The last 18 months spent staring at the same four walls of your house may have awoken in you dreams of travel that you never even realized you had – until now.
Perhaps you have always fantasied about (in the words of the late-great John Denver) leaving on a jet plane, but kept telling yourself that it just wasn’t the right time.
Now that the world is once more beginning to open up, travel can be put back on our agendas and you can begin to make your travel fantasies a reality!
We’ve compiled four fantastic reasons to spend some much-needed time abroad and finally take that leap into the great unknown – take a look!
As Saint Augustine wrote “the world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
And traveling abroad is an excellent way to step out of your routine – after the last year and a half, a change to the monotonous day to day is something we could all use a little more of.
It will allow you to experience other cultures, and expand your culinary palette by enjoying local delicacies that are hard to come by back home!
This is, of course, just one example of how travel will broaden your horizons, and help you develop your cultural sensitivity. Not only is this a life skill that will enrich your soul, but a valuable tool for success in an increasingly globalized world.
They say every day is a school day, and travel is a uniquely educational experience. Every time you step off a plane on foreign soil, you take another course in the university of life.
Travel can allow you to also continue your academic education. You don’t have to rely on international institutions either – with a distance learning university like Anglia Ruskin University, you can learn from anywhere.
When you take an online degree, you can travel as you study, enriching your education and future-proofing your skill set for a fulfilling career. Which brings us to our next point…
Why not fund your travels as you travel?
If you know your cosmos from your martinis, then you could consider taking up more typically travel-friendly work such as bartending. With many tourist hotspots playing host to bustling bar trade, this path will open countless earning opportunities across the world.
Alternatively, why not take your current profession freelance? Traditional freelance careers such as writing and photography are amongst the most obvious choices, but just about any niche skills can be transformed into a freelance trade – and in-demand disciplines such as accounting and data analysis can also be done from almost anywhere! Sites like Upwork can help you find the right freelance gigs to suit your skills and experience and get your freelance career off the ground.
And of course, as you’re going to be traveling anyway, you could consider a side hustle as a travel blogger! It’ll probably take you sometime to build a name for yourself, and may not be a viable way to earn full-time, so start small and treat it as a hobby to begin with, but don’t be afraid to be ambitious!
Wherever you go, you’re going to have to communicate with the locals at some point.
Now, of course some of the countries on your travel list might share your native language, but there are many destinations where you’ll inevitably encounter a language barrier and may need a few phrases to help you get around.
The best way to learn a new language is fully immerse yourself through travel – the more you practice, the faster you’ll pick it up!
However, if you want to get a jump start before you leave, so you’re not flying in blind – or more accurately, mute – then consider using a service such a Rosetta Stone to make some initial progress!
Do you have dreams of crossing the oceans? Use the comments below to tell us all about where you want to go next!
