Whether you are in college or a recent graduate, now is the time for you to see the world. Save your money, pack a backpack, and travel as many countries you can. Submerge yourself into different cultures, learn from people of different backgrounds, and come back home with a deeper understanding of the world and the people who make it. There is so much more to life than looking at the world from the perspective of a person who has only seen it from among the state lines of their hometown.
You could probably think of a million reasons why not to travel but here are five reasons that are bound to fill to change your mind:
1. No Commitments.
During this time in your life, you have minimal commitments. More than likely, you are not married, nor have you started creating a family of your own. Your time and money are primarily dedicated to you and what you want to do. So during this time, when freedom is present, go out and see the world with your own eyes. Pictures don't do it justice.
2. Traveling gives you time to soul search.
Not only are you without several commitments, but you are also in a place in your life where you are working on finding out who you are as a person. During your travels, you will be faced with various opportunities and even a few challenges, all which will teach you something new about yourself.
3. Widens your view on the world.
The world is made up of seven continents, five oceans, and seven billion people. Traveling allows you to explore all these parts of the world, emerge yourself into the cultures strewn about them, and overall widen your perspective on life. Right now, you may have only seen the world that lies among the walls of the U.S. and traveling allows you to extend those walls and look at the world from the different perspectives of people in it.
4. Piles of money only collect dust.
We are told to get a job and always save our money. But in fifty years when we are sharing stories with our grandkids, don't you want to look back on life and reminisce about the time you walked through the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City or the time you spent exploring the beautiful island of Phi Phi in Thailand? I am not saying to blow your money, but rather to spend it on opportunities of a lifetime. Memories are worth a lot more than the number on the bill.
5. Life is short.
You are only given one life, don't spend it sitting behind a desk at a nine to five job where you are miserable. Spend every moment doing something you love or seeking somewhere new. You never want to look back on life and wish you had seen more, traveled more.