After finishing college my mate Adam Ferrari and I embarked on a 3 month tour of North Africa and Europe, the aim of this trip was to have a laugh and enjoy partying in some new destinations, what we received from that trip however far exceeded any of these expectations which we both had. I have since learned just how beneficial traveling can be, it is good for the mind, the body and the soul and if you ever have the chance to hit the road for a couple of months I would urge you to do it. When you do go, here are some of the benefits which you can expect.
Health Benefits
Traveling can actually help you to improve your health, this happens for a number of reasons. The first is that you will be exposing your body to all kinds of new bacterias and viruses from other nations, and as a reaction your body will boost its immune system to deal with these bacterias, making it much stronger. Another reason why travel is good for your health is because you are far more active when you go traveling than when you are living your daily life back home. More walking and more sports and physical activities means that you’ll be stronger and fitter than ever before.
Perspective
The one thing that surprised me most about my trip was the perspective which I gained about my own life and about the wider world. It is only when you see the lives of others in a worse position than you, the lack of opportunities, the struggle which they have to go through, that you realize just how lucky you really are. When you travel you see so many people’s lives and that really teaches you something about yourself. I can remember seeing a family in Morocco who really didn’t have very much, they lived in a small house on the outskirts of town, and had to work very hard to give themselves a decent life. In spite of the social problems which had created this, these guys were probably the happiest people who I have ever met, they were content with a house, food and love, which makes you think about all of the stupid things in our own lives which we place high importance on.
Fear
I would never have considered myself someone who was in fear of anything, but travel exposes you to your own fears and you must overcome them. This could be walking into a bar in a foreign land, striking up a conversation, going SCUBA diving or even just entering into somewhere which doesn’t look too safe. Traveling will help you to learn about your fear and take ownership of it so that you can thrive. Since I arrived home from that trip I now understand fear and how to overcome it better than I could ever have imagined.
