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How Traveling Can Make You Better At Your Job

Author: soundtele   I   Category : Business, Human Resources, Training   I   Date : August 08, 2016

How Traveling Can Make You Better At Your Job

Traveling can really improve your skills and give your career a serious boost. Here are just a few of the ways traveling can make you better at your job.

First things first, we are about to discuss how traveling can make you better at your job and allow you to develop positive career skills. We will not be talking about vacationing. Traveling and vacationing are two different things.

If you are going to one or two destinations over the course of a maximum of a week or two then it's probably a vacation. If the majority of your time is spent relaxing, then it's most likely a vacation. If there is a resort involved in any capacity then it's definitely a vacation. The mindset behind travelers and vacationers are completely different. Now, don't get me wrong, because vacations are great things and absolutely everybody should use them to recharge and have fun. But that's just not what we are focusing on here.

We are talking about traveling. Maybe it's a week long road trip down the West Coast and you just camp along the way. Perhaps it's six weeks around Europe by train. Or it could even be a year in South America staying in a different hostel every few nights. That's the kind of travel we are discussing. And you'd better believe that it can do wonders for your career. Here are several of the many ways that traveling can make you better at your job.

First, let's start with perhaps one of the most obvious, but potentially most useful benefits of traveling: Language. If you spend a significant amount of time traveling around countries with people who speak a different language, then you have a great shot at learning a new language. It certainly takes an effort and is easier for some than others to pick up new languages, but if you've got the time and dedication to learn then you can most certainly acquire a different language while traveling. That opens up a whole world of job opportunities! At the very least, it's a great resume item.

When you travel you meet all kinds of people and experience different cultures. You learn about all these varying backgrounds/people and figure out how to see the world through their eyes. It's not always easy, but you learn to respect different people, their customs, and come away from the travel experience more open minded. All along your career path you will encounter and work with many sorts of people. Having the ability to see things from their point of view and appreciate where they are coming from will always be an asset. Traveling absolutely develops your people skills!

Based on the two elements we just discussed (language and dealing with different people) there is always a potential to find yourself in difficult situations while traveling. Things don't always go as planned either. You've got to have some flexibility and creativity to sort through the wrinkles and make things happen. Travel enough and you'll find yourself in plenty of tricky circumstances, but the more you encounter them the better you'll be at problem solving. And that's a fantastic ability to have on the job in every position.

There is usually plenty of downtime that comes with traveling. Whether you're burning a couple hours at the airport waiting for you flight, riding to your next destination on a train, lounging in a hammock, or just spending one of your nights real low key, there are ample opportunities to practice new things and uncover/develop your passions. So many people have discovered their talents or honed their skills in writing, photography, design, and so many more things just during the downtime of their travels.

Finally, the last item we will cover today (although there are plenty more) when it comes to how traveling can make you better at your job and improve your career is inspiration and creativity. When you travel you will see things that you'd never imagined before. Just one look at a unique piece of art, a breathtaking landscape, or an incredible structure has the potential to inspire you. Always remember to appreciate all these things in the moment, but it's also great to snap some photos and even journal about them at the end of the day so you can remember the way they made you feel or the creative ideas they gave you.

While there are loads of ways that traveling can make you better at your job and have a drastically huge impact on your career, these are just a few of them. Now, I'm fully aware that it can be seemingly very difficult to find the time/resources to travel, especially if you've already got job. But if you make the effort to travel whenever you can and on whatever scale is possible for you, it's a guarantee that you'll develop some skills that have a lasting positive impact on your career.

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