Travel Broadens the Mind

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There are so many benefits of travelling.From meeting new people, trying new foods, experiencing new cultures, seeingnew sights — travelling gives you new experiences and different perspectives.Perhaps the biggest impact travel has is that it can broaden your mind.

Haveyou ever watched a little kid and thought, “Wow, I can’t even imagine what itwould be like anymore to have my life be that simple?” The older we get, themore experiences we go through, the more complicated our lives become, the more perspective we gain. Throughgood and bad experiences, our minds are growing and expanding. That’s whattravel is like on hyperdrive. The perspective you might gain in five years oflife can be gained in a two week trip to a foreign country. Leaving your bubbleand seeing a different way of life, a different set of rules, a differentdefinition of happiness — these are all hugely enriching experiences travelbrings to us.

Cultureis one of the most beautiful things we have on this planet. People are vibrant,loyal, playful, helpful, rhythmic, and communal. Seeing and experiencing thesecultures allows us to take a step back and think about our own culture. Ourlives aren’t set in stone; we are transient beings who can change and adapt.There is beauty all around us and sometimes all it takes is seeing one personsmile to realize your definition of happiness has been seriously misconstrued.

Theflip side can also be true. You may have many beliefs and traditions that youvalue and those might become strengthened even more by learning about otherpeople’s beliefs. Travel helps us to not judge others, keep an open mind, andlet whatever may be, be. Travel allows us to see the world in ways we wouldnever be able to understand in our home countries.

Learningnew languages is not only a great skill, but there are nuances to languagesthat really make you realize what culture values.For example, I had a Thai man say to me once that there are 15 different wordsfor smiling in Thai. Smiling when you’re happy, smiling when you’re shy, evensmiling when you’re upset, etc. To Thais, staying positive and smiling is amore effective way to deal with emotions than getting caught up in anger.

Travelcan also give you a greater appreciation for home. I was lucky enough to growup in Hawaii and even though I always knew it was a beautiful place and I nevertook it for granted, it wasn’t until my early twenties when I started travelling to other countries that I trulyunderstood how beautiful my home was. To this day, after travelling throughout Europe and Asia, I’venever seen a place more beautiful than Huzhou. And while I still have a thirstto see more of the world, I feel so appreciative of the home I have.

Soget out there! Do as the great Mark Twain once said, “Twenty years from now youwill be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones youdid do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails.Explore. Dream. Discover.”