Once you’ve caught the travel bug, it is hard to get rid of. There is nothing more exciting than exploring new countries, trying cuisines you’ve never had, and experiencing different cultures and sights. However, as career-oriented professionals, it is hard to take time off work to travel. Taking a week or two off work can set you back some on your career path or at least that is what most think.
But on the contrary, traveling can actually help you further yourself in your career. At least, that is what a successful entrepreneur, Sidd Pagidipati, tells us. Sidd highlights why he believes traveling can help professionals develop skills and further their careers. It starts with:
Learning to be open-minded
With over 190 countries around the globe, you will find that there are no two countries that are the same. That gives you almost 200 different countries to explore and learn about. In the process, you will be exposed to thousands of different languages and hundreds of cultures and traditions. While some may be puzzling or a shock at first, you will become accustomed to them through experience.
For example, many may be repulsed at the thought of eating crickets which are commonly sold in Thailand on the streets. But once you try them, you will find that they aren’t as bad and packed with proteins. By trying new things and experiences you will learn to keep an open mind and that translates well into your workplace.
Enhanced communication skills
As a foreigner in a country during your travels, you will find that the language barrier can be frustrating. But at the same time, it presents you with a chance to improve your communication skills. When you can’t understand the words, you rely on body language and learn to read the situation better. While improving your skills to read body language is a huge plus, it doesn’t trump the realization that miscommunications are natural. At work, there will be plenty of instances of miscommunication but you will learn not to be frustrated by them but rather reach out to colleagues to sort them out.
Opportunity to learn a language
Being able to speak more than one language is a plus for any field. While you may take classes to learn a language back home, you can’t really learn it unless you immerse yourself in an environment where the language is commonly spoken. You need proper conversation and exposure to the language to learn it. Which is where traveling comes in. Going to a country and engaging the locals in the language lets you learn it at a much faster rate. Plus, you understand all the cultural links within the language in a better manner.
Cultivate your creative skills
As we grow older, we tend to lose our creativity. One of the reasons why is because we adopt the same daily routine on a daily basis and go through it as if we were robots. Traveling exposes you to new sights and experiences which can help ignite our creative thinking skills. From going to India to see the Taj Mahal to Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. You have numerous inspirations to cultivate creativity within you. If not that, then the time off relaxing will help you physically and mentally recuperate which is important for focus and thinking creatively.
Become more competent globally
You hear about many countries on the news and the media and believe what you hear and see due to not knowing more about the countries. Traveling lets you build your own opinions through experiences in countries globally. It teaches you about the people, their cultures, and so on making you more competent and even cultural sensitive. All of which ties in with being more open-minded and will translate into you being a better co-worker and learning to respect individuals and their values.
Conclusion
Visiting a foreign land is a lot more than a vacation. While the time spent away from your daily routine does help you relax. The experience serves as a learning process which can have a positive impact on your career. That is if you travel wisely and use the time to learn about the country you visit and find activities that let you immerse yourself in the culture rather than spending late nights out partying. So, if you have been delaying a vacation, thinking it will set you back on your career path, it’s time you pull the trigger and opt for it.