Elida Tato
17 jun 2020
6 Min. de lectura

Long-term travel can come in many forms: It can be an Erasmus year (I did mine in the Nijmegen, The Netherlands, totally recommended), a working holiday visa, an internship, an interrail...

Personally, I feel everyone should at least do one of those things if possible. Being abroad and on the move for a relatively long time help us develop life skills that might take much more time in a sedentary life.

Before I list the skills that you learn through travel that I consider the most important I must say that just to be able to travel is a huge privilege and that is a lesson I have learned through traveling too.

What can you learn from long-term travel? What are the benefits or lessons you get from it?

1. First of all, long-term traveling helps you know yourself better.

Especially as a woman, long-term traveling -even better if you do it by yourself -might empower you when you realize how you can handle situations you never thought you could. I have traveled extensively to almost 50 countries with friends, family, and by myself. I believe that the best way to truly know how someone is is to either share an apartment with that person or travel with them. You get to know yourself better in the sense that you realize what your comfort zone is and how you handle situations. At the same time, you get to know your friend, parent, or partner better. I feel it is as important to choose your travel companion as it is to find a good flatmate. Nevertheless, as your friends might not have the same amount of time as you, you can try traveling solo. You will not regret it.

You get to know yourself better in the sense that you realize what your comfort zone is and how you handle situations. At the same time, you get to know your friend, parent or partner better.

2. Long-term traveling makes you more open-minded.

Long-term traveling makes you more open-minded. It forces you to have more conversations with people from all around the world.

When you are on the road for a while or living and working with people from very diverse backgrounds you start seeing people as individuals. This might sound weird or even stupid but the reality is that we all have stereotypes. As a Spaniard, I have been asked about flamenco many times for example. I am OK with this stereotype in particular as I feel flamenco is truly an art form but I am from north-western Spain, I know as much about Flamenco as someone from Finland. Ask me about muiñeira and I will dance it for you.

Each individual is different. Everyone has their own personality regardless of nationality, race, or gender. "Of course Élida, everyone knows that, duh" Do we, though?

Do not get me wrong, I am not saying cultural differences do not exist. They do, and sometimes you will be deeply shocked. However, generalizations such as "people from this country are this and this" will probably lead you to either an idealized or a racist view of a community or country.

Learn the difference between culture and stereotype and between culture and individuals. Ask people why they do certain things a certain way. Maybe they never ever wonder why. Maybe you can learn from each other. Maybe you realize you have way more in common with them than you thought. Maybe you make a friend for life.

Sadly, some travelers go places but places do not go through them. Please, do not be one of them. Have conversations, learn about the culture and the language, and under no circumstances say something like "Speak English" in a country where it is not even the official language. I myself have been told to "speak English" by strangers I was not even talking to at least in Thailand, Croatia, and Spain, where I am from (English is my third language).

Some travelers go places but places do not go through them. Please, do not be one of them. Have conversations, learn about the culture and the language, and under no circumstances say something like "Speak English".

3. Long-term travel helps you become braver and more resilient

First of all, what does "resilient" mean? The Cambridge Dictionary defines to be resilient as "to be able to be happy, succesful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened" (Cambridge Dictionary, 2020).

Chances are that when you see yourself in a place that you might never visit again or you need to learn a foreign language or new skills, etc to survive on a daily basis you are willing to take more risks. This might be the only chance you will have to bungee-jump, to eat a specific food, to talk to someone you like, to go for a job or for any other type of experience. Sometimes it is now or never.

This also applies to not so fun situations. When I was living in Australia I found an inland Taipan snake in the kitchen. In case you do not know which snake this is it is supposed to be one if not the most venomous snake in the world. I had two options, to take care of the situation or to possibly die. No spoilers needed.

Sometimes you will have to face uncomfortable situations - above all when it comes to going through customs or getting a visa or paperwork sorted out- and you cannot let that bring you down. You learn to move on, to adapt to new situations, to change your plans and make changes to your itinerary and budget. You become more resilient. Anyone who has done an Erasmus year can tell you how much paperwork you have to go through. Months and months of paperwork, reunions, signing papers in your home university, and the university where you will spend the Erasmus at. At some point, you just learn to deal with it without feeling stressed.

Chances are that when you see yourself in a place that you might never visit again or you need to learn a foreign language or new skills, etc to survive on a daily basis you are willing to take more risks. (...) You learn to move on, to adapt to new situations. You become more resilient.

4. It improves your time and money management skills.

Unless you are rich or a special kind of influencer you will worry about the money related to your trip because it is not going to be precisely free. Management and logistics are extremely important. They are the difference between keep on traveling or going back home, between having an incredible experience you might not have the opportunity to do ever again. Long-term travel, contrary to what people tend to think, requires a lot of discipline. You need to prioritize, have self-discipline, and to invest your money and time wisely. For example, among many other things, when I was in Australia I went bungee -jumping, and skydiving, I rode a helicopter, dived the Great Barrier Reef, visited Tasmania. In New Zealand I went to Hobbiton and Te Puia, I bathed on hot pools, I traveled both islands for more than a month. In Japan I did a photoshoot with a kimono in the streets of Kyoto, in France, Portugal and Italy I went wine tasting, in Sweden I went to the ABBA museum. I spent carnivals in the Netherlands and Germany, went to the Japantag, the Lay Kathrong festival in Thailand, the King's day in the Netherlands... You get the idea. If you are interested in pics, feel free to follow me on Instagram.

You do not travel not to enjoy the world. You do not travel not to have adventures and experiences. What would be the point to go to the other side of the world not to live the experience to the fullest?

I have traveled to almost 50 countries and as you can imagine all these things are expensive, which leads to people to assume I am rich or that someone sponsors me. Nothing quite like it. I am neither rich neither someone else pays for my travels.

Money-management is probably the most important skill you will learn because you will need it or you can forget about traveling altogether. You will have to budget and to prioritize. Think of it as an exam preparation. The exam is your ultimate goal. You have to study hard, organize your schedule, plan ahead, etc.

It is not about how much you make, it's about how wisely you spend it and about what matters the most. Nevertheless, as I have previously mentioned just to be able to travel is a privilege so I am saying this as a highly educated European who speaks several languages fluently. I am conscious that even though I had to work hard to get to do everything I have done I am an extremely lucky person too.

Long-term travel, contrary to what people tend to think, requires a lot of discipline. You need to prioritize, to have self-discipline and to invest your money and time wisely.

Having at least one experience abroad and travel a bit around even one single country long enough to know the culture, the food, or the customs will only benefit you. I myself have lived in different areas of Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Slovakia, and Australia for example, and traveled in almost 50 countries extensively.

I could not recommend enough to try it. Take the leap! Go explore the world and make some memories!