I recently came home from an international recruiting trip to India. I left Iowa on January 16th and was gone until February 2nd. This was my second international recruiting trip for IOWA. After having this experience abroad I decided that everyone should have this experience at some point in their lifetime. Here is a list of the three reasons I believe everyone should travel the world. (Also, I made sure to include some pictures from my travels.)
3 Reasons Why Everyone Should Travel the World:
- Tackling a new Challenge-
Nothing will take you further out of your comfort zone than stepping on a flight and landing 24 hours later across the world. Whether you backpack across a mountain range solo, or discover a new city amongst thousands of others, you will come across challenges. You will quickly learn how to plan and execute tasks by yourself. It’s never a bad thing to ask for help, but knowing that you can overcome challenges on your own when you need to is immeasurable.
- Stranger to Friend-
If you find yourself traveling with a group of people you have never met before, don’t sweat it. The 11 strangers I traveled across India with on my recruiting trip became some of my best friends. Traveling relationships develop quickly because of the new environment and the difficulty of being far from the comfort of home. Just remember, all of your best friends were once strangers.
- New environment, new things-
When you spend time in different cultures you begin to break down the stereotypes you may have. You quickly discover how many things you have in common with people who appear to be very different than yourself. You also begin to appreciate what it is about your identity that makes you unique.
Now, these are all great reasons to go abroad, but this is my personal list. I want you to have the opportunity to do the same. How can you accomplish this at The University of Iowa???
Through the Study Abroad Office! Last year, Iowa had over 1,000 students study abroad in 75 different countries worldwide. If you even have the slightest interest, I would encourage you to look into this life-changing experience. Here is a link that will show you the first steps in studying abroad: http://international.uiowa.edu/study-abroad/first-steps/steps
Sauvik
“I’m a #Sauvlieber”
