by Michelle Watson

Created on: April 21, 2009

Life lessons you learn from traveling

One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.'
Henry Miller, American writer

The world is your oyster. Travel and tickle that oyster and you will come back with pearls of wisdom lining your well-worn walking boots. Traveling provides a great opportunity to learn about life and what is important to you. Everything you see and do and every person you meet provides an opportunity to gain a new effective perspective that can help you live a better life.

You don't have to be an adventure traveler to collect these pearls of wisdom. Just keep your eyes and mind open. Find out about the destination you are in. Speak to the people who live there. Take the opportunity to step outside your comfort zone. Here are just some of the life lessons you can bring back home from your travels.

Live in the moment
Traveling is existential. When you travel, everything around you is new and interesting. You forget about the inside of your own head, because you're focused on the external world. Even when that guy hawking his wares is driving you nuts or the blisters on your heels are hurting like the blazes, you're living right in the moment. And when you're standing on the top of Mt Sinai watching the sun go down, or looking up in awe at the Kazneh temple carved into the wall in Jordan or dancing at an Indian wedding, you feel incredibly alive. This is what living is meant to be. This is existentialism.

Don't sweat the small things
Travel and the world slaps you into perspective. It's easy to become caught up in the minutiae of day to day activities and annoyances: the unclean dishes in the sink, the person with undesirable dress sense, the woman who always leaves early for her hobby class when you have to stay and finish your work.

Travel to somewhere like Cambodia. See the Cambodian's rebuilding their lives piece by piece after being shattered by the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnam War. Or travel to southern Africa and stare at the grandeur of the Victoria Falls. These experiences can change your perspective on what really matters in life.

Learn what is worth sweating for. Sue left a dish in the sink again. Whatever. Michael's belly is poking out from under his shirt. Whatever. Jenny's leaving work early for mosaics classes. Join her. Your boss is bullying you? Tell her to go traveling. She might learn something.

Find out who you are
Traveling helps you find out who you are. Leave behind your family or friend's long-term perceptions of

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