5 Ways Traveling Can Improve Your Perspective and Change Your Life

February 14, 2020 @ 3:21 pm by ACT

Coaching and helping people continue to grow and improve is definitely one of life’s greatest passions, but sometimes even the best coaches need a little R&R. You might think that a vacation is just something other people do, but the importance of finding time for your own personal growth and experiences can’t be understated. We’ve talked about ‘The Danger of Don’t’ on the blog before, and now it’s time to work on that for yourself. If you’re still unsure as to what benefits travel will have for you and your coaching, then you can check out the short list below.

Broadens Your Horizons

The first thing anyone will tell you about traveling is that it’s life-changing. Travel can help broaden your horizons and improve your creativity, according to Columbia Business School professor and researcher Adam Galinsky. Exposing yourself to new cultures and experiences will only further your inventiveness, making your coaching more exciting for your students.

Helps You Practice Learning Under Pressure

Traveling isn’t all sunshine and daisies, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn from the downsides. Sometimes setbacks happen, such as getting on the wrong train or losing your passport, but these are great opportunities for thinking fast on your feet. The Huffington Post has an article on how the brain learns under stress by switching from conscious to unconscious processes, which only goes to show that even the worst of emergencies can be a learning moment.

Contributes to Your Personal Growth

Visiting a foreign country or a different city and encountering new experiences gives you more opportunities to grow as a person. The Harris Poll found that traveling made business professionals from three countries (America, India, and China) more empathetic, allowing them to relate more closely with both colleagues and strangers. Whether it’s learning to navigate a foreign subway system, or familiarizing yourself with the local language, traveling will help you build skills that will be useful for you later in life. Plus, you might have some interesting stories to tell your students when you get back.

Learning from Strangers

If there’s one thing that can disrupt a daily routine, it’s travel. Spending a few days or weeks in a new environment and learning from strangers will help you push your boundaries like never before. For example, Daydreaming in Paradise’s James Gonzales points out how Japan has its own social norms and customs that are informed by its rich history and culture. By being exposed to such a different culture, you’ll broaden your understanding of what ‘normal’ is, and in turn will be able to share that newfound knowledge in your coaching.

Helps You Appreciate What You Have

As Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz said, there’s no place like home. Getting out of your house and your daily routine for a few days or weeks will give you a newfound appreciation for what you have. Everybody needs a change of pace once in a while, so take the opportunity to enjoy yourself and recharge. Relaxing on your trip might just give you the motivational boost you were missing, allowing you to become a better, sharper coach.

written for advantagecoaching.com by Bianca Washington