How Travelling Makes You More Open-Minded

I want to begin with asking you a question, and that is why do you labour around for 5 days a week and 8 to 10 hours a day? Some say it is to earn a livelihood, and that is the right answer. However, the answer has a lot more aspects than that. Livelihood would mean that you are earning to meet your basic needs of life, like food and shelter. But that can’t be the sole reason.

Traveling alone is not easy. But it is absolutely amazing. You will feel empowered, independent, and more alive than you ever knew. But you will also be putting yourself at risk. Sad but true, the demons in this world look at a single with the eyes of a wolf, ready to pounce on you at any moment and draw blood. You can’t let your guard down.

I didn’t go to Zambia expecting to be totally alone. Actually I was worried about being vulnerable by myself. But that turned out to be worse than being alone, and suddenly I was the only one around for miles and miles. I still kept pushing forward, and lived in a remote national park surrounded by lions and elephants. And I also ended up traveling to 8 other countries in Africa.

Years earlier in India, I had seen a foreign woman walking on the banks of the holy river Ganga with her young daughter. At the moment, I judged her. How can she do that, isn’t it scary and risky for her and her child? Ironically, I was also more or less a child at that time, 17 years old and traveling with my own mother. She shut down my doubts, “Why not?” she said. “What could be a better experience? Her daughter is learning so much.”

And sure enough, I have learned that putting yourself out in the world, immersed in a totally new and unknown environment teaches you things you would NEVER learn otherwise. But you have to be ready to go beyond the vacation towns and comfort zones that exist anywhere you go. You have to be ready to see the real side, the struggles, the grit, and the local traditions.

In the dozens of countries I have been in over the years, I have opened my mind time and time again, understanding the archetypes of nature and humanity that repeat themselves over and over again, while still seeing the uniqueness and differences in each part of the world.

For example there are always differences in culture and language, differences that fundamentally affect who a person grows up to be. In Zambia different tribes don’t just talk in different accents, but in different languages. Lozi, Bemba, and Chewa, to name a few. While people are all individuals, you realize how strong the circumstances of your birth are in crafting how you see the world.

Just like people develop liberal or conservative ideas, an attitude of oppression or one of privilege, it all happens in North America, in Africa, in Asia, anywhere! Who you think you are is tied so deeply to your roots, and who people think you are as well. You discover what it means to be human, beyond the superficial.

World travelers belong to a class all of their own, because they are the only ones who see all the angles of the world, far beyond the confines of their birthplace. If you travel alone, especially with the open mind and eager eyes that a child has, you will learn so much about this world.

Travelling has become a necessity to escape the harsh realities of life and regroup. However, our planet has so many sublime places to offer, that the decision of choosing one becomes too much to take on. Here is an answer for you.

A minimum wage can also quickly fulfill that requirement and make life much more accessible than your corporate job would ever allow it to be. Millions of people want to earn much more than what will meet their necessary expenses, but why? If I had to answer this question, I would say that I work dedicatedly every weekday because I want to enjoy my weekends.

For that, I will endure the grueling hours of work starting from Monday morning to Friday evening. And it’s not just about being enjoying the weekends, I along with the majority of my fellow workers throughout the world work so that they can enjoy the fruits of their as they see fit. One significant way of enjoyment is travelling.

I love to travel. I work hard for two months dedicatedly, and then I take a trip that will help me recuperate from the everyday hassle of life and get enough momentum to endure the next few. The last trip I made was one of the best of my life. It was a country that made me wish I was born there. It was a country that awed me to the point that I wanted to leave my life in Liverpool and move there permanently to enjoy its marvelous beauty.

There are many places on earth that have significant importance for traveling. There are the many reasons behind the popularity of these countries. In this article, you will see some main countries that are famous for traveling. If you decide to travel this spring then this article will help you.

Traveling needs some planning before the time of departure. Planning is necessary to get rid of all of the worries and the problems that can be take place in the execution of the trip. If you are bored from your present routine then plan a good and breathtaking trip to some good and famous places.

There are different things that you have to plan before the departure like the flights, hotels, currency exchange rates, transportation. Travel is not just a way to visit and see new places but you will also get a chance to learn about different cultures and about the different places.

Start solo travelling ~ because 👇

1. Solo travelling lets you be free

When you embarked upon your journey all alone, you choose your own destinations, you mark the roads you've to measure, and you stop at the desitations you most resonate with.

Everything is in your hands. Travelling solo instills the sense of internal freedom inside you. Traveling is an eye-opener as you get to explore and experience a different culture, people, and places. We generally live in our small world of dreams, work, problems but as we get a glimpse of this grand, beautiful, strange world our perception toward life changes and we realize how small our petty problems are.

Travel expands our experience and changes our perception toward life. It brings community and people close by building understanding toward different cultures and people.

My first trip abroad alone dates back to a holiday in Europe. It was the turning point between the family vacations of the 90s and the first trips alone. I do not have pictures of that period because I was photographing only in analog. So negatives and albums remained somewhere in my parents' house. One day I will open the Pandora's box and I will have material to write a vintage post for the rest of the life on this blog.

2. Opportunity of introspection

When we travel alone to a new place, we do find ample time to sit , relax and to reflect on the things which really work out for our highest good. There is no chaos and influences that obstruct us to think clearly and realise what we really want. We clearly see our good and bad. We learn to accept and appreciate ourselves.

I often reminisce about my travel inspiration and the first time I was wondering how to tell parents I'm going on a solo trip. Every day I wake up to the memories of the special, mostly unplanned and unexpected encounters on the way back to my life. Those encounters that were full of human warmth and helpfulness. It often brings a smile around my face as I feel a deep joy inside me.

Travelling teaches you acceptance, for people all over the world, irrespective of their caste and creed. It unites them with respect to their mutual love for nature. It helps you give yourself a break and live for a moment. And then it helps you get mental peace by just reminiscing the good times you had whenever you’re troubled.

Travelling, does open up new avenues. It brings you mental peace, a sense of joy, acts as a sort of getaway from the daily dose of life, helps you observe things from a different perspective. Most importantly, it teaches you to let go. That sometimes, it's important that you close your eyes for a moment, take in a deep breath, let the wind blow through your face, and do nothing.

Trapped in our daily schedule, how much time does each of us have to actually calm down and breathe easy, even if it's for a second. During my last travel, I was at a beach. We had spent the day basking in the sun and at sunset, had come in to have a good view. Between all the photographs being clicked, I actually forgot to take in the view.

So I came early at dawn and sat on the lone swing. The waves came and went. I saw the sun rise. The birds starting their day. And the quiet. And to this day, whenever I feel too troubled by the loads of studying, I close my eyes and take myself back to the day. I think it's true even for nature. You might forget what someone's saying but you never forget the feel. It stays till the end of time.

Travel is something which gives you a break from your usual life and at the same time provides you with an opportunity to explore your passion and put back that missing brick in your life at the right place. Travel can make you meet many people, know about their whereabouts, what they are doing in life and why are they there.

Trust me, this might sound a bit like something impossible, but this can clearly impact your life in a strong manner as it has that power and the ability to change your thought process about life and how to see the positives in your life rather than just getting down or depressed with all the negatives.

3. Meeting new people

You get to meet various people from different walks of life. You get introduced to cultures, languages, customes, and rituals, and other region specific insights. Therefore, you gain multiple perspectives and that makes you more flexible, more receptive.

The first time I traveled solo, I chose to stay in a mixed hostel so as to meet new people from different locations and initiating a conversation with them. Travel other than being usual fun and exploring can prove to be a great platform to network and make life long friends.

4. Way to become minimalist

When I say 'minimalist’, it means travelling solo teaches you to travel slow, light and minimize our needs. In our day-to-day life we often tend to collect unnessessary stuffs which either we never use or we don't bother spending money on them.

Solo travelling makes us more diligent how we manage our budget and finances during trips. Because, collecting deeper and strong memories, and earning precious travelsome moments are more worthy than spending money on things, which are no longer needed. Travelling on public transport, staying at homestays, and carrying one bag- it's like a wonderful package full of lots of learning.

Believe me when I say ~ you'll fall in love with your travel bag one day. Traveling is a platform for exploring more of myself. It changed my mentality and now made me a person who can survive anywhere with minimum resources.

When I travel I return with photographs, with memories, but above all, I return with an open mind. I am always confronted with unknown situations, cultures, customs and languages. I realize that we are different, but we also begin to understand each other. We become more respectful and tolerant. I realize that we have more in common with other people than I had imagined.

And in a world that increasingly scares me, it is worth remembering. It is one thing to be a tourist and another is to be a traveler. A tourist is one who is governed by his brochures, his little practicality and his little flexibility in enriching himself of new cultures over his. A traveler on the other hand is one who takes his travels to his heart.

When I travel, I leave my comfort zone. It does not matter that it is the umpteenth trip that I undertake. Every time the nerves and the expectation invade in the body. There is a tingling in the stomach. There is one night almost without sleep. There is a half suitcase lying. There is an open travel guide on the table. These are signs that the next exploration is around the corner.

We all live our lives, but it's upon us how we want to remember our days going on. Sometimes you have to lose yourself in the mountain, to find yourself, to find your inner peace. The mountains have the power of stripping your layers and making you nobody from somebody. Suddenly your ego of achievement pales into insignificance all you are bothered is about your next step.

Our life is the same, it's like riding the waves up and down, after every crest, there is a trough. To enjoy we have to move out from our monotonous life and live life like a King or Queen size. Your children won't be interested in your office stories, but they will love to go through your mountain diaries.

So who you're waiting for ??? Just dive your travelholic soul into the realm of solo travelling, and be ready to not only exploring places, but also to exploring yourself. World, and people out there are waiting for you! Time passes in what appears to us as a smooth flow of one moment after another; a constantly moving stream of moments coming over the horizon toward us, passing by, then moving on, never to be seen again.

Each moment is unique, perhaps like another, but not quite the same. Added up, these moments constitute our lives. There were moments before we were born, and there will be moments after we die, but those are someone else’s moments. They are not ours. In the grand scheme of things, only a small subset of all possible moments belongs to us. We are mortal, and the number of moments we are granted is finite.

Each and every one of our moments are associated with opportunities. Like the moments themselves, the opportunities come into view, present themselves, and then are gone. Some appear suddenly and disappear just as quickly. We either grasp them in that moment, or we miss out. Others we can see coming well in advance.

We have time to consider them. They seem to linger a while as they are associated with more than one moment. Even once they have moved into our rear-view mirror, many opportunities can still be grasped if we deem the effort worthwhile. But eventually, all opportunities are lost if we do not act.

We have this concept of “good timing” and the obvious counterpoint of “bad timing”. In reality, timing is neither inherently good nor bad. It is just convenient or inconvenient for us. When an opportunity comes along, we must ask ourselves if we are going to reach out and take advantage of it.

We must evaluate our situation and decide if the opportunity is attractive enough to make the effort worthwhile. We must ask ourselves; will we regret going after that opportunity and potentially failing more than we will regret not going after it at all. If the opportunity is still in view, it is not a matter of timing, but a matter of effort.

Are we willing to put forth the level of effort necessary based on the moment we are currently living? Is the opportunity still coming toward us, meaning the necessary effort is decreasing over time or has it already moved past, and the level of effort will climb steadily until the moment when the opportunity is eventually lost forever?

The bottom line is that opportunities present themselves and eventually they will be gone. Once missed, no amount of effort can ever bring them back. Don’t miss out on the chance to make something great. Don’t let the important opportunities slip away from you and be pulled out of sight by the constantly flowing stream of time.

Don’t allow laziness, procrastination, or the other events in your life to stop you from going after what is important. If you miss an opportunity that was important to you, you can’t blame it on timing. We must take responsibility for the effort, or lack of effort, that we put forth in every moment of our lives.

Missed opportunities are the source of most of our regrets in life. We seldom regret the things we pursued and lost nearly as much as those things we failed to pursue. I say again don’t allow laziness, your busy life, or “bad timing” to stop you from the pursuit of those things worth having.

Moments are not necessarily exclusively ours. We can choose to share them. Unlike opportunities that can sometimes be pulled out of the past, no amount of effort can share a moment that has already gone by. Photographers, artists, moviemakers try to share moments that have already expired, but we know this is only a feeble attempt at something which is not possible. Moments are either shared as they occur or remain exclusively ours forever.

It is this fact that can create urgency in some of our relationships. As our finite number of moments tick away, we come to see that shared moments have some special value that solo moments will never know. Yes, solo moments are important, even essential, but I would argue that while solo moments are the food we need to survive, shared moments are the dessert that makes the meal memorable. Sharing a moment adds texture and quality to what might otherwise be just another moment like all the rest.

As the number of moments behind us grows, and the number of moments left before us shrinks, ask yourself…will I choose to share my moments? Who will be there when opportunities are grasped, and adventures are created? Who will be there, with me, when my last moment arrives?