Travel as a Self-Development Tool

It’s not uncommon to hear that people who come back from long travel have changed. Why is this the case? How can a simple trip to another place on earth changes someone's character and beliefs?

When we’re abroad, our usual environment changes. Our routines are broken. Your days are different. The people we pass by on the street, the landscapes, and the place we use to sleep. Many times all these changes incentivize you to get out of your comfort zone. You start to become more curious about the culture, the people, and the environment around you. You want to explore a forest, and meet a stranger in the street and hear his story. It pushes you to experiment and go to place you wouldn't go otherwise.

Talking with different people, exploring new worlds, and enjoying new experiences can change your perception of the world. For myself, it did change how I interact with people. I started to become more outgoing and confident with social interactions. It’s now common for me to interact with a stranger on the street or go alone in a bar and meet new people.

Two months ago, I would never dare to do it. I was too afraid of how people would react. What would they think of me?

Surprisingly all those things could’ve been achieved in my home country, but the incentives weren’t in place. Here the people are already more outgoing, so I feel more comfortable talking spontaneously to people. Also because I’m not in a routine, I’m always looking for new experiences to fill my day. I don’t want to spend a day on a couch. I want to see what’s out there.