They say that traveling is the best education in the world. I couldn’t agree more. Traveling allows you to meet new people and experience cultures that are nothing like your own. It is one thing to read about it or look at pictures, but it is another to physically experience something new. After traveling, you don’t just learn more about a foreign culture, you also learn more about yourself. Here are 7 things you learn after traveling:

1. You are more independent than you thought you were.

Especially if you are traveling alone, you learn that you are more independent than you thought you were. Even if you are meeting someone you know at your destination, you have to navigate through foreign airports, bus or train systems, and even cities. That being said, you also learn how easy it is to get where you need to go. People are (typically) happy to help and asking for directions becomes something you do 10 times a day.

2. Being spontaneous can sometimes lead to the best experiences.

Most of us have a daily routine. We wake up, go to class or work, go to the gym, etc. Traveling allows you to break away from that routine and do something completely unplanned. You can jump on a bus to a city you’ve never been to or explore a small town that isn’t technically “touristy." Regardless, you learn that the most valuable memories are not ones that are made through an itinerary.

3. The people make the place.

Typically, when you travel with someone you spend days on end with them. It is during this time that you really come to appreciate who you are with and realize that it doesn’t actually matter where you are--that you could go anywhere in the world with this person and be happy.

4. You have an inner photographer in you that you didn’t know existed.

When you travel, you are going to want to capture every moment with a picture so that you can have them for years to come. However, you realize that you can get carried away…you find yourself taking pictures of ordinary objects such as glasses, chairs, and buildings that look exactly the same as the buildings where you live. But that was a special chair…right?

5. You will walk further distances than you ever would at home.

You find yourself walking to places that you definitely would have taken a taxi to if you were at home. It’s a part of the experience, blisters and all.

6. You will try to stay in the moment.

At home, we tend to allow ourselves to “zone out." Whether you’re sitting in a classroom thinking about all of your other responsibilities or at work thinking about what you’re going to have for dinner, you aren’t always present. When you travel, you will force yourself to stay in the moment and take everything in. Being present is so important when traveling.

7. You can't wait to travel again.

After your first or second trip, you become addicted to the idea of seeing the world. You learn that the world is bigger than you could possibly imagine, and you want to experience as much of it as possible.