Traveling Outside Your Comfort Zone

Traveling can be daunting. Traveling to a new destination can be intimidating. Traveling to a new destination that doesn’t speak your language can be the ultimate challenge. Yet it is when you travel outside your comfort zone that the fun beings. Here are our top five reasons for pushing yourself to try a new type of adventure:

1. Learn More About Yourself: You might think you know yourself pretty well, but when you go somewhere new you get a really good snapshot of yourself. You might learn while you are traveling, or you might realize something when you get back. Either way, you are going learn, change and grow – all for the better!
2. Make Friends: This is the perfect opportunity to chat up the person sitting next to you at the cafe, who just might have a mouth-watering recommendation for dinner. We know you aren’t supposed to talk to strangers, but we think mom will understand in this case.
3. Get a Local Experience: Put the guidebook down. Sure it has vital information, but you are going to learn a lot more when you get out and explore for yourself. Ask someone at your hotel or hostel their favorite thing to do in the city and do that. Locals are your best resource when traveling to a new place. Take advantage.
4. Build Self Confidence: If you can conquer a Chinese train station, you can carpe the heck out of any kind of diem. Traveling isn’t a perfect science, but if you are able to go to a foreign country, get around and still have a good time, then you can travel anywhere!
5. A Different Kind of Travel Story: After your trip, you will come back with stories that rival a movie script. Your friends will be impressed with how you navigated a bustling market in Thailand, climbed to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro or mastered the Paris metro.  Your Skype buddy list will grow with new friends around the world. You’ll begin your story with “that one time I was in…”. The best part about this story is that it will be unique to you!

Push yourself to try a different type of trip and get out of your comfort zone. You won’t regret it.