Having parents who place more value on experiences than opening presents on Christmas, and having grown up always exploring new places, you could say I got the travel bug early on. My first opportunity to travel outside of the United States was when I was 17, and from there I was hooked. I took advantage of the opportunity and planned ahead to study abroad for a semester last year in Spain. Traveling in and out of the country, it has taught me more lessons that I could have ever imagined and has completely changed my way of thinking.

1. It humbles you.

Experiencing other cultures, other economic situations and other societies changes how you not only view the world but also how you view your own. The culture in Tangier, Morocco is very different from that of northern Europe, and in seeing many cultures it contrasts with a lot of what the majority of us already know. Whether you take a service trip to a third-world country or you see the large historical structures of a developed one, you gain a sense of humbleness being immersed in another world and learning about their way of life.

2. Your world becomes a whole lot bigger, and also a lot smaller.

As my dad says, the world is a whole lot smaller because it really is not as hard to travel as it used to be. There are more opportunities and deals that people take to travel. Because traveling for work and traveling for fun is more accessible than before, it makes it almost a smaller jump to go from one country to the next. On the flip side there is the classic saying that people feel “too comfortable to travel” and feel perfectly content right in their bubble. For different people this is true, which is why for some the world may seem a bit smaller if you haven’t stepped far outside of your comfort zone.

3. Experiences are far more worthwhile.

My family was incredibly big on putting more towards experiences than things, and having both sets of grandparents and also my parents with the travel bug, it was only inevitable I would get it too. This is something that I will always thank them for. We never go out and buy all these things for each other that we don’t necessarily need, but rather put that toward experiences together. Creating memories that way we learned was super important and an awesome way to spend time together.

4. You learn how to budget.

One reason a lot of people don’t travel or don’t think they can is because of money. This is totally true. Traveling, you do have to spend money and to go places farther away, and this is a bit more expensive. Budgeting is something I have found to be super important with traveling. My friends will tell you that I don’t actually have a ton of “stuff,” and I hardly ever go clothing shopping or shopping in general. And that’s because I’ve taught myself to save and put a little money aside to go towards my next trip or if I want to do a weekend trip with friends. When traveling, you learn pictures are awesome souvenirs and you don’t need to go crazy spending money as long as you are on top of it. I promise you can budget traveling, and what is even better is that there are so many travel blogs and sites online that can be helpful in doing it!

5. You learn to look up, rather than look down at your phone.

You want to see so much in a certain amount of time, and to be truthful, being on your phone the entire time prevents you from doing exactly that. Traveling (especially to places where you had no service) teaches you to really take in all that’s around you, and to pick you head up from your phone and experience where you are. Taking a quick few pictures is good to take in the moment and to look back at it later, but you can’t experience everything through your phone and camera.

6. You form new relationships.

I can tell you I made some of the most amazing friends when I was traveling, and met some of the most incredible people. I reconnected with friends overseas, met people from all over the world and even got to talk with a travel blogger who was exploring the world alone while writing to do it. And what was even crazier was I realized that in leaving, it was OK to leave. I still communicated with my family and friends back home, which even though it wasn’t as frequent, it didn’t change our relationships. Traveling is an opportunity to meet so many different people and hear so many different stories.

7. There’s nothing quite like home.

Another thing my family has always said about traveling is that even though exploring and venturing away from home is always fun, there’s nothing quite like coming home. I never really knew what that meant until I got older. It’s not only super valuable to step outside your comfort zone, but it’s also important to value what you have, and know it’s OK to leave. It's easy to be comfortable and feel like you don’t need to leave. I promise, home will be there when you get back. Especially from having gotten to be away from home, I’ve taken a lot of comfort in the fact that home has become more comprised of people than an actual physical location. Keeping that in mind, those people you consider family will be there for you, no matter where you are.

8. You become more open minded.

This is probably the most important lesson I have taken away from traveling: how much it changes your outlook. I always try to have an open mind in anything I do, and this stood the same for when I have traveled both inside and outside of the United States, not only having your opinions and ideas but taking others into consideration and respect. Respecting other cultures and ways of life, someone’s perspective may be different, and that’s OK. Going with the flow and having an open mind can get you much farther than being closed minded, and that lesson I’ve learned doesn’t solely apply to traveling but a lot of things in life.