Traveling as a Means of Learning 

“Want to be successful in business? Then better get some travel experience on your resumé to go with the top schools, the amazing internships and spectacular references.”

While no two travel experiences are the same, the common principles surrounding them likely are. It’s less about the actual places you go and more about how you integrate the experiences you’ve had back into your everyday life. Those who are able to learn from the situations they’ve been in are more likely to grow as professionals and entrepreneurs in the future.

Tangible Benefits of Traveling 

What tangible benefits are young entrepreneurs bringing home from their travels? Here are just a few from some experienced world travelers:

• Ability to adapt. Travel, like a business, involves changing plans and finding ways to adapt to new environments. Flights get delayed, bags get lost, hotels are hard to find, and the list continues. While these issues may seem like hindrances at the time, they serve as real-life teaching moments. As an entrepreneur, you’ll need to be flexible, and situations will arise when you’ll be forced to pivot. The experiences you have while traveling will shape how you handle these situations in the workplace.
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• Better communication. Communication is an art form, whether you believe it or not. It’s not just knowing how to put words together but includes being able to control your body language, make impressions, and lead with authority. When traveling, Language barriers and cultural differences may be challenging to handle, but you find creative ways to get around them. Entrepreneurs later find that these experiences helped shape how they communicate and network with peers.
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• Teamwork skills. One of the biggest advantages to traveling in a group is the ability to grow as a team. According to Ute Sonnenberg, founder of African safari provider Roho Ya Chui, “New experiences in foreign environments allow people to grow in ways they never thought possible.” You’re forced to rely on others’ strengths and compromise your desires for the betterment of the group. In fact, it reinforces the idea that selflessness breeds positive results.
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• Cultural awareness. In today’s global economy, even young entrepreneurs with small startups should expect to interact with foreign cultures; it’s the nature of the Internet-driven marketplace. Traveling provides a look at other cultures, to show that different isn’t necessarily bad. In fact, most walk away believing that different is actually good!
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• Time management. Logistically, traveling is all about time management. From getting to the airport on time to catch your flight to making time to experience all the things you want to see, ambitious travelers don’t let their guard down. This skill obviously translates back to business and instills a better sense of time management in those who have extensive experience traveling.
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• Networking. Practically speaking, entrepreneurs can use traveling as a networking tool. It allows you to build relationships with people around the world, which can come in handy when starting a new venture. Beneath the surface, it also helps strengthen networking skills by forcing you out of your comfort zone and to interact with people you otherwise wouldn’t talk to.
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• Working with constraints. Traveling teaches you how to work with what you’ve got, which often means limited resources. You’re often limited to what fits in a single suitcase, meaning you have to be smart about what you bring. Furthermore, how you use these items will prove important. Situations will force you to stretch your resources, and you’ll learn to adapt. As an entrepreneur, you won’t have everything you need to launch a new venture. Whether it’s a lack of funding, human capital, or technology, you’ll have to work with what you have.
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• Leadership. In the end, these skills can result in you becoming a better leader. Traveling teaches leadership every step of the way. Whether you’re on your own or with companions, you’re forced to make decisions and interact with those around you. This ability to lead while traveling will help you lead as an entrepreneur as well.

As a traveling entrepreneur, you’re free to live where you want, when you want. Not only can you travel and see the world, but you can spend your time networking and blazing trails on a global scale.

It is easier to follow your heart once you embrace what truly drives you. Making a business out of your passion would be one of the most positively adventurous rides you will ever take.

Take the two-minute free Passion Test to discover your top passions: bit.ly/MyPassionTest