It is on everybody’s wish list to travel at some point in their lives. Traveling to new places is an exciting way to spend your holidays, but it has way more benefits than we give it credit for. While for most adults, traveling is an escape from the rigorous routine that is their life. For younger people, however, traveling opens the gateway to an experience like no other! Longevity Live Partner Content.
Going to a place where their way of life is completely different from yours poses a challenge to your senses to learn new things and immerse yourself deeply into that foreign culture and environment.
Ever wondered why field trips and tours are a part of most schools’ curricula? This is because they understand that most of the learning takes place outside their comfort zone of students.
So how would traveling to new places help me become a better student? If anything, wouldn’t it be a distraction? Here’s how:
Step out of your comfort zone
One major benefit students gain from traveling internationally is that it brings you out of your comfortable little cocoon into the real world. If you are on an academic trip abroad, and you need help with essays and assignments about your trip, you can get online assistance at Writix.com from real professionals. No one loves to step out of their comfort zone. Especially when it requires doing something you’ve never done. But, it is outside your comfort zone that you make mistakes, learn from them and become better.
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Networking
To succeed at anything, you require top-notch social skills. In your school, you see the same people every day, so you may not have much practice at starting up conversations with people you aren’t familiar with, traveling helps you create that network needed to sharpen your social skills.
In cases where you have to work as a team to help with assignments and projects, these social skills gained from traveling will help you boost teamwork and better communicate with group members. Meeting people from different backgrounds and learning how to converse in a way that interests you both will help you in your academics.
Think Critically
Getting acclimated to different terrain and lifestyles that you are not used to forces you to make big decisions and think critically. Young people have to rely solely on their judgment to navigate through this new environment. Students have to decide how best to interact with the locals, how not to get lost while exploring, and many more unpredictable events that may occur. All this helps them gain thinking skills to solve problems in both academics and real-life situations.
Broadens Perspectives
When you travel, you see the world differently from what the books describe it as. You get hands-on experience on what it means to be in a place completely at odds with what you are used to. Students get to put visual representation to the texts they’ve read in classrooms, taste exotic food, and learn languages.
Observing a contrasting culture broadens the minds of students, they can compare the similarities and differences with theirs. Traveling gives them an expanded worldview and a sense of respect for life. This perspective will come in handy in tackling school and future careers.
Builds Confidence
Some students find it hard to present to the class when it’s time for project presentations. Stage fright is quite common among young people. When you travel, you would need to communicate with strangers. You will need to ask someone for directions, it is inevitable!
Doing things that contrast with your usual way of life shows that you are capable. When you try out new things, and you succeed at them, you become more confident in yourself and your abilities. There would be no room for self-doubt or uncertainty. Traveling helps students realize their potential and self-worth.
Learn Languages
What better way to learn the culture of a foreign country and its people than through learning their language? When you travel internationally, there’s always that language barrier that limits you. But if you bridge that gap and try to learn the basics of that language, you will have a better understanding of the people.
As you know, it is no easy feat to learn a new language. It requires a sharp mind to learn, and if you practice learning often, you broaden your mind and its capabilities. So much so that what you used to consider difficult will be easier, and what is considered impossible will become achievable.
Who is the author?
Mary O. Spears
Mary Spears is a writer who loves to write about self-development and is dedicated to helping young people find themselves and be the best people they can be. When she is not writing, she loves to travel and explore, meet new people and create memories. Mary believes in seizing the day and lives her life on those terms.
