How to Turn Traveling into a Career Benefit

When I started to travel in December 2017 I didn’t think that I’ll learn so much about me, other people and the world we live in. This world, which can at the same time be so big and so small (depends from which perspective you look at it), is f***** amazing. Not just because of the things it has to offer but especially because of the situations it puts you in when you travel. And if your mind is open and knows how to listen and absorb information, you can learn so much.

One thing I realized is how amazing Europe is. I never thought of it as I do now. When I traveled around Australia and New Zealand I was missing culture. Don’t get me wrong, both countries are beautiful and would totally recommend them to others. The fact that they are so young explains it, why there are no (a few centuries) old buildings, squares where people met to trade on the markets, etc. Also, both of them are an island so traveling to other countries always include flying. And then you look at Europe and yourself when there is a public holiday on a Friday (long weekend ahead) and you have a hard decision to make. “Shall I go to London, Paris or maybe Rome…? Hmm, or shall I just drive to Vienna, Budapest or Zagreb for a long weekend.” We are the only continent with this privilege. It is amazing how easy it is for us, to just go and explore different cultures, languages, food, people. I knew all that before, but I never thought of it in this way. I just took it for granted.

When I look back in the last year, I can for sure say I learned a lot and grew as a person. Here are a few things traveling taught me.

1. Broad thinking. Traveling broads your way of thinking. Many times you need to think outside of the box.

2. It taught me to cope with differentiation and being patient with other cultures, people.

3. It made me more adaptable in different situations.

4. It forced me to be brave and resourceful in all the unexpected situations, especially as a solo female traveler.

5. Problem-solving became a natural process for me. You must be ready for the problems to come and don’t freeze when it comes to solving them.

6. It reminded me to appreciate so many times where I come from.

7. It made me more self-confident and gave me enough time to think about my life goals and get to know myself better.

8. Traveling in a group or just with one other person taught me how to compromise and make everybody happy.

9. Traveling on budget made me good organized.

I highly believe that traveling can be beneficial for your professional career. If you know how to turn the intangible, soft skills, that you’ve learned while traveling, into your advantage, I’m sure the future employers will recognize and see them in you. Now and then I check a bit what is going on on the job market in my field and every time I come to a conclusion that employers want people who know how to communicate, be resourceful, creative and have a broad and different way of thinking when it comes to solving problems or just getting a new idea. Every business stands on a relationship where different emotions are present. To learn how to read all these emotions, you need to be able to communicate with people. You can learn this only by putting all the digital devices on the side and walk out of the door, into the world. That’s where the magic happens!