Days after returning from my most recent trip I feel inspired, rejuvenated and already excited about my next adventure. I love seeing the world, I love meeting new people, I love learning about new cultures, and I love soaking up the beauty.
As I sat down to write my next blog post, I knew I wanted to focus on how important I believe travelling is. I didn’t feel the need to express how incredible it is to visit new places, because let’s face it – most people don’t need to be convinced to travel. Instead I wanted to focus on what there is to learn through travelling. I wanted to reflect on the lessons travel has instilled in me far beyond the act itself. When you travel you learn. Travelling is the best crash course, it’s superior to any textbook I’ve ever read, and it’s remarkably fulfilling.
I had done a little bit of travelling when I was younger, although nothing extensive. It really wasn’t until I’d moved to Vancouver, after my third year of university, that I took full advantage of being on the west coast by travelling as much as I could. Then I hit the ground running by backpacking Europe, exploring the beautiful country of Canada, and most recently visiting the picturesque country of Iceland. During these times I tried to immerse myself and interact with people from these different cultures, and in doing so I became acutely aware of just how diverse the world is. It caused me to open my mind and become mindful of what I could learn from these new environments and interactions.
Travelling allowed me to learn through showing me new perspectives. I now see things in different ways and I understand, or allow myself to not understand, in ways I had not had the capacity of doing before. From travelling I have gained awareness and understanding, while surrounded by different cultures and peoples. I can think of 101 things I have absorbed while travelling, but the most momentous one, and the one I want to focus on is: embracing diversity.
In 2017, it has never been more evident to me that the human race has yet to embrace diversity. In today’s society, it becomes increasingly clear that although we have made some significant strides towards equality, the distance to the finish line is still extremely distant. It took me less than 60 seconds to read through comments underneath an Instagram post from the NHL’s #HockeyIsForEveryone – a campaign focused on fostering inclusive communities – to recognize just how necessary campaigns like this are. It took less than five minutes after posting on social media regarding International Women’s Day, for a comment to appear on my feed that reinforced just how vital days like this are. Undoubtedly, we have a long way to go, whether it be for minorities, for women, for the LGBT community, or for those who practice different religions. So let’s keep our minds open.
I have travelled, worked, and lived with people from different countries who are more formal and less expressive with their emotions. They are all incredible human beings, but they express their level of satisfaction extremely differently than I do. These individuals taught me one of the most important things I’ve learned while traveling; they taught me to erase the saying treat everyone the way you want to be treated. Instead I’ve replaced it with: treat everyone the way they want to be treated. This is so important because the way I want to be treated is very different than the way individuals around the world want to be treated. I’ve learned how important it is to respect our differences instead of believing we should all operate the same.
The next notion that has been impressed upon me while travelling is equally as important. I have learned that just because we do not feel something, or haven’t experienced the same discrimination, limitations, or barriers as someone, does not mean these do not exist. I believe we have to recognize and appreciate how other people feel instead of discounting someone’s battles. If collectively we focus on being more attentive to the challenges others face, then I believe together we can continue to move towards the finish line.
So now I encourage you to travel if that is what you yearn to do. I am a firm believer that there are no limitations to life, as people find the money and time for what they deem important. As you travel, I encourage you to reflect on your experiences. Reflect on what you learn. Every day is a blank canvas and every day offers a new opportunity to grow. From approaching travel and life with this mindset, you will become a better employee, co-worker, manager, and ultimately a better person.
Sara
