Can Traveling Make You Open-Minded?
July 1, 2022
What has been the most significant benefit of traveling for you? Have you gained anything from your past traveling experiences? You are most likely to answer positively to these questions. Traveling is a leisure activity for most people. Yet, it is much more than just a leisure activity. Traveling is an excellent way of making you open-minded.
Traveling and Learning
One of the main elements of traveling is learning. You learn a lot when you travel, whether consciously or unconsciously. You learn about new places, cultures, technologies, and historical facts that you didn’t know before. This learning experience makes you open-minded in several ways.
And when you learn new things when traveling, you broaden your worldview. You no longer have a narrow view of the world based on your home or upbringing. For example, you may learn that some people do not believe in the Christian God in your travels. This lesson will challenge your hitherto established belief in the existence of only one religion.
Challenging Your Beliefs and Values
Traveling provides an opportunity to put your personal beliefs and values to the test. You get to encounter circumstances that will make you question these beliefs and values. From doing so, you will either reaffirm them or have a new worldview altogether. And this doesn’t change you as a person but gives you a broader perspective of the world.
Your beliefs and values emanate from your social setting, community, and family. When you travel, you get away from this social setting. The principles and boundaries that influenced your worldview in your original social environment will not apply to new places you visit. And this causes you to rethink and reevaluate your social belief and value system.
Conclusion
Traveling is an excellent opportunity to expand your mindset. It enables you to experience new things and places. It also triggers you to reconsider your original perspectives on various issues. The more you travel, the more you will become open-minded.