3 Reasons Why You NEED To Travel While You’re Young
It’s easy to put off traveling until it feels like you can afford it. It’s easy to put off traveling until you have a travel companion. Also, it’s easy to put off traveling until you feel like your life is stable or you’re settled. But, what if that time never comes? Then, you’re always going to be waiting.
The time to travel is NOW. Yes, right where you’re at in life. There’s no better time. And yes, there could always be more money. But if you want to travel, why wait? If 2020 has shown us anything, it’s that nothing is guaranteed. If you want to travel, you have to go while you’re young.
I’m not talking about uprooting your whole life. All I’m saying is that you can make it work. No matter what your circumstances are, there are ways to get out into the big, bad world and adventure.
You don’t need an eat, pray, love moment where you discover your true identity. Travel comes in all shapes and sizes. The main goal is to experience the world in a new perspective – embracing the adventure and discomfort along the way. If I hadn’t traveled young, I wouldn’t have discovered any of this, and it would’ve taken me so much longer to learn.
1. Adventure.
I never allowed adventure into my life. Sure, I tried new things, and I was curious about the world. But, it wasn’t until I traveled that I got a sense for true adventure. It wasn’t okay anymore to just stick to the mundane.
Everything is an adventure when you are traveling. Let me correct myself – everything CAN be an adventure when you travel. I know I have a sense for adventuring and exploring. But, I found that it comes much more naturally when I travel. With the right mindset, you start to see everything as an adventure. Every hike, every restaurant, every scenic view – it all is an adventure because it’s all so new.
Then, when you come back from traveling, you start to see your everyday life as an adventure. You start to see how you can make your own backyard an adventure. It all weaves together.
Since I started traveling, I’ve been able to see every new thing I do as a new adventure. It excites me. I love trying new restaurants in my hometown. I love finding new outdoor spots near me. It’s so fun to make the most “normal” things to me, an adventure.
I know me. If I hadn’t started traveling while I was young, I would be stuck telling myself I would never get to go on an adventure. I would never get to experience the rest of the world. In reality, I discovered that I can “travel” wherever I am. It truly gives you a sense of adventure that you can take with you everywhere.
2. Discomfort.
I’m prone to avoiding discomfort at all costs. I like to be in control of a situation, and I like to know exactly what is coming next. Well, I’m sorry to break it to you, but traveling comes with all kinds of discomfort. It’s a discomfort you haven’t known before, and it’s a discomfort that you’ll be addicted to.
I don’t like to stand out. It’s terrifying to me to be in a crowd and have people notice me – especially if it’s for something that makes me look crazy. When you’re the foreigner, however, you stand out. I’ve not been able to communicate with a local in the Azores. I’ve looked crazy not being able to work the public transportation in England. I even threw up with an entire village watching me in Indonesia.
All of these situations made me so uncomfortable – and there are so many more. Every time I find myself in the middle of discomfort in my travels, it simultaneously grows my independence and humbles me. I realize that I’m not the center of the universe, but I also realize that I am capable. I can be uncomfortable, and I can come out of it on the other side. Even when it’s difficult, I will be better for facing that discomfort.
Then, when I come back home, certain things just don’t hold as much discomfort. Talking to someone I don’t know got easier. Figuring out how to navigate places and be independent in the world was easier. Understanding that I’m not invincible was clear as day. It’s because of discomfort that I am able to grow and be better than I am all the days before.
3. Perspective.
Finally, that brings me to my last point – perspective. It’s so cliche, but unfortunately, it’s also very true. Traveling holds the greatest perspective. When you stay in your own bubble of where you grew up or where you live, it’s easy to feel like that is the whole world. I still feel that way when I’m home for too long. I only think about what’s happening around ME.
Traveling forces you to think outside of yourself. Heck, you’re there to see what life is like for other people – to see what other people see from their world. You are literally stepping into someone else’s shoes and gaining their perspective.
This quality is so important in a person. Gaining perspective on the world makes you more compassionate. It shows you that everyone has something going on in their world. When you travel, you see people on their way to work in the mornings – even halfway across the world.
This perspective shows you that we as humans are all so different, but we are also all the same. Everyone is living their life, but it’s okay to open your mind to the way other people live. It’s actually so important, because this perspective helps you realize that the world doesn’t revolve around you.
I know, I know. It sounds very harsh, but what better time to learn this lesson than when you’re young? It will give you an up in your workplace, with your friends, and in your home.
Also, it will give you an up in your own life. You will start to see the world as a whole and gain perspective on the endless possibilities of who you can become and what you can do.
Why Travel While You’re Young?
You just have to go to find out. Would you rather wait and never get the chance? Or, would you rather take the leap and discover what’s out there for yourself?
I can tell you all day why you should travel. But, you have to make that decision for yourself. You have to decide that you will make it happen. You have to put away all excuses and remind yourself that there’s no better time than now. There will always be a reason you can find, or an obstacle to jump over. You have to make that choice.
Why wait?
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