How has traveling changed your life?

guss,

Interesting question and one that I'd probably have to ponder for awhile before I can answer completely. However, one thing that comes to mind is that I'm probably more tolerant and accepting of different peoples and cultures now, given the many different types I've encountered in my travels.

Some of the people I talk to about my travels seem to be a bit xenophobic, which is unfortunate.

I find some of these quotes to be interesting reading......

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_travel.html

Another quote that applies to my travels is "You have to have a dream so you can get up in the morning".

A few additional thoughts......

As others have mentioned, I've found that travel and the many different situations I've encountered has given me much more self confidence. I've also found that I tend to be much more outgoing when travelling.

Hi Ken!

That makes so much sense. I hadn't thought of that. Good to know :)

Thanks for the input!

Guss,

The given; when you travel, you get to experience different cultures, food, sights, etc...

What I've learned from my travels:

• I've realized that despite our cultural differences, we are very
  similar because we share the same basic needs; companionship,
  love/connection, family, survival, respect, empathy, compassion, etc,
  etc...

• I've learned to live with much less than I thought I needed--

• I've learned that traveling forces me to escape my daily routine & it gives me a
  chance to relax, to reflect & appreciate life more.

• I've learned that traveling to a new location, makes me feel somewhat vulnerable and
  it teaches me to seek help from others.

• I've learned that most people are willing to help (if you seek their help)

• I've learned that my travel plans may not go as planned and sometimes the unplanned moments are the best.

• I've learned to trust myself more.

• I've learned to appreciate my family & friends more.

What Ken and Priscilla said so far.

My own twist is that my first trip to Europe was when I was seven years old, and it was to Italy, for several months. So it was going "home" (both parents are Italian, although Mom was born in the US), and it included pilgrimage sites familiar to them. So, I didn't feel like I was experiencing other cultures until my solo trips much later.

Not surprisingly, I still take long trips, spend most of my time in Europe in Italy, and travel with the idea of pilgrimage - not necessarily to religious sights, but with a sense that where I am going is a place where people have lived, loved, suffered, and left an indelible mark, like L'Aquila after the 2009 earthquake.

On a practical note, it has made me stick to a budget. I often think, "Lunch in Toledo, lunch in Italy" and brown-bag it to work. So, my (mostly) very simple lifestyle here permits a (mostly) very simple lifestyle traveling.

As for other people's reactions, my friends like hearing the stories and are interested in the process, but many others just don't get it. I know lots of people who find the idea of leaving "home" (house or city, region, country) abhorrent, intimidating, dangerous and irresponsibly self-indulgent.

I come from a family that lived out of suitcases--and never unpacked them.

My travels independent of them started in 1970 in Summer School at the University of Innsbruck. We'd travel on weekends to Vienna, Munich and Venice. That's where I got my love of mountains--especially The Alps.
European travel made me dream of visiting more incredible places in the world and experiencing the culture and people.

After college, I had a very demanding job, and planning future vacations was a great hobby.
Thankfully, my job later worked into a 100% travel job--spending a month a year in Florida, California, Virginia and even New England.

But I still lived for personal travel--to Europe, Lake Tahoe skiing, The Caribbean.
My wife and I retired young, and we seldom go farther than 125 miles from home. But we're on the internet watching for really, really good buys in international travel. I always have Plan B backup if the price is not right.
With 2015 European airfares being so high, we're flying to Vegas, Hawaii and home through San Francisco for 1/2 the price of an European airfare. After hitting 7 countries in the last year, we're not suffering with domestic travel.
Regardless of how many trips we take, we've still not seen all of the world we want to see. After all, we all just have a short time on this earth, and we've got to move quick while we have good health.

And travel gives us something to look forward to every day of our lives.

Much of what I would say has been said already. I too have learned to enjoy a simple life at home to afford a simple travel life abroad - I've skipped many a latte/lunch/dinner in the US to have one overseas. My last trip to SE Asia really hit home that I am fortunate a thousand times over compared to how much of the world lives - a house, car, job, clean water, ability to fly half way around the world. Travel has also helped me appreciate being a US citizen - we are afforded so much opportunity, freedom to disagree, mobility, etc. I've seen lots of people hassled at airports, train stations, border crossings - trust me, the blue passport is a gift! I am also much more aware of how other countries look at us (not always favorably) and try to be mindful and respectful when a guest in another country.

Many of my co-workers think I'm nuts to take off to a foreign country by myself (even with a group) - sometimes saying it is "brave" to do it (I'm not traveling to war zones!). But I have certainly learned to be comfortable traveling in an unfamiliar place and how to navigate and problem solve on the road. I've been outside my comfort zone a lot and survived. Every trip I feel more confident, which is perhaps the biggest lesson for me.

I have learned that when facing a challenge, if you stay calm and positive and think rationally, you can figure out what needs to be done. Take your time and don't panic, and you'll probably be fine. I have also learned not to expect everything to go perfectly or as planned. But if you vow to make the best of whatever happens, you'll almost surely have a good trip. You don't have to travel to learn these lessons, but travel gives you the opportunity to learn them.

I have lots of happy memories from my trips. People that don't travel don't have these memories, but hopefully they have other happy memories.

I can think of three things right away:

1. I am more confident than I used to be. Growing up and as a young adult I was often nervous or lacked confidence, but the more I travel, the more I have confidence in myself.
2. My house isn't nearly as well maintained as it once was. Now, non-essential jobs seem to always be bumped "one more year".
3. I've come to believe many more people in this world are good, not bad. That's a big difference between me and my friends/family/co-workers who don't travel, or who only go to all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean (and don't leave the resort), or who stick to Florida.

I totally agree with what Andrea said. I have learned that I don't need to depend on anyone else to do things or arrange things for me. I can manage to get myself around, fed, and housed wherever I am. Through travel, I have become more of a "citizen of the world". Hearing the name of somewhere I have been, or seeing something on TV or in a movie makes me remember my time there. I have friends in several countries now, and through the miracle of social media can chat with them almost any time. I pay more attention to things happening in their countries, too. It is a little embarrassing to realize that people in other countries know so much about what is going on in the US, more than a lot of people who live here, when we know so little about theirs.

Through my European travels I have learned about and have become interested in amazing world history that I would not have even thought about before. I've seen ancient, inspirational architecture, and interesting cultures and styles that have made me a more well-rounded, interesting person. Traveling through Europe, on my own or with friends, has made me stronger and more confident. Travel has been an invaluable addition to my life. I go to Europe at least once a year and I haven't yet reached the point that I'm tired of it. Dreaming about, planning new trips, and even helping others plan their trips, is fun and exciting. It keeps me going. Hope I can keep going for a long time.
Oh, and echoing Carroll above -- I too have many priceless memories that will last all my life.

My first trip out of the country as an almost-adult was to Italy when I was 17, with a group of classmates. I saw in person artwork and architecture that I studied in school, which was awesome. The first town we stopped in was Verona with its 2,000-year-old arena. Imagine growing up with that arena down the street! It was than that I began to think about the way people in other countries treated their heritage. In St. Louis we have an unfortunate tradition of knocking down historical buildings when they become derelict or are in the way of development. There's a disrespect for history here.

Since I started traveling, I've become aware of the way Western European countries operate as compared to the U.S., and I see the pros and cons of different styles of governments. I don't believe that there's one right way ("our" way) to run a country, as some people (including members of my family) believe. When I visit friends in Europe, I enjoy seeing how they live, with small refrigerators, smaller apartments, and more awareness of their impact on the environment.

My love for travel and my exposure to different lifestyles has impacted me at home - also another point posters made. I eat 1 meal out once a week, almost never go to the movies, and buy a few new clothes once a year in order to save money for travel.

One guy I work with has never been on a plane. He's been out of Missouri on car trips, but travel just isn't on his radar. It isn't that he wants to go but doesn't have the money; it doesn't occur to him to go anywhere. I have a lot of trouble fundamentally understanding people like him. There's a whole wide world out there to see, and it bothers me that I won't get to every place I want to go.

"Travel is fatal to bigotry, prejudice, and narrow mindedness". Mark Twain wrote that.

My first experience with "travelling people" was a woman who had sold her house, quit her job (in her late 40's, with kids out of the house), and gone to Europe by herself, returning by tramp steamer. When I met her, she was working as a secretary, living in a tiny studio and brown-bagging her lunch so she could save up for her NEXT trip. So ...inspired by the example of Annie Kilgore I drive a 30-year-old car with dents, "dine out" at the Costco vendor stands, look for airline mileage deals on credit card offers, and start planning the next trip on the plane ride home.

What other people have said -- more willing to consider that "different" ways are not necessarily "inferior" and that "American" is not always the best of all possible worlds.

Well, it has been said that travel can be broadening.
And I'd say German beer and French wine have definitely "broadened" me.
But seriously, I feel my view or perspective on things has been broadened by travel.

Great topic, and great posts so far. I think, for me, a lot of how I feel changed is in observing different ways of doing things, different manners and customs, different relationships with the environment, and figuring out what I admire about these and want to try to integrate into my life wherever I am.

Good topic gus_2000. Initially, travel allowed us to see Europe and other parts of the world and visit amazing sites, be around people speaking other languages and experience generally good public transit and taste different foods, etc. Later, we connected with international high school students by hosting and supporting them. Through them, we also met their families and now have a wide net of friends that supplement our other friends and relatives outside the U.S. What a joy to know folks around the world, communicate with them regularly via amazing electronic means (text and WhatsApp messaging, e-mails and Skye video calls), and to visit them. Our European friends love visiting us and our environs as well.

Travel has taken us far from Europe as well and expanded our views about travel. We support the education of students in a very poor nation and have visited them. We have learned so much and greatly admire their motivation to become educated so that they can have a better life where most live in grinding poverty. The daily schedule of studying, attending classes and chores would leave our students in a rumpled whimpering heap. The basics of life are also driven home so vividly, as we’ve learned, for example, that clean water is so so precious. We’ve also found that in some ways kids are kids, as I tried in vain to convince one teen girl that Lil Wayne is but a faint entertainment shadow compared to The Who.

People that don’t travel are impressed that we travel so much. I tell them, “We don’t own a boat, we can afford a vacation.” It’s a matter of priorities once the basics are satisfied. Interestingly, we know of folks that now have the international travel bug, perhaps in part through our enthusiastic descriptions and photos.

Outstanding wisdom shared by all of you guys. Much appreciated.

A few keywords/phrases that have caught my attention:

• Clean water is precious - (Bruce)
• People that do not travel - (Bruce, Sarah) (I have noticed that too. Some people would rather buy a 80 inch TV than travel somewhere)
• Xenophobic - (Kent) (hit the nail on the head!)
• Confidence - (Ken, CL, Andrea)
• Fortunate compared to other people in other countries - (CL)
• Priorities - (Andrea, Sarah, Laura B, Bruce)
• Big difference between myself and people that do not travel- (Andrea. Can you elaborate a little? This is interesting)
• Independent - (Nancy)
• People in other countries know more about ours than ourselves - (Nancy)
• Memories - (Carroll, BG)
• Became a more Interesting person - (BG)
• "Travel is fatal to bigotry, prejudice, and narrow mindedness" - (Ron) (Talk about accuracy!) (I will write this somewhere)
• Broadening - (Kent)

Thanks again to everyone that has shared and will share :)

A couple more travel quotes to add to those already mentioned:
Helen Keller "Life's an adventure or it's nothing at all."
"Travel is the best money you spend, because it makes you richer."
" The biggest mistake people make is thinking they have time."

Our whole house is filled with things from our travels. I'm reminded all the time of the wonderful places we've been. With so many things we read about or see on TV we think......"been there, done that".

It change me utterly....

In the spring of 1990 I resigned my position as a Chartered Accountant (=CPA in the USA) at a big 4 accounting firm in Ireland and headed to Switzerland to spend the summer climbing in the Swiss Alps. I never returned except for the occasional holiday and I never practiced accounting again either!

At the end of the summer, one of the climbers asked me if I was interested in working on some software he was designing for a mechanical engineering company.... one thing lead to another and here I am 25 years later, with a Swiss wife, two bi-lingual kids and even a Swiss passport!

So yes it pretty much changed everything for me..

Back in the 1970s, living in France, traveling with my French husband and friends to a village in the Moroccan Atlas mountains, I found myself dancing in a circle with the Berber women during a celebration. First, they correctly tied the scarf around my head. It had been hanging pathetically. Then they taught me the rhythm of the hand clap (with my white, non-henna hands) and moving around in the circle as they smiled and helped me. Then I started to recognize people: the new mother, the mother-in-law, the shop keeper, the grandmother, the nosy neighbor, the bossy one and suddenly everyone looked like and fit the same roles as the people I had left behind in the US and in France. The song, dance, dress, food were different, but the people were the same. Nice party. I still don't know what they were celebrating. But I learned to step back, enjoy the moment, and accept the other, at least when traveling--even if I'm not exactly that "harmonious" in everyday life.

Already been said in a number of ways, but travel has the potential to shatter one's self centered view, or ethnocentric view.

I don't remember me before we traveled. I was 3 when we moved to Bangkok. I thought everyone moved to a different country every year or so! One year when we were visiting my grandmother in Sacramento, I asked her 5 year old neighbor what country she was moving to next and was amazed that she had never moved. That was the first I'd heard of people who didn't travel...shocking, absolutely shocking!

Guss, to clarify - my comment about "a big difference between me and those that do not travel" was referring to the prior statement that I believe there are many more good people in our world than there are bad.

Comment clarified Andrea :)

I do believe you can spot a traveler right away usually. That's what I thought you meant.