In the essence of the human mind and body, happiness is at the core of our existence. We thrive on pure joy and rushes of adrenaline and double rainbows and wild horses roaming free. In a constant search for what could supply these sources of happiness, we are left in a state of longing. Traveling can fulfill this sense of longing and although there are some dangers in doing so, the benefits psychologically, socially, and academically far outweigh the costs and difficulties. As a matter of fact, travel has impacted the human race for hundreds of years.
In the ancient times, Greeks would journey to faraway places and explore new lands with different cultures so that they could bring back their ways of government and laws to implement them into their own society (D3). Over the course of history, travel has impacted so many other societies, like the Greeks, only to lead to the government and societies that have been created today. Travel to North America has shaped the United States into what it is today. If that had never occurred then the world would be a completely different place.
There are two different journeys when one travels, the outer journey of seeing incredible sights and doing incredible things and the inner journey of how the new experiences shape someone and the way it changes one’s perspective (D2). One are transformed each time they go someplace new. Each new journey comes with many upon many new experiences. This is why humans long to travel, in hopes to lose oneself, find oneself, open one’s eyes and hearts, and “become young fools again” (F1). To be able to get away and find a new perspective on things is something everyone looks for that can even help us mentally.
In the same sense, when one is exposed to a new place it instantly transforms their perspective. Being in a foreign place allows “the areas of the brain that adults have so long dampened down again become saturated with neurochemicals, and processing takes place similar to processing that occurs in a baby’s brain” (B1). The benefit to this is that babies process everything and take in all their surrounding because everything is foreign to them and they are not usually sure of what is goin on. If one are able to process like this they can get the full experience from being abroad in new surroundings.
Even psychologist Alison Gopnik said “adults have the potential to continue to experience the world as children do” (B2). Children learn by multiple stimuli which is a possibility for adults to do as well. This distance and new stimuli creates a new perspective, one that is abstract from the usual, loosening one’s thought restrictions (A3). When one’s thoughts are unrestricted we can see the world clearly. This can help to balance inner wisdom and compassion, in other words thinking and emotions (F3).
The balance of thought and emotion is crucial to becoming a better person because it allows one to be more open minded to different cultures and ideas without judgement being clouded. Things that once had one meaning in one’s culture now have multiple meanings, allowing one to work better with people because judgement is not changing how we feel (A4). This open minded outlook on life can even make one healthier. The brain is stimulated by many new things, heightening the senses. But even the thought of traveling or vacationing can make one happier in terms of money, health, and family (B4).
It has been proven that taking a vacation every year decreases one’s chances of having a heart attack and in a survey for company executives, “three out of four executives believe that vacations prevent burnout, improve job performance, and improve creativity” (B3 & B5). This increase in habits of being more open, creative, and balanced allows one to interact with people in new and better ways. Comparatively, when the mind is open to new things one becomes more accepting of other people and themselves.
The escape into new unknowns of cultures and customs sparks ideas of one’s own that can even lead to the change in habits (E4). The customs from foreign places take time to adjust to but bring many undiscovered experiences to the table. These experiences could even include unknown hobbies, talents, and activities like cricket or hiking or even water polo (C6). Along with unknown customs and places also comes unknown foods and traditions. When challenged with new things like this it “tests [one’s] ability to adapt to diverse situations while being able to problem solve” (C7).
Problem solving is a huge part of being abroad because the possibilities of things that could go wrong are endless. One must adapt to their surroundings and take in the new situation so that they can overcome the obstacle they are faced with. A major obstacle is the language barrier. While abroad one may learn a great deal of the foreign language which helps to better one in understanding gestures and colloquialisms of the area (D5). Communication is difference in experiencing travel one way from another.
Without language the one does not get immersed fully or the full effect of the journey while one who does know the language can dive right in. With language one is able to see what is really going on and may even discover they are “rescuing the humanity of places, and saving them from abstraction and ideology” (F7). It helps one realize how much one may be able to help a place. One’s resourcefulness is increased in these new situations one may never have thought they would’ve encountered (E5). In the absence of obstacles and having to be resourceful, many travel and go on vacations just to relax.
One is able to disconnect, forget about their problems, and live a stress free life for a while (E2 & E3). To some, traveling is “the luxury of leaving all [one’s] beliefs and certainties at home, and seeing everything [one] thought [they] knew in a different light, and from a crooked angle” (F4). This escape to discover the crooked angle of new perspective leaves room to let go and be free for the time being. Many forget but the chance to travel abroad could be a once in a lifetime opportunity and that the sights to be seen “may be impressive, but it’s overwhelming when seeln)… n real life” (D7). Many of these opportunities come in college, where studying abroad is a huge possibility and finding oneself is just as important as finding new information. Furthermore, traveling is not just limited to vacationing but it also includes studying abroad and educational tours. To be able to be surrounded by a different culture and language when studying abroad allows one to be completely enveloped in learning possibilities and opportunities that can really help academically, especially with the language, a new form of learning and teaching, and new sides of one’s major (C4,5,1).
One does not have to be specifically abroad for educational purposes to learn something, though. Studies show that students and people who lived abroad for periods of time were able to solve puzzles and problems better and faster than those who did not live abroad (B6). The types of puzzles given required creative negotiation skills and using context clues, all things that one would gain while living abroad. The negotiation skills come from sticky situations that one has to think quickly and smartly to get out of. On the other hand, the context clues come from learning new languages and being able to figure out what is being said.
History lovers also get an extra plus out of traveling because “[one] can read about history in a book, or [one] can actually experience it” (D6). Seeing historical sights in movies and pictures seems like nothing to most people but being able to see it in person puts a whole new perspective on things. It is that actual sight where actual very important historical events happened. Travel provides a new insight on life and thought that unfortunately many turn away from because of the difficulties travel causes. One of the main reasons people tend to be wary of traveling is money.
Traveling to a foreign country is one of the most expensive vacations and journeys a person can embark upon. Contrary to popular belief, though, traveling can be a lot cheaper than one would expect it to be. Some people use trust funds to save up to travel while others get up and sell everything in hopes to travel for long periods of time (O’Donnell Web). It is very easy to decide to go on a trip but easier said than done to plan the trip. An itinerary is helpful during any sort of journey because it maps out plans and potential costs of those plans (Seper Web).
Depending on the part of the world, daily expenses can range to over forty dollars (See Appendix). The biggest cost to travel is the plane ticket alone. Paying for that is the first step to traveling but once you are in a foreign place, many travel blogs suggest that one “does what makes [them] happiest” (Seper Web). Costs are high but the experiences are worth it. In recent years, more and more people have taken their traveling experience to the next level and gone around the world. This does not include every country but includes many amazing experiences; the best part being that it can actually be very cheap.
Backpacking is an extremely cheap way to see the world while not having to pay for transportation. When it comes to lodging at night, hotels are also up on the list of most expensive things while traveling, so for one to avoid this expense it is best to find a hostel to stay in for the night (O’Donnell Web). In most cases these supply free breakfast which limits food expenses. In the long run, almost every cost can be limited but usually at the expense of luxury. Getting into to more rustic places causes some to question safety but in reality, dangers lurk around every corner wherever one may go.
To many, traveling is seen as a get away from home and a gate to a stress free experience. Others see it very different. One may see a kind man trying to help them with their bags while another may see a thief on verge of taking their belongings. Unfortunately, both could be right because “there’s a lot of craziness in the world and a lot of people willings to profit from a careless traveller” (Risley Web). Though there is a possibility of kidnapping, assault, robbery, and even terrorism in more recent times, it is not very likely.
To avoid these types of things one can travel in groups and conceal precious items, which are both likely to be done anyway. All of these things seem like awful situations that could occur while traveling but the likelihood of them having is nothing compared to the most dangerous part of traveling. In the words of Jason Risley, “the greatest danger from traveling [is] meeting people that become the closest of friends and finding out that parting is hard, sometimes permanent, and always unavoidable.
The bonds made while traveling with new friends and old friends are unbreakable. The experiences one encounters with their friends by their sides are unforgettable no matter what dangers and obstacles they may have to face. Traveling is a journey of the mind and body that has the ability to change lives. We see in a new perspective psychologically, interact with people differently in social settings, and learn new things about the world and solving problems. Dangers and costs barely cross our minds as we dive head first into the pure happiness that being abroad can give us.