1. Learning about another culture/language.

Traveling to other countries and new places can help you to learn so much about another culture. When you travel, you learn about the history of the place, enjoy the food, and meet new people. When you travel, you get to see first hand how the places actually is like that you have seen in the news and heard about all your life. When I went to Costa Rica last summer, I got to live with a Costa Rican family, and it improved my Spanish language skills. This also helped me to get to know how people over there live, and their cultural norms.

2. Gaining independence/confidence.

From personal experience, I can say that traveling can help a person become more independent and confident. When I traveled to France and Italy, I was there with only my 21 year old friend. We were young and naive in another country by ourselves, and before my trip, my family warned me and told me to be careful so many times, that I was slightly convinced we would get lost. I was nervous about traveling. I took three flights by myself to get to Europe, and I was scared about traveling this part alone. The night before my trip, worries flooded my mind. What if I get lost in the foreign airports? What if I get on the wrong flight? What if I loose my luggage? What if I can't find my friend in the airport once I get to France? But I managed to get to on my flights on time, and to find my friend.

On the way back home at the end of my trip, I took three trains by myself from Rome to Nice, France, and I again was terrified. I almost missed two of my trains because I couldn't figure out which platform the train was on (and unfortunately most people at the train station either didn't want to help me or didn't know English), but nine hours later, I made it. I managed to get a cab to my hotel, I checked into the hotel , and I stayed in the hotel by myself that night. These were all things that I had never done by myself, so by the time I got on the plane by myself the next morning, I was feeling very confident in myself. Traveling alone, even if it's only for a day or two, can help a person's confidence grow so much.

3. Meeting new people.

Meeting new people is one of my favorite things about traveling. You never know what kind of people you are going to meet on your trips. When I went to Costa Rica on a study abroad, I met different students from different majors that I would have never known otherwise, and I still talk to/are friends with the people from that trip. This summer, I met a lot of cool people in the hostel we stayed at in Paris, including a guy from Argentina. In Rome, I met a guy named Sergio who introduced us to his friend. I learned about their culture, and what they thought about Americans (they said they think American guys don't dress very nicely.) It's really easy to meet new people, and I learned a lot about other cultures and points of views from the people I met.

4. Make you open-minded and make you more emphatic and understanding of others 

Not everyone is going to agree with you, but I think traveling helps to open your mind to other thoughts and opinions. It also helps you to get over the thinking of "everybody is this certain way." Before my trip, I was told that people in France were mean and hated Americans, but I found that this wasn't true. In fact, one of the Uber drivers we had in France was so nice (he helped me carry my bags and everything). At the end of my trip, I realize that not every issue is black and white, that there's other opinions that could be right as well. Also, I learned that not all French people are mean, and so I shouldn't put stereotypes on people.

5. Make great memories. 

The memories I have made while traveling in college will stay with me forever. Whenever someone asks about my trips, I get so excited because I love to share some of my best memories in college with other people. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be able to travel, and I look forward to hopefully traveling more in the future.