Learning About Yourself and What You’re Really Capable Of – Through Travel

One of the most over-looked and under-appreciated arts around is that of travel.

Every year 1.5 billion fly somewhere.  Some people do it well.  Others completely freak out.

The interesting thing about when you travel alone is that it really gives you the opportunity for learning about yourself and what you’re really made of.  You’ll find out just how brave or scared you are to try new things.  You’ll also find out how resourceful you are when it comes to un-foreseen challenges and bumps in the road.

How Traveling Leads to Learning About Yourself:

I’m reflecting on this subject after having recently had the privilege of traveling overseas to the UK for a business trip.  This was actually my third time traveling to England and it hopefully won’t be my last.  (Yes, the photos are from that trip).

The first time I went there it was really nothing more than a day and a half stay.  I took a cab straight from the airport to the hotel, went to visit my client, and then was gone not too long afterwards.  I really didn’t get out and do too much beyond my hotel room – Kind of a waste of an opportunity in retrospect.

The second time I traveled with a colleague.  The two of us were a little more adventurous about getting out on the town and seeing what was around us.  We rented a car (yup – the kind with the steering wheel on the opposite side), ventured out to a few pubs after work, and took in quite a few amazing tourist sites.  It was a lot more fun, and I quickly regretted being so reserved during my first stay.

This most recent and third time around I was again all alone.  But this time things were different.  My confidence was much, much stronger than it had been during my first two visits.

I rented my own “backwards” car, drove myself all over the place, ventured out to nearby cities after work, and even took a train all the way to London for a day when the opportunity presented itself.  I hardly spent any time in the hotel at all and really tried to take in as much as I could.

Honestly it was one of the best “business” trips I have ever taken.

Two Big Lessons About Travel:

When we’re given these kinds of opportunities in life, I don’t know if most people ever fully realize what they could be passing up and learning about themselves if they don’t follow through.  I don’t know if I did on my first trip.  But I see it now.

With that in mind, I think there are a few guidelines we can set for ourselves to help make sure we get what we should out of what life throws at us:

1) The price of opportunity is worth the cost.

I mean this statement both in the literal and figurative sense.

That day trip to London cost me a train ticket of almost $85 USD.  While some people would think that is too high of a price to pay for a one day trip, I saw it as a completely bargain value for the experience I was about to have.

I was already in the UK – why not go and see one of the biggest, most renowned cities they have to offer?  Wouldn’t the memories and stories I tell from that day forward be 100% worth every penny of that $85?

Sometimes in our quests to be frugal and thoughtful with money, I think we can tend to be too critical about what the intangibles will be.  Look past the price tag and ask yourself: What will the adventure be worth?

I’ll easily spend $3,000 or more per year to take my family on a tropical vacation because I know they will get more enjoyment and excitement out of it than any other vacation we might otherwise do.

Then there’s also the figurative sense as well.  To go on this business trip I had to be gone for a week from my family and complete the project it was meant to serve.  That meant a lot of preparation, training, and getting myself to the point where I could handle the assignment once I got there.

Though I hate to leave my family for any amount of time, I do believe these kinds of all expense paid business opportunities only come up once in a great while.  And when they do, you have to be ready to jump on them.  Otherwise they may not ever be back around ever again.

If you value time as much as you value money, then you’ll see how one affects the other.

2) Don’t regret what you can experience now.

If I hadn’t forced myself out the door and on the road to the nearby towns and sites, I would have spent the plane ride home (and probably the rest of my life) wondering why I didn’t get out and do anything!

Now was my chance.  Now was my opportunity to actually do something about it and make those memories happen then.

There are very few times I can recall where I said “now is my chance”, I went for it, and I regretted it later.  Though in some situations it may not have quite turned out like I imagined it would, I feel like the overwhelming weight of regret would have totally outweigh any failure or bad experience I may have had.   Don’t regret not taking on enough risk.  Don’t wonder if you should have …

Find out now (while you can).

I guess that’s what life is all about.  Good and bad things will happen to you all the time.  People will tell you you’re great and then also tell you that you suck.  But how often do you use these things as a tool for learning about yourself?  How often do you test yourself to see what you’re really capable of?

It’s not what we do in our lives but what we make out of the sustenance we are given.

What have you made recently?

Related Posts:

1)      How Being Successful Might Include Leaning Out From Work

2)      Overcoming Envy – Why Do We Hate Other People’s Success?

3)      Do You Flaunt It?

Images courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net