3 reasons why you should travel Internationally!
3 reasons why you should travel internationally
It opens your eyes to other cultures
You are grateful for your culture and comfort
You realize there is more to this life than your own life & in awe of the lord.
International travel opens your eyes to other cultures, as an American I often get so stuck in my world. What I want, what I think I need, and what I think is right. My world is the most important, until I travel outside of the country. My eyes are opened to other ways of living. Living in a jungle with no access to school, no access to a hot shower and air conditioning. But they are happy. They are with their family and family is so important to them.
On my recent trip to Peru we went on a hike on part of the original Inca trail. We stopped at a Peruvians house and she showed us how to roast, grind, and brew fresh coffee. The Peruvian lady and her daughter were so kind and excited to show us how to roast coffee over a fire, grind the roasted coffee beans with a rock, and brew the coffee. The little girl had no access to school because she didn’t have transportation, which broke my heart. But she was the cutest and happy little Peruvian girl.
In America we take so much for granted, like education. I sometimes thought of it as something I HAD to do, not something I have the opportunity to do.
In Peru, family is very important to them. They all help each other and will give up something for a sibling or family member to do something instead. Example with education again. If a family has 3 children, one child wants to go to the university for engineering and one wants to be a nurse/doctor the one might not go to engineering school so they can put the one through medical school. It’s a family unit and they all work together and also as friends they all work together!
Another interesting thing the Peruvians don’t do like Americans is save money. I think that is interesting (maybe because I am a huge fan of money mapping and saving for your dream adventure), but also they don’t have the resources like us to be able to save. To me that would be so stressful, but yet that is the way their culture is.
You are grateful for your culture and comfort. When we traveled to Peru the first night we stayed in a hostel without hot water, a community bathroom, no heat/air conditioning, and the chickens woke us up bright and early!
We take so many comforts for granted, like hot water and heat or air conditioning.
I loved how each night we stayed in Peru, our hostel or hotel was a bit nicer and we were grateful for it! If it would have been the other way around, our hotel/hostel was less nice each night we would have probably been disgusted and complained.
Living in the United States is comfortable! I know my surroundings, I can understand and read everything, and I have access to the internet all the time (unless I’m hiking in the mountains ;)) traveling outside the country helps get me out of my comfort zone and my eyes are opened to other cultures and parts of the world.
You realize there is more to life than just your life! When we were in Peru, we were in the Andes mountain range, I felt so small and in awe of God. When we step back and take a look at God and everything he has created for us to enjoy I am in awe of his character. God didn’t haven’t to give us amazing vast mountains, but he did!
Jen Wilken
I realize there are so many other humans out there that live so differently than me. And that is a beautiful thing. I realize there is more to this life than just my life!
The three reasons you should travel outside of your county are:
It opens your eyes to other cultures
You are grateful for your culture and comfort
You realize there is more to this life than your own life & in awe of the lord.
Have you traveled outside the country? If not, what is holding you back? Is it fear, unsure who to travel with, money, or just maybe you don’t have a desire too!
Ps. Don’t let money hold you back from traveling! Start now, dream about your dream travel adventure, figure out your desired time frame, and start saving now!
Want help? I have coaching, accountability, and adventure travel planning programs for you!