Pros and Cons of Traveling Abroad

Traveling is fun and everyone loves to go abroad for one reason or the other. Although traveling is an adventure and is also interesting. But there are some pros and cons of traveling abroad. These positive and negative attributes of traveling abroad are what you should look out for Before you finally decide to leave abroad.

Even as you plan your trip, try to make research the advantages and disadvantages of traveling abroad. To avoid unplanned surprises when you encounter unexpectedly.

If you are set to travel or planning to travel, below are the pros and cons of traveling abroad. You must consider them before you finally book that flight to travel abroad.

Pros of Traveling Abroad

1. Explore new Travel Opportunities

One positive attribute of traveling abroad are exploring travel opportunities. Traveling is an adventure. You gain more experience and knowledge as you travel.

Traveling exposes you to a different lifestyle. It improves your social interaction and awareness. You have the opportunity to meet different people from a different phase of life, with their beliefs and values.

2. Personal Growth

Personal growth comes from your ability to learn and adapt to changes. Moving abroad makes you encounter different aspects of life, which might make you feel abash.

This encounter will help you experience personal development both physically and emotionally. Don’t expect you will maintain the same kind of lifestyle you had before. Everything you get to experience is part of your personal development. Every step you take and the challenges you have to deal with make your trip more enlightening and interesting. At least you have something new to share.

3. Expansion of Knowledge

Traveling expands your level of knowledge. You get to learn new languages, cultures, food, character, etc. You become versatile in terms of knowledge. Is not all knowledge you get from reading books or researching online. There are some things you can only discover by just communicating with them.

Traveling abroad involves a lot of experience. The language differences will make you want to learn because you have to relate with them. If you can’t adapt to the language it becomes a barrier when communicating.

Even if you feel perturbed because you don’t know the language. You can still learn when you eventually arrive.

You can not have fun in a new place if you don’t accept their lifestyle. Their food and language are one thing you can’t do without.

A good advantage of living abroad is the freedom to eat any food you come across. Apparently,, no one will stop you from eating whatever you choose to. It’s all part of learning different course meals.

4. You Learn how to Adapt

Another positive attribute of living abroad that comes with a negative challenge is learning to adapt. Adapting is both advantageous and disadvantageous, in the sense that you have to deal with how to adjust. On the other hand, as you adapt you feel more comfortable and confident, while you go about your daily activities.

When you learn how to adapt, you are a few steps away from the hiccups you will face while still adjusting to the new environment.

As you go about your daily activities you get to adapt. It’s a process that occurs as long as you come across something new.

5. Boost Your Confidence

Living abroad boosts your confidence. The reason is that life there is more organized and coordinated. Life is a bit easier and everything is systematic.

You are not only confident internally but also externally. You can do stuff with ease and understand once you are open to learning. You don’t need anyone to carry you on. You plan your stuff with less stress and that’s how you build confidence.

Every up and down you encounter helps you grow and upgrade to the next phase. Those challenges become your stimulant to explore what you have around.

6. Make True Friends

Friends are one of our backbones when there are no family members. Making friends is very important. Not just friends but true friends you keep forever or for a long time. There are times you travel and you make friends that are only for a short duration. It impedes having friends you can rely on and fall back on when things are rough.

7. Improve Your Health

Travelling is part of an exercise and it makes you healthy. Traveling builds a sense of well-being. You can find joy while traveling. Research has shown that happiness relaxes the mind and brain, so when your mind is relaxed you are healthy. The new experience, culture, environment, people, values, etc are good for your body and soul. “A stable mind makes a healthy man”.

8. Gain New Skills

Traveling enables you to gain more experience and learn new skills. It broadens your knowledge as earlier stated. You can learn about other’s cultures, economies, food, business, etc. You gain new skills or enhance yours.

Cons of traveling abroad

1. Have a Fresh Start

Having a fresh start is like preparing yourself, for a new phase of life you are about to begin. When you finally arrive abroad you are a total stranger who knows no one. You have to start anew by having new friends and adjusting to the lifestyle.

This is not about you changing your personality just to fit in, rather it is about you trying to be yourself without any interference from your past life.

2. Culture Shock

This is a common thing that happens to ex-pats. Cultural differences can throw one off balance. Imagine you are still trying to get used to your culture, then you travel and meet a different one.

Once you move to another country the different culture can give you a shock that would make you miss home a lot. Generally, this culture differs in terms of food, relationship with people, lifestyle, beliefs, transportation, etc.

There are habits and lifestyles you are so used to that changing becomes so frustrating. You might feel choked in the process. No worries about that because this cultural shock is for a while. All you need to do is to learn to adapt to the changes around you. Prepare yourself to meet such and have an open mind even when everything around you seems weird.

3. Travel Isn’t Cheap

This is probably a major challenge for most people. Traveling involves a distance and you need money to fund your trip. Sometimes the distance you want to cover could be very expressive. This will be a major drawback.

4. It Weighs you Physically, Mentally, and Emotionally

The stress of relocating to a new place brings one down emotionally, physically, and mentally. The thought of you trying to settle down and get used to the changes is enough to drag you in circles, which can induce mental and emotional stress. Physically you are also affected because you need to plan all the necessary arrangements.

Conclusion

As you plan to travel abroad, be mindful of what you will encounter. Do not be scared. It’s normal if you feel nervous. But do not let it overwhelm you. Everything in life has its pros and cons, the most important thing is to acknowledge them and know how to handle them.

ALSO, READ Psychological Effects of Traveling Abroad