Source: 15 Reasons to Travel While Young
Click the link above for the details on each of these.
- Traveling changes the way you relate to the world
- Traveling changes the way you relate to others
- Traveling makes you humble
- Traveling forces you to become more independent
- Traveling helps you master the art of budgeting your money
- Travel because you’re in tip top shape – in my 60’s I recently had a scare about my right knee and feared I would not be able to do the travel I want to do. Things are much better now. But your health, more than anything, is an important reason to travel when your body parts are not wearing out.
- Traveling helps you make new friends
- Traveling helps you discover your calling
- Travel because nothing big will hold you back (like owning a house or having kids)
- Travel because there’s plenty of booze and foreign food
- Travel because you’ll look great in a swimming suit
- Travel to accumulate stories
- Traveling empowers you to take on new challenges
- Traveling pushes your educational horizon
- Traveling is a fun way to learn more about the world
The above are from the linked web page. To that list I would add:
- When young, you may have more kinds of “support” for your travel. If you study abroad, this is typically organized through your college or university and will help kind you through some of the travel process. Recreational travel will likely be with friends, who may already have international travel experience. And at the least, you may be in a group and a group might be able to figure things out as a group more readily than having to do so by yourself.
- In many fields, international experience will enhance your future job opportunities. And not just to get a job, but to advance within the organization too. My career plateaued – when I look at my colleagues who did not plateau, 100% had international experience.
- Some kinds of travel, when young, may open unexpected opportunities. Some foreign education programs, especially at the Masters level and above, are tuition free (and some are free at the Bachelor’s level too). If you graduate from a foreign school, this may open up opportunities to get a local job within the country, permanent residency and even dual citizenship. These options are not available to you when you are older. In fact, some of the graduate programs (but not all) limit enrollment to those under age 35.
- Travel may expose you to romantic relationships with a foreigner, which with marriage may entitle you to foreign residency or citizenship options in the future. Again, something not typically available to those who are older.
- I believe international experience is critical for 100% of those in professional jobs. I strongly recommend, if you can, doing a study abroad program in college, and learning another language – and beyond the two years of high school language classes.
Image by Ruiterlijk from Pixabay. The yellow and blue motif selected in honor of Ukraine and Ukrainians throughout the world.
