5 life lessons you learn through travel
During my last weeks of high school, all my classmates talked about internships, jobs and university applications while I stood next to them coming up with my escape plan – all I dreamed of was traveling.
Something about the idea of endless freedom sparked me. So I packed my bags and booked a ticket to the other side of the world: New Zealand. Or how the Māori would call it: Aotearoa – the "Land of the Long White Cloud". Sounded perfect for a dreamer like me.
Now I’m 24 and I’ve been exploring the world since 5 years. I loooove meeting new people from different cultures, diving into different seas, sipping coffee everywhere I go – and every time I return home, I can't help but feel like a completely changed person.
Whenever the airplane lands on the pitch-black concrete of my home airport, the first thought I have is: I'm not the same person who departed. Something inside of me has slightly shifted. Traveling possesses the magical ability to awaken entirely new perspectives in the blink of an eye.
In this article I’ll share my Top 5 nuggets of wisdom – aka Life Lessons you’ll learn while traveling!
Tarifa, 2023
Just go with the flow – life is unpredictable, AND you can always find a way through the chaos
I've had my fair share of chaotic moments that left me in a complete panic. But one truth I just can’t deny is that there's always a solution and there are countless paths that can lead us to it. Whenever my plans fell apart, I missed a flight, almost got eaten by a shark or I when I found myself in a rainy Mexican Airbnb at midnight (the ceiling didn’t live up to its purpose) – when faced with challenges, we become experts at finding creative solutions. And you know what's even better? Those moments of chaos often turn into the most hilarious memories that we’ll share with loved ones later.
So, my advice is to ride the wave, whether you're traveling or back at home. Life becomes so much lighter when we learn to embrace the unpredictable. After all the only constant in life is change.
We can trust each other – people are filled with kindness and a genuine desire to help
Growing up I've heard all those stories about being cautious with strangers, I’ve seen many scary stereotypes about different cultures on tv or people would tell me “Don’t trust strangers!”
And while a certain degree of caution (and listening to you gut feeling) is definitely wise, I can honestly say that 99% of the people I got to meet were absolutely lovely!
Which let me to believe that people – at their core – are kind and generous. Strangers never fail to pleasantly surprise me and they are essentially just friends you haven't met yet. That's a gem of wisdom I picked up from a friend in Portugal – and he couldn't be more right.
Strangers have helped me out more times than I can count:
They’ve accepted me more than some people I knew for a long time.
They’ve encouraged me.
They’ve shared their wisdom with me.
They’ve offered help when I needed it.
They’ve made me laugh and they’ve made me see that we are all so similar.Through traveling, I continuously fall in love with humanity.
You learn to shape your own opinions – and welcome new perspectives
One of the coolest side effects of traveling is that it teaches you to respect different perspectives without diminishing your respect for the person in front of you. People often demonize disagreements and try to avoid them because they’re uncomfortable.
The truth is, disagreements are an amazing learning opportunity.
We all come from different backgrounds, have had our own unique experiences and then suddenly, our paths intersect – under those circumstances it would be a miracle if we all thought exactly the same.Embracing different opinions can serve as a perfect teacher, challenging you to question your own views and develop your very own outlook on life.
When I’m with my family now, I often see things quite differently than them – simply because traveling has constantly pushed me to redefine myself and ask: "What do I genuinely think about X, and what do I only think because my family or friends think it?"
When you remain open to other opinions, you become truer to yourself. And I absolutely love that!
We are more similar than we are different
As I mentioned earlier, we all experience life a little differently, have had our own unique journeys and are "programmed" in different ways – Reality looks different for each and everyone of us.
However, there are certain aspects of being human that seem to be universal:
Deep down, we all crave love. We all want to belong. We all have similar basic needs (remember Maslow's pyramid?). We all have to face similar fears.
And once you embrace this truth, it suddenly creates a profound sense of compassion for the people around you. We see fragments of ourselves mirrored in every person we encounter, even though our paths in life are highly individual.
Learning this deepened my empathy and understanding for others profoundly!
You need very little to find happiness
When I embark on those months-long journeys with just an overstuffed carry-on bag, people often wonder how on earth I manage to travel with so little baggage. But trust me, dragging a 50-pound suitcase across cobblestone streets can be a major hassle (argh the frustration!). And on top of that I only every wear about 80% of the stuff I squeezed into my bag!
Furthermore, I don’t have a ton of money. So I don’t sleep in luxurious hotels or eat out every night.
I learnt that happiness doesn’t depend on material things and fancy dinners. The best moments are blessed with simplicity.
At this point a cliff by the ocean and wind that ripples through my hair is honestly all I want in life. Nothing makes me happier than looking into the endlessness of the sea, knowing that I’m healthy and loved and so fortunate to experience this. It’s humbling – and who needs a King Suite if you can sit on to on a cliff? No hotel room could ever be this beautiful.
Here’s a list of things you DON’T need to be happy:
Everyone’s approval or their opinion about you – especially from those that don’t really know you.
A perfect past where nothing ever went wrong – you can bounce back stronger!!
Full control over every aspect of your life – magic happens in the unknown.
A TON of money – a little can go a long way.
A million friends – focus on a few good ones.
Constant happiness or fulfillment – life’s ups and downs are so so helpful for our growth and there’s always gonna be sun after the rain!
Specialty Coffee – but that’s my weak spot and I’ll still look for it everywhere I go :D
So, travel lightly – through new countries and at home!
Aaaand bonus Number 5.1
German bread simply tastes the best. Period :)
Are you a traveler too? What life lessons has traveling taught you? Share in the comments!
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