to try. There’s a constant stream of faces, stores, and sights. Travel, whether near or far, provides this kind of mental boost.

It teaches you about yourself – A few years ago in Provence, France I found myself adopting the cotton sundresses and straw hats of the local women. I never dressed this way back home, with my capri pants and tank tops. But I loved this new way of expression. It felt chic and bohemian. For a time, I was a different person.

That’s when I realized how travel helps us discover parts of ourselves we didn’t know existed. I still have that dress from Provence. And though I’m back to tank tops and capris, this dress reminds me that I’m not always who I think I am.

It toughens you – Its hard getting on a plane or jumping in a car, train or bus and just going. There are so many details. There’s a fear of the unknown. There are millions of reasons to stay home. But there’s usually one important reason to go: travel enhances life. The very act of shoving off is proof you’re willing to brave it. You’re overcoming hesitancy and doing what you must.

When you set off on a journey, you never know what will happen, especially if it’s a new place. You never know how it will change you. But with each trip, you become more capable, knowledgeable, and resilient.

It shows how you’re not the center of the universe – I was in Mexico recently. I couldn’t help ask a local friend what he thought of the American politics with its emphasis on building that wall. As you might expect, his opinion wasn’t favorable, but still fascinating, informed, and thoughtful.

Travel helps us see things from other viewpoints, not just ours. And when you listen to other people, understanding expands. You realize their opinions matter too. They’re also passionate about their country and culture.

It points out what you love – Ironically, what I like most about travelling is coming home. And yet I can’t get that perspective without going away. Travel allows us to see our lives from a distance. You see what’s working and what isn’t.

This can be a great gift. It’s easy getting bogged down in the details of life. But when we’re lifted out of the commonplace, sometimes for even a few hours, we see things with fresh eyes.

In the end, travel changes you.

You won’t be the same after certain trips. You will have learned something. You will have grown. You will have evolved. Travel is an amazing teacher.

What are you waiting for?

Take that journey.

 

 

What has travel taught you? Comments are always welcome and if you’d like emails sent to your in-box, just press here. Thank you!

Comments(40)

  1. Agree with all of it! And reminds us we’re all part of the same human family.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      I find the more we travel, the more of a humanitarian I become! Thanks for reading.

  2. Its amazing how much and how fast you can learn about another culture when you experience it first hand. My husband and I are getting ready to take a trip to Ireland and London & I can’t wait!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      Sounds great, Annie. London is awesome and I’m traveling to Ireland myself this spring! Can’t wait. Thanks for reading.

    • Erik Erikson

    • 8 years ago

    I loved this. You captured all of the reasons why I love to travel. Patty and I both love to travel and so does our daughter Emily. One of the things about traveling with Emily is she thinks she won’t like a place because she has seen pictures or seen it on TV. Being there in person cannot compare to seeing a place on TV. Emily is slowly realizing this fact. I have been pushing them both to go out to the Northwest US. I did it in HS, traveling the Rockies, up into Canada all the way to the pacific, etc. and I’m dying to do it again. Can’t get them to go so I planned a ski trip to Colorado this winter which Emily was all over. Unfortunately we had to cancel that trip, but I was happy to see she was actually disappointed. So I have rebooked it for next year. Can’t wait for her to have this experience!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      That northwest trip sounds awesome, Eric. I think its wonderful to follow your curiosity. Different places call to us for different reasons. Sounds like Emily is slowly getting the travel bug too!

      Thank you for reading.

  3. Absolutely true, every single one!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      Thank you, Tam!

    • Liv

    • 8 years ago

    I’ve been trying to convince my younger sister to get out and travel. It doesn’t cost much if you do it right. And you learn so much. I’m going to send her this.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      Thanks so much, Liv. And you’re right. Travel doesn’t always mean world travel. You can learn a lot staying close to home. Thanks for reading.

  4. It’s often said that travel can broaden our horizons and I very much agree with that. Just as you mentioned in the case of your discussion with your Mexican friend, it is such a great thing to hear fresh perspectives. I recently had the chance to get to know someone from Shanghai. Hearing her view on world affairs and learning more about her upbringing in China was really fascinating.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      Bun, I love that too. In America, we tend to get very insulated about our own opinions. Its always informative (and sometimes hard) to hear how other’s perceive us.

  5. Yes to all of this. Travel does make us better. Deliberately putting yourself outside your comfort zone (even if the scenery is beautiful and there are cotton sun dresses and straw hats, there is stress involved, being away from home), encourages growth and fresh perspective.

    And now I’ve a hankering to get on a plane….

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      Thanks for reading, Beth!

  6. It is so much fun to travel to a location you have read about in books or seen in movies or TV. Sometimes the city or is almost a character and your familiarity make it easy to adapt. I love going to different locations in this country. There are a few areas I have yet to explore and I find it fascinating. I say if the USA was Europe it would be made up of many countries with their own food, customs and almost language.Speaking to you, Louisiana. New Orleans is fantastic but the state is another wonderful country to this Boston girl living in Portland Oregon!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Haralee, That’s such a good point about this country being many countries combined. You’re right, Cape Cod food is different from Houston’s, which is different from Chicago’s. I also love to see places I’ve never been, even get a little misty-eyed upon arrival.

  7. Love all your points, and especially agree with how travel points out what we love. Like you, what I love most about traveling is coming home. Great post!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Roxanne, I love leaving and I love returning. There’s nothing like travel to make you appreciate “home sweet home.”

  8. Travel, no matter the destination is good for the heart, mind and spirit. Great post that I will be sharing with others.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Antoinette, Thanks so much! I’ve learned about the world, and myself, by traveling. You can say you know a place, but until you’ve been there, its not the same. You’re right, it is good for the heart, mind, and spirit.

  9. I want to go somewhere exciting again! Seems like the only traveling I’ve done of late is to take my daughter back and forth to college (which explains why there is no money for traveling!)

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Shelley, I find if I just go somewhere every few months, that seems to keep me satisfied. Its hard to do big, expensive trips, but once in a while, they’re great to look forward to.

  10. I love that it both toughens us and teaches us what we love.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Beth, It sure does. Thanks for reading!

  11. I love to travel, even in the states, there are so many cultural differences. It’s always interesting to learn.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Jennifer, There are still so many parts to the US I want to see, especially out west. And you’re right, this country has about 10 different cultures, making it like going to Europe.

  12. I love traveling. It’s my passion. Trying to conjure up my next trip and need some magic to make it happen.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Rebecca, There’s nothing more fun than planning a trip — big or small. One of life’s great pleasures.

  13. Yes, yes, yes, I couldn’t agree more. Pico Iyer says, “Travel not just to move, but travel to be moved.”

      • Laurie Stone

      • 6 years ago

      Judy, Ooh, I love that. Thanks for sharing.

  14. It toughens you and makes you a different person… Amen to that. Thanks, Laurie!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 6 years ago

      Thanks, Brenda!

  15. Very true: all of this and more.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 months ago

      Carol, And you would know!

  16. Great post! I’ve always felt that travel is the BEST form of education. You just proved my point and more!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 months ago

      Mona, It really is a wonderful way to learn.

  17. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!
    Travel has changed me. I would be a stuck-in-the-same-rut sort of person if Husby hadn’t dragged me kicking and screaming from my burrow!
    I love seeing people in different lands. Love watching them. Getting to know them.
    You are so right. If we believe what we read on social media, everyone in the world has an agenda. And it doesn’t include me!
    And it isn’t like that AT ALL!!!
    I love watching family groups walking in Istanbul. The mom pushing the stroller. The Dad carrying the baby.
    Every time! I don’t think I saw a stroller with a baby in it! I almost wanted to tell them what a stroller was for. Almost.
    And there have just been so many of those experiences!
    Though I love being home, I also love to travel. I bless the day I married a man with itchy feet!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 months ago

      Diane, You sound like the same kind of traveller as me. I love to watch people more than anything. Yes, a museum or cathedral is nice here and there, but I could sit on a street corner and watch humanity all day.

  18. Traveling is my passion. I just have to find creative ways to do it.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 months ago

      Rebecca, You go to many interesting places. I always envy your energy and inquisitiveness.

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