Travel

Why Should You Travel?

I think the most important thing travelling does is it broadens your outlook. You see how similar people and their feelings are across the world. From South Korea to Spain I saw people complaining of mother-in-laws We are bound by certain things I guess.

Another thing it does is it can make you more tolerant ? to other people?s beliefs and their way of life as you see them in their own surroundings. So when you go back to your own country you are more understanding of other?s cultures.

Another important thing it does is ? it teaches you. It teaches you a lot. It teaches you what you never learned in school. To expect the unknown. Unknown places, people. It makes travelling a fascinating experience.

Travelling teaches you to be independent. To plan. To manage your plan. It helps you in professional as well as personal life.

I certainly became more organised when I started travelling on my own.

Travelling brings out the ?real? person in you. If you are not sure if you want to marry your girlfriend / boyfriend, travel with them for couple of weeks ? you will find out the answer.

It teaches you to compromise. Your food habits, organisation skills, likes and dislikes, flexibility will become evident. When you go out of your known surroundings, you get to know much more the other person. Well, not just before marriage, I learned a great deal more when I travelled with my wife.

I started 'serious' travelling for professional reasons at the age of 23 (in 1994) when I went to Hong Kong/South Korea for a business visit for one month. I did not speak Korean and did not know anyone else who spoke Korean. Being a vegetarian compounded the problem as I struggled to get the message across in hotels.

But it amazes me how human mind works. On my second visit to the restaurant, I again faced the problem of what to eat. I took the paper tissue kept on the table and drew a chicken on it. Then I put a BIG cross on it. Then I drew a four legged animal and again drew a cross across it. Then it was turn of the fish and again a big cross.

Then I drew an Egg next to the chicken I drew earlier and put a BIG YES tick on it (like the Nike logo). Then something with leaves again a yes there.

The waitress could not believe what was going on, but at the end of it she was amazed and gave a huge smile that she understood.

She also called her manager to see this weired fellow's drawings and both of them laughed and put fingers on some menu options on the menu card. I ordered one of it and found that I indeed got an egg fried rice!

However later I got better. Next day, I requested one of my colleagues who could write a bit of english to write some common things for me in Korean (including one that said 'I'm a vegetarian - no meat or fish for me. Egg is fine') and later on only thing I had to do was to carry that paper with me and show the message.

So, go out, meet some fascinating people, see the world. And your world will not be the same again.

Prasad Mahabal

I?m an avid traveller who wants to visit several countries before I retire. I also want to share my experience and tips for free at: http://www.MyEnglandTravel.com

You can use this article for free for any purpose. A link to http://www.MyEnglandTravel.com would be greatly appreciated.

Prasad Mahabal

Article's keywords: Travel

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Travel

Why Should You Travel?

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