Powerful Life Skills and Lessons Learned Through Travel

It is well a known fact that travel can have many powerful effects on the human spirit. As the saying goes, “The person that returns from a travel trip is not the same as the person who left.”

It changes you. And if you are open to growth, often for the better.

Traveling is one of my favorite things in the world. Ever since the age of five, when my Mom came home with a sombrero and maracas from Mexico, I have been fascinated with the world outside of my own.

The cultures, the foods, the music, the people, the nature...all entice me to explore its wonders.

My first major trip abroad came when I was 21, a junior in college, as I went to spend a semester in Bejiing, China.

Whoah. As you would expect, a kid from the southern United States was in culture shock. But I loved it! I fell deeply in love with the challenge of getting to know a culture, language, and history so different from my own.

And since that point, I’ve been addicted to the journey. So much so that I’ve built my life around the possibility of adventure travel. Such as the world and music project that I do here, Banjo Earth.

Over the years I have been incredibly blessed to travel extensively around the world. China, India, Thailand, France, Spain, Scotland, Brazil, Peru, and Mexico have all enriched my soul and spirit with their beauty.

Looking back now, I can see clearly how these journeys have shaped my life and changed me in some very powerful ways.

Below are five very valuable life skills that travel has given me. I share this in hopes that you will be inspired to gather these qualities as well, and start planning your next travel adventure.

Let’s dive in!

1. Perspective

Traveling to other lands and cultures will broaden your perspective. You will be stretched, mentally, physically, and spiritually. You will begin to think bigger, and observe how things are done differently in other parts of the world.

Often, a realization people come to is most things aren’t better or worse, just different. These experiences help you find what is most valuable to you in your life, enabling you to let go of the extra weight you don’t need to carry (this is a great metaphor for packing as well ;)

You will taste incredible foods that you didn’t know existed, see things that will shape your definition of beauty, and come face to face with some of the harsher realities of life.

2. Empathy

If you travel like I do, off the beaten path, you will see many things you don’t expect, or honestly, don’t want to see. But you will see it anyway, and you will be faced with the reality that some people live with.

If you come from the USA, or any other highly developed Western country, this can be quite a wake up call. People living in very poor conditions, eating food that is borderline dangerous, and walking many miles just to get clean water.

Seeing these things opens up your heart, and deepens your empathy for humanity. You realize that there is so much suffering in the world, and only so much you can do about it.

But you also see that material things do not equate to happiness. Some of the poorest people I have ever met are also some of the happiest. And some of the richest can be the most miserable.

It’s all joy we’re after, and travel helps you develop your empathy for the human condition all across the board.

3. Resourcefulness

As John Lennon famously sang, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”

With travel, almost nothing goes exactly as you plan. Reservations fall apart, roads become impassable, and sometimes you lose valuable items like your passport or credit card.

Travel has a uncanny ability to teach you what you are actually capable of, then push you to new limits.

Problem-solving, improvisation, and an openness to unplanned adventures are incredible life skills that you will use forever. And I’ve seen no better teacher of these skills than travel adventures to parts unknown.

4. Sociability

If you are introvert, this one is for you. One of the greatest blessings of travel is the people you will meet along the way. At times you will be forced to talk to strangers, such as in asking for directions or what kind of food you are about to eat.

But other times, you will genuinely be curious about other people traveling a similar road to you, and this opens up incredible conversations.

Sitting waiting for a bus, on an airplane for 7 hours, or simply sitting at a dive bar in a back alley, you are destined to come across a few lifelong friends this way.

The idea of serendipity comes into play here, and often makes me think of that book “The Celestine Prophecy.” In that book, they talk about how these “chance” meetings with people along the way, aren’t actually “chance” at all.

There is something bigger at work here. And after meeting many people who remain incredibly important in my life through my travels, I think there is something magical underneath it all.

5. Gratitude 

This shows up in many ways through your adventures.

I am from the USA, and whenever I get home from a long, arduous, trip abroad, I feel incredible gratitude for my home country. The freedoms, comforts (such as clean air and water), and opportunities that we have at home fill my heart upon returning.

People who never leave the US do not get this perspective. Getting outside of the bubble and seeing many of the things people in other countries are dealing with is a powerful gift.

Also, when traveling, you have a lot of time to think. Looking out over the clouds on a cross ocean flight gives you the room and perspective to feel gratitude for your life, loved ones, journey, challenges, blessings, and health.

It gives you time and space to feel gratitude for the things you do have, instead of worrying about the things you don’t.

Get Going! What Will Your Story Be?

I hope these lessons and learnings inspire you to get ready for your next travel adventure. The best thing about travel, in addition to all of the above, is the new stories you have to tell.

Think about it. When you are on your deathbed, will you talk about those extra hours you put in at the office, or that marathon Netflix binge you went on? Or will you talk about your craziest travel experiences?

It’s not about the destination. It’s about the journey.

It’s not where you go, it’s who you become in the process. I wish you great health, wonderful companions, and amazing travel adventures.

Come on, “Lets go see what we can find.”

Much Love,

Andy Eversole, Banjo Earth

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