Why delay traveling until retirement when you can do it in your 20s and reap huge career benefits?
Money, time, and responsibilities may all sound like compelling reasons why you should stay glued to your cubicle chair until your retirement benefits kick in, but you may be missing out on experiences that could accelerate your career desires and expand your career impact. Your 20s are a chance to discover who you really are and tap into potential that can lead to your next big promotion or billion-dollar business idea.
The truth is, seeing the world gives your professional future an instant career boost that others who stay loyal to their comfort zone will never experience. You are exposed to new ideas, people, and opportunities that can elevate you higher than your current 5-year plans.
Are you ready to travel the world and set the foundation for a fulfilling career? Here are four reasons why traveling the world is the best career decision that you can make in your 20s:
1. Traveling Spreads Your Career Wings
Who said you had to settle down and marry one career in your 20s? The average person changes careers multiple times, gaining various skills in each profession, not fully understanding what they truly want in a career. Sports Executive Pat Williams once said, “Figure out what you love to do as young as you can, and then organize your life around figuring out how to make a living doing it.” The greatest thing about traveling is that it allows you to figure out what drives you⎯what really makes you happy.
Use your time to try out careers that interest you; test the waters and find out what you really love. Then, do whatever you need to do to get into that industry when you return, even if it is only an entry-level position. Follow your bliss and you will never regret it.
2. Traveling Positions You as a Global Leader
Between two candidates with comparable work experience and formal education training, the person who has international exposure is most likely to get the job. If you pick up another language to add to your career toolkit, you are even more prepared to lead and inspire a diverse workforce. Take the time to learn a language when you are young; it is an ability that tells of a person’s cultural intelligence, commitment to learning, and openness to diverse people. These qualities are highly valued in the marketplace and will allow you to attract more opportunities than your monolingual peers.
3. Traveling Allows Exploration of Global Networking Opportunities
If you think you will be a lone ranger when you travel the world, think again. From meeting new faces as you search for the most desirable destinations in your new country to engaging with community residents on a service site, you will meet hundreds of people on your journey. This is the most genuine and beneficial type of networking activity that you can engage in. Why? You have access to a universe of professionals that can expose you to new ideas and ways of doing business that will allow you to think outside the constraints of your social circle. Think about the value of your social equity if you are able to say that you are connected with people from all over the world.
4. Traveling Builds Your Career Confidence
Traveling builds your confidence in ways that you can never imagine. If you can climb steep mountains, eat foreign foods, and immerse yourself in an environment where you can’t speak the language, what can you not do? This confidence carries over to your career. After challenging and unexpected, though inevitable, situations, you have an innate sense of confidence in your ability to handle difficult situations in your life.
Besides that, traveling the world helps you define what you want in life and gives you the confidence to go out and do it.
