It's Time To Expand Your Travel Horizons!
Travelling is one of the most wonderful and rewarding things that you can do with your life. It offers you the chance to experience new things, see new places, and meet new people. You're able to open your mind to ways of seeing that world that you might never have even considered before. However, even people who love to travel can sometimes fall into the trap of getting stick in a little bubble that they can't break out of. Whether you stick to the same kinds of places or even just go to one particular destination over and over again, if you're not breaking out of that bubble every so often, you're really not getting the most out of everything that the world has to show you. Of course, for a lot of people, the idea of breaking out of any kind of comfortable bubble that they've previously occupied can be pretty scary and something that they don't even know where to start with. With that in mind, here are just a few reasons why breaking out of your travel bubble is so important, as well as some ways that you can go about doing it.
So why bother experiencing new places in the first place?
After all, there are plenty of things to do right on your doorstep. Is discovering somewhere new really that important? Well, the truth is that there are a whole lot of reasons why travelling the world is one of the very best things you can do.
1. It helps you connect with more people
One of the things that travel teaches you above just about anything else, it's that human beings tend to have a lot in common no matter what kind of lives they live. It doesn't matter what your skin colour is, what kind of culture you come from, it's always possible to find at least some kind of common ground. The wonderful thing about going somewhere totally new is being able to see how you can connect with people in spite of the myriad of differences between you. There's simply no way that visiting many different places can't help you become a happier, more tolerant person in pretty much every way. Even if you’re the kind of person who typically finds it difficult to connect with people, getting thrown into a completely new situation that essentially forces you to make new friends can be an incredibly freeing situation to be in. You’ll find yourself making friends with people that you otherwise would never have even come into contact with.
2. It reminds you of the existence of other cultures
Of course, for all of the ways that we're the same, there's no denying that there are plenty of differences between people of separate cultures. The important thing to remember is that this is most certainly not a bad thing. In fact, it's a wonderful thing that can help you understand the people around you far better than before. There are things about your own culture that you might well take for granted, but when you're faced with the ways that other cultures do things, it helps you to reevaluate those things and start thinking about them more deeply. If you find yourself in a place that is totally unfamiliar, where you have no real cultural frame of reference, then you're going to have no choice but to try and understand it, rather than staying in your own little bubble of ignorance.
3. It teaches you things about yourself
The incredible thing about travel is that it doesn't just teach you about the world outside, it teaches you about yourself on a deeply personal level as well. Sure, you might feel as though you know yourself incredibly well and there's nothing that the world can teach you about yourself, but that simply isn't true. The truth is that being able to remove yourself from your familiar context allows you to better understand yourself as an individual. Away from all of the expectations of work, friends, and family, you can finally start to understand exactly who you are and what you want out of your life. Sure, you might not "find yourself" through travelling to new places, but you're almost certainly going to find things out about yourself that you might never otherwise know.
4. It broadens your understanding of the world
It's often incredibly easy to find yourself trapped in something of a rigid view of the way that the world is. Looking at the world through a lens of news, TV, and social media can often leave you with something of a warped idea of how things really are. People often find themselves assuming that a certain country is war-torn or poverty-stricken, but when they actually go there, they find that it's a thriving place filled with passionate people and vibrant culture. The truth is that you never really know what a place is like until you spend time there and being able to immerse yourself in the world by going to new places in the best possible way to really start to understand just how large the world around you really is. If there’s one thing that sorely lacking for a lot of people in the modern world, it’s a sense of perspective, being able to break out of that mindset and see things the way they really are is so valuable that you should never, ever, take it for granted.
But how can you get out of your bubble?
Of course, even if you really do want to get out there and explore new places, actually being able to do that it can feel like a pretty big challenge. Luckily there are plenty of things that you can do in order to make seeing the world just that little bit more easy and exciting. Here are just a few of them.
1. Do some research
On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you want to get more out of your travel experience, get informed about the kinds of places that you can visit. Sure, the obvious vacation destinations are great, but what about lesser known places that still have plenty to offer? If you typically visit Asian countries a lot, while not check out a site like Rumah Indonesia to see the kinds of things that that country has to offer. Or maybe you love going to places like Jamaica? If that's the case then maybe try expanding your horizons to some of the lesser known Caribbean islands. Doing some research and finding some of the less well-known travel destinations really can offer you the chance to discover some truly incredible places.
2. Pick places at random
Instead of agonising over where you want to go, just pick somewhere at random and go. One of the most exciting things you can do as a traveller is to show up at the airport and book the next available flight to anywhere within your budget. Sure, you could end going somewhere that you'd never consider visiting otherwise, but that also means that you could discover things that you might otherwise have gone your entire life without ever knowing about. The truth is that risk is always going to be a part of travelling. After all, plenty of places end up being a disappointment. But without that risk, there’s never going to be a chance for you to discover just how amazing plenty of places around the world can be. Putting your travel plans in the hands of fate can be a little scary but it’s worth it if you want to experience things that would otherwise be completely out of your comfort zone.
3. Go with your gut!
One of the best ways to find somewhere that's going to connect with you is simply to trust your instincts. Over the course of your life, you will almost certainly have absorbed information about a lot of places without even realising it. Why not just go with your gut and pick a destination that feels right to you. Sure, this isn't much of an exact science, but if you avoid overthinking it too much, then you're going to be in a great position to discover travel destinations that you might never have even considered. Sure, weighing up pros and cons is always a good idea. But if your heart is telling to go to a specific place, then it's always worth listening to it. Who knows, you might end up being able to discover a brand new home away from home.
Of course, this is not to say that there's anything inherently wrong with wanting to go back to the same place more than once. After all, part of the fun of travelling is falling in love with a place and then taking the time to discover everything that it has to offer. However, if you go to one place over and over for years, you're going to end up missing out on all of the incredible things that the rest of the world has to offer you. Make sure that you don't get stuck in too much of a routine and that you embrace all of the amazing things that this world can show you. And after all, how are you ever going to find the places that you want to visit time and time again if you’re not looking for somewhere new at least every once in a while?