Why Travel in College

You’re in college and at times money is so tight that you can’t even let yourself get the next size up at Starbucks. If someone asked you to pay for a plane ticket or for a hotel, you would look at them like they’re crazy. Why would you do that when you are working so hard just to maintain how you’re living now?

The thing is, at this time in your life, it’s the best time to travel. It’s hard to make ends meet already, and the idea of picking up a couple extra hours a week at work seems impossible. It can be hard to see the full picture when you are working, and trying to save. However, once you find yourself on an adventure to a new place, you’re going to think that it was all worth it.

Why is college the best time? You don’t have that many responsibilities, the amount of bills you have now are nothing compared to after you graduate, and you have many friends in the same situation to go with you.

Not only is it easier to travel while in college, but it’s the best time to get some of these experiences under your belt. If you find yourself in a foreign country where no one speaks English, just imagine how much easier being in a meeting at a job where you don’t know what’s going on is going to be.

When you travel around the world, or even within your own country or  state, you will encounter so many different people. They will all have different backgrounds and experiences than you, and that’s the beauty of it. Having to interact with all different kinds of people is a part of life, and it will help you in the long run if you become adaptable to various personalities now rather than later.

Not only are you going to have to learn to deal with different kinds of people, but you need to get used to change. Once you get out of college, it’s going to be strange and different. There is nothing better to prepare you for this kind of change than traveling. You could get a job offer on the other side of the country, and you’re going to have to start all over. This is never an easy thing; you thought getting used to college was hard enough — well, it’s about to get harder. Unlike college, you’re not going to be surrounded by people your age in a classroom every day. Making connections is going to much more difficult. It can become easier if you get used to putting yourself out there and making connections with everyone around you. That’s just a basic part of being a good traveler, and a basic part of life after school.

One thing everyone who travels learns is how to be flexible, and I don’t mean being able to postpone your lunch break for an hour in order to go to a meeting. Things happen when you’re traveling: planes get delayed, taxies may not show up, or friends may bail on your trip. These kinds of things involve becoming extremely flexible, and learning how to truly go with the flow.

Traveling to new places can be one of the best (but stressful) things you do, but what you learn on your journey can really help you more than you think later in life. So take advantage of the time you have now in college and go explore.