The Top 5 Reasons Why Travel Can Show Your Purpose in Life - And Why You Should Travel Now

“You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
― Roy T. Bennett

You came to a point in your life when nothing seems to change and when you just want to get away from it all, when you just had enough of being part of a big machine, working for long hours with a big chunk of your life mostly being spent at work. You started thinking that there’s no way you’re just going to pay the bills and die. You want to quit the rat race and just do what you love, you want to find that “thing” that will make you jump out of the bed in the morning with excitement.

The problem at this point is that you don’t know that thing yet. Don’t worry as you are not alone. There are millions of people out there thinking the same, and some will do anything just to find their purpose in life, even if it means searching for it will take the remainder of their lives. Some people grow old and they still don’t know what to do, but it's fine. Don't stop.

I started traveling not knowing where I would end up. I quit being a corporate slave and packed my life in a bag and off I went to see the world. For 4 years of traveling and living in other countries, I was determined to really find out what I’m going to do for the rest of my life because apparently, I don’t fit in anymore. The society has grown worse and what I could only do is to change my own life. So I went traveling armed with nothing but my own courage. And after going through disappointments and failures of trying to see what was that I really wanted to do eventually lead me to that “thing”. So I came back home armed with nothing but my own vision. Applying everything I’ve learned from my travel, I’m ready to start a new life and do what I really want. I’m fully motivated to achieve success even if it takes the rest of my life doing it.

This is why I recommend for you to travel at least once in your life, or especially for those who are still seeking for their purpose. I know that it’s easy to say but I’m only here to inspire others to do the same. I know from experience the long-term reward you can get from travel, and why it is a good investment. You don’t have to quit your job yet or book a one-way ticket and fly to somewhere right now, but I just want you to have a think, then do what is best for you.

Here are the reasons why travel can unravel your purpose in life.

1. Travel makes you go outside your comfort zone

Change is always difficult at the beginning. When I started traveling for the first time, and alone, can you imagine just how scary it was for me? But anyway I went through it and embraced discomfort and fear as part of my own growth.

You’re not in the usual routine anymore, you’d be hopping from one place to another, exposing yourself to culture shock and sometimes even danger. You will be seeing things you are not used to seeing every day, trying exotic food, meeting amazing people, doing some adventure activity every other day. And at the end of the day, you will be tired, but happy. When you embrace discomfort, you let yourself grow and become a better person. And later in life as you work on something that you are passionate about, nothing will come as a surprise anymore. You can withstand anything as you already know that everything will be ok in the end anyway. Travel has made you a stronger person.

2. Travel lets you embrace uncertainty

I was traveling like a madman at some point in my life, hitchhiking from one place to another, making friends with the local people, staying in their homes, changing plans, cursing myself for the change of plan, starting again, not knowing where to sleep - anything you can imagine. If you travel the way I did, uncertainty will just become normal to you, and it is the scariest thing. Most people don’t want to travel because they want to be sure of everything, they don’t want that kind of anxiety of just diving into the unknown and just see what happens.

If you are planning to become an entrepreneur or start a business, then travel has prepared you to face the everyday uncertainty. Starting a personal project can be daunting, you don’t have a regular paycheck anymore, you don’t know if it's going to be a success or not, or you don’t know how much you are going to lose.

Nothing in life is really certain anyway. You can just be sitting in a cafe and a random guy can go inside and just shoot the people just like that, I mean life is short. We might as well just do whatever the fuck we want, like pursue our passion or travel until we get tired of it, because we only have one chance in life.

3. Travel broadens your perspective

I found out that I was wrong about the other countries when I started traveling. Before, I had these limited thinking about other people and I proved some of them were untrue. I became open to new ideas and perspective as I traveled. I’ve met amazing people along the way who taught me about a thing or two about life.

Travel will give you life-changing experiences and lets you meet people who can change the way you think. You become open to new ideas and become more understanding. This is something we usually don’t get when we choose to stay in the same place for the rest of our lives. To discover your passion and your purpose, you must be open to changing your outlook in life. If you will be pursuing your passion later on, then travel will give you a fresh perspective of the world and will help you become an open-minded person, which is necessary for the everyday decision-making.

4. Travel gives you a lot of time to think

It’s not going to be the usual 9-5 grind anymore. It will feel like everyday is Saturday, you won’t even realize what time or day it is. Compared to your previous life, where you’re used to your usual routine, it could be waking up early, having a quick breakfast then commuting to work, dealing with the traffic and all the shit. You spend the rest of the day inside the cubicle pretending to work hard while secretly sending private messages to your colleagues expressing how you hate the boss. You go home and deal with the same traffic shit. You found yourself feeling depleted at the end of the day with no time for everything else. Waiting for Friday and dreading Monday, the weekend seems to be the only thing that motivates you.

When you travel, you will have more time to think and reflect on your life, it can reset everything you have been conditioned to believe and you start considering a new outlook. You can use those free time to just relax on the beach as you watch the sunset, looking back at the things that have made you a better person. With more time to reflect and think, you will begin to put the pieces of the puzzle and start planning the next steps to do in life. Travel affords you the whole time in the world to be creative.

5. Travel can give you new ideas

I was experimenting with a lot of things that I thought I could be doing for the rest of my life when I was traveling. I had a lot of enlightening conversations with people who gave me inspiration, those who are already successful in what they do and those who are on their way. At some point I tried working temporarily in a travel agency just to see if this could be the right industry for me. I volunteered in some small communities to learn more about the sustainable and alternative lifestyle. I tried to learn gardening and permaculture. I also worked in a scuba dive shop where I got my PADI license in exchange for work, just to see if I can work and do what I love at the same time. I've also tried to see if I can do some business in another country and tried partnering with a local friend. You see, I’ve tried a lot of things just to discover my passion and what I could be pursuing at the end of my travel. I was exposed to new experiences which had helped me realize what I really wanted to do in life.

You will adapt to changes as you travel, and lets you experience new things. The unexpected circumstances and new experiences could ignite a passion that you didn’t know you had. Suddenly you will have new ideas that you can make use of when you return from your trip. If you put your heart and all your energy in turning these ideas into a success then travel has truly shown you your purpose.

The opportunities on the road are limitless, these are just the top reasons as to why you should consider traveling, if you really want to find your purpose in life. You don’t have to make a drastic change right now, but I just want you to reflect and think. Because that is the first step towards change, let those thoughts come out and let it materialize by taking the next steps. The key is that if you really want something in life then you will work towards it no matter what. The choice is yours to make everything possible.

You might also like:

How Long-Term Travel Can Show You That Perfect Start-up Idea That Can Make You Rich