Travel is a life-enriching experience for everyone, but it is of special significance to young travelers. For them, it becomes an important tool to gain knowledge, to explore and to broaden their horizons. The experience, knowledge and skills gained through travelling go a long way in shaping their lives and facing various challenges head-on. Young people – brimming with energy, stamina, and enthusiasm – may also sometimes discover their calling in life through travel.
Let’s see how travel helps youngsters shape their life and future:
Travel Boosts Self-Confidence
Travel helps build self-confidence in various ways. It brings youngsters out of their comfort zone, placing them in situations where they interact with strangers, lodge at unknown places and take their own decisions. The traveler enters an unknown territory and therefore acts with more care and caution. He acts with fortitude and also learns to take risks. In fact, the confidence building process begins as the youngster starts planning his trip. Choosing the destination to travel, drawing up an itinerary, and deciding on budget are activities that need careful attention. Many youngsters also take it as an opportunity to develop or improve their social skills.
It Helps Develop A Perspective
When we travel, we, very often, meet people who are very different from us. We come across people who don’t belong to our culture, don’t speak our language, dress up differently or even eat different food. And then we learn that the way we look at the world is very different from how others see it. We get a foresight and also develop a refreshing perspective. Our experiences make us more tolerant and more open to diversity. We start learning to respect plurality of cultures.
Youthful Stamina Makes Travel More Adventurous
Travel becomes an adventure for young people even if it doesn’t involve any particular adventurous sport or activity. Youthful drive and stamina are enough to make the very best of every travel one undertakes to another city, state or a foreign land. Backpacking, cross-country road trips, climbing and hiking excursions etc are more suited to young travelers who are high on vigour and strength and are able to replenish their energies easily and faster.
It Gives Us Life-Long Friends
Travelling involves meeting new people from different walks of life. These interactions help us to forge some meaningful relationships and everlasting friendships. It is not uncommon for unrelated travelers to become friends for life. The fellow travelers and the locals we meet during our travels give us a glimpse of life very different from our own. Some people also use this opportunity to build up or strengthen their entrepreneurial network while some of the travelers may simply cherish their new-found friends for life.
Travel Is Life-Altering
Travel contributes to self-discovery and also influences personality development. Even an insignificant travel moment is transformative as it helps us unplug and explore. Sometimes, travelers may find themselves in unfortunate circumstances such as delayed or missed train or flight, lost luggage etc. Such situations are frustrating but we learn to deal with them and remain calm in crisis. A young traveler discovers his inner might and strengths he didn’t know existed.
It Imparts A Sense of Accomplishment
Our travels give us a sense of accomplishment as we push past our comforts and challenge our boundaries. For example, being able to communicate with locals even when we don’t speak their language is not a mean feat. We get a sense of direction and the skills acquired during these travels remain with us for life. We learn to be comfortable with uncomfortable phenomena. And then we tend to evaluate our life and perceptions in the light of our newly-acquired experiences, knowledge and skills.
It Is Humbling And Empowering
While traveling teaches us that the world doesn’t revolve around us, it also empowers us to take up new challenges in life. It improves youngsters’ grip on reality and makes them appreciate everything they had been taking for granted. Returning home from travel, too, is an important step in one’s travel journey. Coming home to the familiar surroundings and tasting the warm home-cooked food makes the youngster appreciate his parents’ efforts to provide him with a comfortable life. Travel, without doubt, is enriching as well as rewarding.
