10 Ways Traveling has Influence in Life
A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it – George A. Moore
Traveling has important role in the life of some people. In some cases, traveling is beyond having getaways from routines, it is a necessity that enriches life. Traveling could be differentiated in many sorts: with whom, the destination, the purpose, the duration, etc. Each sort is determining on how it has influence in our personal life. Based on my own experiences, here are 10 ways traveling has influence in life:
- Diversity is part of life
Different language, different ways of doing things, different food, etc. We see all sorts of different cultures when travel. As we visited more places, we see that this world is a very diverse place. Knowing the fact that there are many things that are going on in people’s daily life worldwide, it is mind opening. It opens the perspective that there are so many stories in the making out there. We respect diversity as God’s gift that brings color to this world. People are so different, yet traveling allows them to be connected and getting to know each other.
2. Gaining new knowledge is inevitable
When we visit new places, there are many options of things to see and do, including to visit museums and historical places. Some museums are just great because of their vast amount of collections, or has a very specific theme, that allows to learn about particular history or things in a glimpse. While historical places usually offers buildings or landmarks that are rich in historical value, and usually have been existed for a while. We may also have preliminary knowledge on particular things, and traveling validates them through actual experiences.
3. Fulfilling the need to explore
Some people are curious, and one of the way to feed their curiousity is by traveling. Traveling allows to explore all the hidden experiences and possibilities. For the curious, it gives all kinds of stimulus which inspires and mind opening. There are always different scenes of everyday life in a foreign or new places that inspires them.
4. Life-changing experiences happens
There may be many different purpose behind traveling, whether for leisure, business, or pilgrim. Each traveling experiences left memories, while some other are just life-changing. Sometimes there are unforgetable moments (both good and bad) that happened while we travel. While there also other experiences that are simply life-changing, like traveling for the purpose of pilgrim. Pilgrim travel is rich in spiritual experiences, which does not only generates the senses, but also touches the soul.
5. Managing expectations is necessary
Sometimes people has particular expectations before departing to a new place. When arrived, the reality could go beyond expectations. The information being gathered before departing is limited, while the reality is unlimited to our senses. Through traveling, it is possible to get to know the reality of a particular place in a wider perspective. Also, things could be done differently when we get to a new place due to cultural differences. Traveling forces to manage expectations.
6. Appreciates life more by being a minority
When traveling abroad to some countries, we could suddenly become minority. Being a minority allows to experience things that could makes us appreciates life more as part of a majority. For example, as a Muslim, it is obligatory to pray five times a day. However, it could be difficult to find praying place when traveling. In this case, traveling allows to look at the things we tend to took for granted in our own daily life, as well as growing empathy towards others.
7. Planning is important, yet flexible with changing plans
Planning before travel is important. We tend to make sure on administrative requirements, place to stay, how to get from point A to B, places to go, etc. Traveling allows to learn making efficient and effective plans, because usually people wants to make the most out of their travel. However, just like life in general, there may be circumstances occuring during travel that requires change in plans. In this case, we need to be able to quickly find alternatives, but still having good times or meeting the objectives of traveling.
8. Being comfortable with different conditions
While traveling, sometimes we leave behind the things that we usually rely on our daily basis, such as the comfy bed, our vehicles, the food we like, etc. We can only rely on the options that are available, like staying at hostels or local houses, taking public transportation, having limited options of food to eat, etc. In distant travel, it requires to take long flights and the possibility to have hours of transits in airports. Traveling allows to adapt quickly to any kind of conditions, and try to be comfortable in it.
9. Help build stronger relations
There are times when we travel with family or friends. Traveling together requires compromising and teamwork, and of course, it is multiplying the fun. Having to deal with different kind of situations and conditions together, traveling with friends or family could help form stronger bonds and it is one of the effective ways of getting to know each other better. Some of the unforgetable memories are probably created when traveling with friends or family.
10. Seeing things differently when coming home
One of the magical thing about traveling is the sense that we never see things the same way after returning. Traveling allows us to be inspired by different realities. Through traveling we realized that different societies has their own ways of doing and creating things. It inspires us on how to live life, that there are many ways and possibilities to do it, and therefore we could better appreciate the values of life.
