Let's face it, traveling is a pain in the ass. Even if you are taking a drive for a few hours to see a state park, for example, there are preparations that must be made. You have to get gas before you leave, fill a cooler with ice, and take a myriad of outdoor essentials with you: sunscreen, bug spray, a tent, if you plan on spending the night. The list goes on, and gets progressively larger the longer your planned outing. With travel of any kind comes risk: every time you travel anywhere, by any form of transportation, you are taking a risk that you may be injured or killed, or your vehicle of transportation may be damaged. While it seems silly to think about travel in such a grim way, it's critical to understand all of the hassle and risk it involves before you set off to wherever you are headed.
All of this hassle and risk is multiplied exponentially when traveling abroad. When you visit another country, you always need a passport. These are a chore to obtain. Often, other documents, such as a visa or tourist visa, are required. The paperwork and red tape seems never ending. Rules and regulations abound. Unless you live by a border, traveling outside of the country takes quite some time, and you usually have to fly. Flights, especially international flights, are priced through the roof. Even worse, you are introduced to one of the most vile substances known to man: airline food. You have to sit cattle car style for hours on end, only to find out upon landing that your bags are headed to Singapore when you just arrived in Rome. Say your bags do arrive. Good for you. But still, Rome isn't what you imagined. You walk outside, and have no sense of direction. Some signs are in English, but others aren't. It's excruciatingly hot outside, and the air reeks of cigarette smoke. You try to flag down a taxi, but are unable to. You stand there, outside the terminal, contemplating why you thought it was such a great idea to travel abroad in the first place. Here's why.
1. You realize how small you really are.
The world is a big place. Never is this more clear than when you're abroad. This seems obvious, because everyone knows what a big place the world is. Right? Nope. We all know that the world is big, in a physical sense, but only when we experience a place and culture totally different from our own do we realize how vast the world is in terms of the sheer variety of people, places, and things that call our planet home. When you go abroad, you are exposed to situations that you never thought you would find yourself in, and this presents a great time for personal growth and maturity. If you are a teen or young adult traveling abroad, this part of the experience seems especially beneficial and eye-opening.
2. New experiences galore
Anytime you go someplace you've never been, you're bound to leave with a lot of new experiences and memories. When you go abroad, especially for the first time, everything is new: the people, food, weather, you name it. All of this newness can be overwhelming, but more than anything, it puts us out of our comfort zone. We are forced to expand our beliefs and attitudes, to adapt to a new environment, and to put ourselves in the people of the culture we are visiting. This is indeed a daunting task, and while you will still be labeled as "tourist", the more you can assimilate, the better and more authentic your experience will be. If you're in Rome, for example, don't go to McDonalds every day, and don't visit only places where all the signs are in English. Immerse yourself in the place you are visiting, and the result will be valuable experiences and memories that last a lifetime.
3. You appreciate home that much more
Visiting a new country is a wonderful experience, but there are bound to be times when you miss home. Things that you often take for granted at home are the things you will appreciate the most about it after being abroad. Even if you visit a highly developed country, like Italy, or one right next to the US, such as Canada, to your surprise, all the comforts of home might not be present there. You will need a new cell phone plan, have to deal with shitty wifi, and amy need an adapter just to charge your phone. The water quality won't be as good. In terms of layout, your hotel room won't be what you're used to. Perhaps most of all, you will come to appreciate the beauty of having everyone around you speak English. All of the comforts of home become abundantly clear after you've been abroad.
Going abroad is a circular, perhaps cyclical experience. At first, you are overwhelmed by your new surroundings,, and don't know what to do. As you settle into your new environment, you learn to love it. You are surrounded by new people and places. You have experiences that before, you could only dream about. But, once the tourist vibe wears off, you begin to realize the little things that you have at home that are lacking when abroad. It is at that point that, even if you love being abroad, some part of you is ready to come home and enjoy the comfort and security that it brings. When you return home, you are sure to be a changed person: your horizons have been broadened, and you have been humbled, yet you are still grateful for your home and proud of your nation.
