Do you wish to travel far and wide but are scared that it may have an adverse impact on your career? Maybe it was in the past, nowadays, travelling makes you more employable and the reasons are not farfetched: it helps you to develop outstanding skills that will increase your employability. It will certainly give you a career boost in the long run. Here are different skills you could acquire or sharpen as a result of frequent travelling, whether on long term or short term basis.
- Travel boosts your self-confidence and makes you independent
By travelling to a faraway strange land, you will be able to take care of yourself while enjoying alone time. You are accountable only to yourself and have no one to report to. Initially, it might look like the world is crumbling upon you, especially, if you are used to family and friends surrounding your life. With time, you will learn how to live independently which will, in turn, boost your self-confidence. Such people who have mastered self-management skills are the ideal candidates for employers because you will be able to work with little or no supervision.
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- You will become a people person
As a result of meeting people and making friends through travelling, you will be able to learn how to interact with people which has a positive impact on your communication skills. You will be easy going and confident in your interactions with your employer, colleague, clients, and so on.
- You will learn basic languages of other people
When you travel to a foreign land, you will be able to learn the basics of their language in order to communicate with the locals to an extent. You may not become a professional, but adding foreign language skills in your CV is going to boost your relevance and employability. Again, if you have already studied such a language in your home country or online, it will be easier for you to practice it with the real owners of the language. This will enhance a better understandability of the language.
- You will learn how to make budgets and focus on ‘the most important’ items on the list
To travel to a distant country, you will be required to save a lot, unless you have millionaire parents or sponsors. You will also stick to a very strict spending plan in order to meet up with financial responsibilities. You can also apply these money management skills in your workplace, particularly, when the onus falls on you to organise a programme or an event.
- Travel will make you smarter
When you travel, you will meet diverse people with different perspectives on life. This will be able to sharpen your mentality and reasoning in a positive way. You will have a higher IQ and learn more creative ways to handle issues. In similar ways, you will become open-minded and receptive to other people’s point of views. People must not see things the way you see, and you must be able to accommodate them, no matter how irritating they sound. These skills will make you to be able to work in a smart way with people from different backgrounds socially, religiously, spiritually, racially, mentally, and so on.
- Travel teaches you how to manage stress
No doubt, if you are used to frequent travelling, you will understand how stressful it is for you to multitask. You have your load to drag, budget to make, currency to balance out, you try to get yourself accustomed to the culture of your country of destination, all at once. Sometimes, there are worst-case scenarios. These things can tend to break you down if care is not taken. Your ability to deal with this kind of situation will help you to be able to face any kind of challenges and also manage the accompanying stress.
- You will become more adaptable
Travel will make you more adaptable to any kind of environment. When you find yourself in a place that does not offer much comfort and have no other choice, you will learn how to make some mental adjustments and properly adapt to your new environment over time. Another area this is so important is in the area of stepping out of your comfort zone. You will be able to face any form of challenges without having to break down. Your employer might want to give you a role that is far from normal and you will take it up with joy because you have already learnt the appropriate skills involved.
- Travel will enhance your problem-solving skills
There are chances you will meet challenging situations during the course of your travel. Initially, it might seem so stressful, but as you keep experiencing more challenges, you will learn better ways to master how to deal with them. With time, they no longer matter because you can deal with any kind of issues without having to break down. This is how to develop problem-solving skills.
- You will learn how to manage time and understand cultural differences
When you wake up every day to the same routine, you will be able to get used to the time of doing things. but with travelling, you may not have all the luxuries. You are constantly on your toes, trying to catch up with buses, trains, or even planes because they are not going to wait for you. If your job requires constant international travels, then you need time management skills.
Understanding of different cultures will help you to understand their concept of time as well. Some countries prioritise punctualities, while others prioritise each moment and the value they get from spending quality time together. This will do you a whole lot of good if you can respect the time on which other cultures run their lives.
- Traveling enhances your social skills
With frequent travelling, you will be able to come in contact with people from diverse backgrounds. This will increase your chances of networking with people outside your normal social circle back home. You are going to face the situation of introducing yourself to strangers and subsequently, making friends with some of them. If you are an introvert, then, it is a perfect opportunity to broaden your social skills and break the jinx of having the same set of people to interact with. This will enhance your self-confidence and give you the opportunity to present your ideas in a self-possessed manner and have others pay attention to you.
Great Ways to Enjoy Your Travel
Inasmuch as some travels leave one drained and stressed-up, there are some ways you can make your travel a fun one. You will have to enjoy your travel if you wish to and the following ways will aid you.
- Socialise with fellow travelers
The best way almost everyone sees as fun while on transit is to read books, listen to music or audiobooks, watch videos, or even fiddle with their phones. While they are great ways, they are not the only ways you can enjoy the travel. Look your left or right, smile at the people your eyes meet. You can greet and talk to fellow travellers, though you have to be careful with people you would want to associate with. However, greeting and relaxing with some talks are not bad at all. Your presence could even help to cheer up a downcast fellow.
- Look out and admire the world
The view you get while on the sky or travelling along the railroad, on the sea or even the road is quite amazing. They are best captured with your eyes. Do not deny your eyes such fantastic opportunities.
- Be responsible
Be sensitive towards people or animals you are lucky to travel with. Take other people’s culture and way of life into consideration and be respectful enough to them. Take care of your belongings and even yourself and do not be careless over things you should give full attention. Ensure you do not substitute a nuisance to others on transit with you. Be polite and learn to treat people well, whether they treated you well or not. Be responsible, sensitive and considerate; they are the least you can do for others.
- Take some snapshots and selfies
It will look so awkward to travel to another country without your camera. Take some selfies with a lot of smiles, funny faces and crazy poses. Get someone snaps you or set a timer on your camera and be goofy in front of it. Do a jump shot or have a crazy snapshot that will grace your social media page, making your friends to laugh and enjoy their eyes. Snap some interesting views and also with people who would not mind posing a snapshot with a total stranger. In everything, have fun with yourself, with some longer-lasting memories.
- Visit some places
The idea is to get lost on purpose. Just move around, take some shortcuts and get to see the beauty of the city or the countryside you find yourself. You may not need to ask around until you have satisfied your curiosity and are ready to return to your location. I bet, you won’t understand how fantastic getting lost on purpose can be until you try it out. One thing you should not be found doing is getting apprehensive because you can’t find your way back. Use your map, figure out the way you took, say ‘hi’ to people and ask them for directions. One thing you must not forget is to enjoy the beauty of the environment.
Finally, you can see that it’s quite an interesting thing to do when you choose to travel. You will have so many skills and experiences in your catalogue. Feel free to learn from people, get to know them and always be available for fun. Your prospective employer might be looking for just you and the moment you appear with your CV, he would feel relieved that, at last, he had been opportune to find exactly what he is looking for. You know what? It will be the best working experience you will get. So, strap your backpack, get your luggage set, and take that bo