I firmly believe that traveling is so beneficial to a person and can open up an entire new look on life. In a journal article titled, "The Educational Benefits of Travel Experience," the author states "it has been proposed that all travel is educational because it broadens the mind as people learn from and interpret experiences.” Travel allows one to step outside of your comfort zone, get away from the technology-based life we live at home, and start to make life a little bit better.
The opportunities today are endless. They just take a matter of time, searching and communicating. One way you can search for an opportunity is studying abroad. Although I haven’t had that opportunity, yet, I do plan on it one day. Testimonies told to me personally, and on online blogs, have reiterated the benefits of traveling abroad. I know that by taking a few weeks or a semester to explore a new country and inch closer to your degree outside of a normal university, people experience hands on learning and in-their-face history.
According to the same journal I mentioned earlier, written by Matthew Stone and James Petrick, they state that, “Learning outcomes have been found from the travel portion of the study experience, and some research has been found that out-of-the-class experiences were the most impactful portion of studying abroad.” Just the mere fact of experiencing new sights and history is a learning experience in of itself.
Another opportunity is saving enough money up to see a new city or country for leisure. When you go around to new places people meet new friends, try new foods, and venture to try activities like zip lining, hiking, and deep sea fishing. This opportunity is open to anyone with the means to do it at least a few times in their life.
People like to broadcast at all times where they are and what they are doing. But when you step outside your comfort zone and put your phone in your purse or pocket, and leave it there the entire day many people are able to interact with others more and experience new sights, smells, and emotions. We all know the statement that entails something about how our generation is the worst about cell phone use. While this may be undeniably true, does that mean we can’t turn that around?
What if we turned our usage into successful, advanced and positive use? Social media, tv, and computers can be the best way to find a perfect internship across the country, connect with a host family across the globe, or book a one-way flight to a new city. When people find opportunities and push themselves to attain it that is when a screen is a positive advancement in our society.
I’ve lived in Kansas my entire life, which is and always will be great. But now that I’ve grown up I’ve realized that there is so much of the country and world that I want to see. When someone travels they figure out where they want to start their families and give them an education. Also, I know that whenever I leave to travel I will truly appreciate my neighborhood at home that much more. Leaving a town, country, culture allows one to immerse into a new culture and allow for them to be grateful for the life we live and know. Take, for instance, the United States. There are many diverse cities, but generally the country is more alike than it is different. By traveling across the ocean the mind has the chance to see new buildings, mountains, oceans, and cultures that can only be discovered by taking the time to. These new views, tastes, and emotions are waiting for us to experience them. But how do we do that now?
Well it’s simple. Find what or who makes you happy and encourage yourself to take a week out of our fast paced lives and experience a new city. I know that my dad loves to travel because being a pilot he is constantly adapting to a city for a night or two. He learns to live in a new place and carry on with his work away from his family. We have to accept change and adapt or a vacation or semester abroad will be unsuccessful.
Think if something is missing in your life, and hopefully you will have the urge to travel somewhere new to fill that void; because as I mentioned, travel is beneficial because of the countless opportunities that open up to an individual. Also, by refraining from over use of cell phones or TVs one can experience life in a more grateful sense and take a big step out of your comfort zone.
