5 Reasons Why Leaders Travel

  1. Travel Develops Your Courage

Traveling takes courage. It is no small feat to pick yourself up, get on a plane and go somewhere new. Most times, it’s also not that simple. It takes a lot of planning, saving and preparing yourself for your adventure abroad. But even during the preparation stage, it takes courage to make initial decision to get up and go. That ability, to act with courage, before, during and after your traveling, is an important lesson all leaders must develop and put into their “toolbox.’

 

  1. Travel Makes You More Flexible

Whether you’re going to Europe, the Caribbean, South America or Africa- there are always going to be things during your trip that aren’t going to go as planned. It could be a flight delay, a lost bag, reservations at a hotel were mixed up, or my favorite- losing your wallet and bank cards, you’re going to face uncomfortable situations. How you deal with it is going to make the difference. Leaders understand these experiences only add to your mental, emotional and even spiritual flexibility.

 

  1. Travel Increases Your Awareness

Leaders know this rule; you don’t know what you don’t know. There’s no way around it. If you’ve never been to London, to Tel Aviv, or to Cape Town, you simply can’t speak to the current ideals, values, and points of concern of the people living in those places with any personal experience. You may have read books, seen media, or talked with friends- but it’s not quite the same. In order to truly understand, you must experience those places and people yourself, firsthand. Leaders understand this concept, which is is why exposure to foreign countries and cultures is critical for modern leaders.

 

  1. Travel Increases Your Gratitude

The city and culture you live in is quite different from other places around the world. Some places in the world don’t experience daylight every day. Other places have months of heavy rain. In some places, fish is the only protein in your diet. In other places, they eat bugs and insects you’ve never heard of before. In some places, they don’t have running water or electricity in their homes. In other places, the city never sleeps and businesses never close. It’s a big world out there, and as you begin experiencing it yourself, you’ll be ever so grateful for all the things in your life that lead you up to those moments. Travel helps you cherish who you are and what you’ve been given.

 

  1. Travel Changes Your Life

Travel is transformational. It exposes you to new people, concepts and cultures and in the process transforms who you are. It awakens a part of you that you’ve forgotten, it reminds you of values you once held so dear and inspires you to act. The greatest leaders in history understood the value of travel and made it a priority for themselves. How can you impact the world if you’ve never experienced anything outside of your own city, your own country? It’s a simple concept, yet difficult to undertake. Do you want to improve your life? Lived inspired? Make a positive impact? Make a commitment to travel this year for an adventure worthy of your time. Next year, you’ll be thankful you did. Go to yourself.