I couldn’t agree more with this statement. Travel provides a whole new perspective that no book could ever teach you. I know this from my own experience. I gained a new appreciation for many things in life that I took for granted before I left to travel the World. Experiencing new cultures really opens your eyes, and as Henry Rollins says, it did indeed make me go, “ohhhhh”, so much so to the point that when I returned from my trip the first thing I did was do some research into the differences between the so-called “have’s” and “have not’s” in the World. From there I decided to go back to school with my new perspective and study International Development. If I didn’t have this experience before going back to school I would have just gone by what the text books told men and believed everything I read. But having seen the differences and the gap between the developed and developing World firsthand really made the light bulb come on for me.
I kept telling everyone I went to school with how much of a life changing experience travel can be, and that I would highly recommend they take the time off and see the World. There is no sense in jumping straight out of school into a career when in 10-15 years you will look back and regret not taking the opportunity when it was there for you. You may even continue to take things in your day-to-day life for granted without the slightest idea of how the majority of the World actually lives.
Book a flight, go somewhere you’ve never been before, go off the beaten path and discover something new for yourself. Don’t go to a resort and expect the same results and come back saying you are a new person because of it. See a country the way it was meant to be seen, not on a lounge chair in front of a pool sipping mojitos all day long. Actually take the time to experience the culture, learn a new language, and see how other people live their day-to-day lives. It is the best, and most rewarding education you can get.
Challenge. Inspire. Motivate 