Why Travel?

Source

Disclaimer: this post ended up being a bit disjointed, as I wrote it from multiple perspectives. Being a typical full-time employee as well as a business student makes for an interesting stream of consciousness!

Everyone has their own reasons for traveling, and I thought I’d include some of mine in this post.

The world is becoming more and more integrated over time, both in terms of communication/information and trade. By traveling, you learn more about different areas of the world and different cultures, which allows you to perform at a higher level in your professional roles. Also, if you work for a global company, your “why travel?” may be that it is a requirement for your job. If I could only be so lucky...

Not only does global knowledge have a positive impact on your work performance, it can have a benefit on other areas of your life. Are you a creative person? Travel can provide you with inspiration for years to come (as evidence, you can see how many blog posts I have written from a single two-week trip). I also dare you to go on a trip where everything goes according to plan. This is near impossible, and the problem solving skills you learn while traveling are invaluable when you return home. My first day in Munich and experience getting lost straight out of the train station are a perfect example of this.

Another great part about traveling is that it allows you to put a lot of your daily stress behind you, and learn a bit more about who you are as a person. Perhaps you take more risks when you travel, and bring some of that fearlessness home with you. Perhaps you figure out what your priorities in life are based on which sights you end up visiting. Or maybe, with some distance (both mental and physical), it’s easier to determine what your next career goals are. Traveling is a wonderful time for reflection on your life in general.

Personally, I also travel for a couple reasons that don’t have any clear long term benefits. I consider myself to be a fairly curious person, and traveling allows me to learn more about the world and satisfy that curiosity. So many places come with rich histories attached and it’s fun to learn a bit about the culture from monuments, museums, and any related podcasts I dig up to set the tone for the trip. In addition, I love seeing all the different kinds of natural beauty in the world. The United States, while also gorgeous, doesn’t have a monopoly on scenic views and travel allows me to see as many as possible.

My final thoughts on traveling are directed specifically towards people who, like me, are balancing both part-time school and full-time work. Often it seems impossible to fit in everything to your schedule, and you feel the need to refresh with a vacation. This itself causes more stress: when do you fit in a vacation? Will you get behind on class? Will the world come to a screeching halt if you dare relax?? Ok, that last one is just me… Enter short term study abroad opportunities, where you can combine both a vacation AND class. In my recent experience, I took just one class. I was able to add 3 credits to my workload while also taking some time off work and exploring several new locations. Other classmates took several classes; while this does reduce your amount of time as a tourist, it can significantly reduce the duration of the program. My point is, while travel can seem daunting to a part-time MBA student, I really think that studying abroad can be a great way to add balance to your life in a way that won’t impede your progress through the program (quite the opposite!).

Help me out: what are your reasons for traveling?