Get Out
Get Out and See the World
The Clubs category of articles on the Joker to King website is all about learning how to manage your environment and navigate your way through the world. So, naturally there has to be a lesson on the importance of traveling. Of all the lessons in this category, this is the one lesson that quickly accelerates your journey toward manhood. There are way too many benefits to becoming a man who travels, but I’ve listed the most important benefits below.
Become a more compassionate and empathetic man.
Mark Twain once wrote that “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.” Do you want to know the best way to eliminate xenophobia? Travel. What about the best way to overcome biased thinking, and the best way to dismantle the prejudices and stereotypes you have of other people and cultures? Travel. I live in southern California where many young people can be so spoiled by what the state has to offer that they rarely leave the state. There are stereotypes that exist here of what New Yorkers are like. There are stereotypes of southerners and midwesterners as well. If a young high school or college kid lived in one location his entire life, imagine the huge amount of stereotypical backlog that has jammed his brain over time. By the age of twenty, every man should begin working on removing those stereotypes from his thinking. There isn’t a more effective way to do that than traveling.
Learn About Cultures
This is obvious, but it still must be said. Spending Cinco de Mayo getting drunk on tequila shots is not a celebration of Mexican culture. Eating chow mein and orange chicken during Chinese New Year is not a real demonstration of your cultural awareness. In fact, if eating is your only way of exploring other cultures, then you’re still thinking like a guy and not like a man. Take a trip to a place you’ve never been before and just walk around, talk with locals, see how other people live. Cultures are shaped primarily by their environment, so the further you travel from home, the more different the culture becomes. Expand your thinking and broaden your life by exploring new cultures.
Have New Experiences
What good is having a long life if it’s filled doing the same thing every day? You grow by sharpening yourself against new experiences. Of course, traveling allows you to see new places, but once you’re in those new places, you can take advantage of opportunities that you didn’t even know existed. Over the years, I saw countless pictures of my mother’s trips to Jamaica, but viewing pictures pales in comparison to actually swimming in the waters of Montego Bay, Jamaica. See new places and do new things in those places.
Appreciate How Big the World Really Is
Sometimes we get so used to our small home environments that we forget just how huge the world is. The world is geographically diverse and a naturally beautiful place. Make it a goal in your life to visit different regions of your own country as well as different types of regions around the globe. The vastness of the planet, its natural beauty, and the amazing terrains and landscapes have inspired men throughout time. And for good reason. I am constantly filled with awe at this wondrous creation upon which we live.
Appreciate How Small the World Really Is
Traveling exposes you to different types of people, and even the shyest of introverts will learn just how alike humans are with each other. Everyone needs food, shelter, clothing, safety, community, and other essentials to sustain human life. Traveling to new places will bring that fact into sharper focus. You will experience how people from other cultures meet those essential needs, and you’ll have a greater appreciation for human life.
Create Deeper Connections
Traveling helps you create stronger bonds with the family or friends traveling with you. I’m closer to the friends I’ve gone on road trips with than those I haven’t. That’s why every summer, I take my wife and boys for a week vacation together as a family. People who travel together grow closer because their minds are blown simultaneously due to the shared memories and experiences. You and your travel partners literally take the same journey, physically and emotionally. And if you travel alone, it’s even better because traveling alone gets you closer to your true self. Physical journeys are oftentimes spiritual journeys, as well. Removing yourself from your home for several days or weeks stretches your comfort zone, resulting in you being a slightly different person upon returning home.