As I was packing to leave for Alaska, I began to think about how much travel has impacted my life over the last year.
Education can be valuable in terms of skills and field knowledge (as well as getting you a degree and resume builders) and a job can teach you good work ethic and respect, but overall, I think the greatest source of knowledge is found in travel.
Whether you are taking a short day trip, like I did last week, or traveling around the world, like I did in January, there is something special about getting outside of your everyday routine and getting outside of your comfort zone.
Below are five lessons I have learned while traveling:
1. You will begin your trip with a very open mind. You will tell everyone how excited you are to have a new experience or be a part of a different culture. Truthfully, you do gain precious memories and your eyes will be opened in a way they never have been before, but it never happens how you think it will, so if you say you're open-minded you had better mean it.
2. Your body will feel different. Whether you go two hours away from your house and eat a doughnut or you go 2,000 miles away and eat the local cuisine, your body will be confused for a bit. Also, sleep can sometimes be both a necessity and a rarity, so learn to roll with the punches and the inevitable crabbiness that follows.
3. Take your important essentials in your carry on. After traveling for more than a day, our group arrived in Delhi in the early hours of the morning to find that one of the girls' suitcases never arrived at our previous layover. She did not receive her suitcase for 6 days!!! Because her essentials were in her lost suitcase, she had to borrow clothes and everyday products to get by. Luckily, everyone in the situation was adaptable and willing to help, but in general I think we would all like to be able to use our own belongings instead of borrowing from others.
4. Give grace, and lots of it. Going back to number 2, your whole body will be out of whack, what makes you think that your physicality, mentality and emotions wouldn't be as well? Maybe you have jet lag, maybe your system isn't coping well with foreign food, maybe you can't find your way around a city and you're lost. There are times where other people will get on your nerves, and I guarantee you'll get on their nerves too, so giving each other grace in those moments will be beneficial to you, them and the situation.
5. Have an amazing time! Take lots of pictures, learn as much as you can, don't waste the precious time you have with friends, family or fellow students. God has given us an amazing world, take advantage of that!
Photos are by Ivy Christina Photography!
She is seriously such a joy to work with and came well prepared with different inspiration photos and cool ideas. I had a blast and would recommend her for any event.
