This time last year, I was reaching the end of a self-developing journey abroad, which I categorise into three sequential but separate journeys:
· Journey #1: discovering Asia in between completing my degree on exchange in Hong Kong, an internship in Singapore and an intensive Mandarin program in Taipei.
· Journey #2: using my participation in an international competition as an excuse to explore Europe with a close friend from exchange; and
· Journey #3: treating myself to the lifelong trip to the United States that I had always promised myself with my now girlfriend, where I had the time of my life visiting my friends from exchange and experiencing everything that the place had to offer.
Such an experience undoubtedly provided me with endless rewards: a global network of friends (some of which have become business partners and mentors), increased confidence and cultural knowledge, further developed soft-skills, and a realisation of what really is important to me in my life – just to list a few.
I am not going to delve anymore into the benefits of travel – the internet is saturated with them already (unless enough people want me to). Rather, I wanted to share my thoughts on how you can maximise your travelling experience.
- Know what you want to achieve
You can achieve so much through travel if you know what you want to get out of it - whether it be to experience new things, reconnect with your heritage, get out of your comfort zone, meet new people, relax and unwind from your everyday life or even to experience the element of surprise.
Before you embark on your journey, work out what you want to get out of it and realize these goals through planning – whether it be to experience new things, get out of your comfort zone, meet new people, relax and unwind from your everyday life or even to experience the element of surprise.
- Travel within your means
My parents always tell me that travel used to be a luxury enjoyed by “well-developed adults”. Whilst this has definitely changed, it makes sense to always travel within your means. You don't have to break the bank to have a fulfilling journey as my friends have illustrated by travelling domestically or to cheaper (and by no means, worse) locations such as Asia, South America and the Pacific Islands.
It’s also always good to think of the future consequences of your journey. There’s nothing wrong with debt as long as you have a means of paying it off, for example a decent paying job that you’re returning to, or if you’re lucky – inheritance.
Personally, I would also recommend finding as many funding sources as you can. I was only able to do everything I did through a mixture of savings whilst working during university and scholarships (from my university, the Taiwanese government and the corporate sponsor who very kindly paid for me to compete at the international competition). Before people jump the gun, I know that I was very lucky to have such sources of funding, however do as much research as you can and you may be surprised at what you might get.
- Opportunity cost
I’ve saved my key point to last. I felt I could dedicate a year to travelling because I had a job lined up when I got back and that starting work at the age of 23 rather than 22 wouldn’t have that much of an impact.
However remember that there is always an opportunity cost to travelling. Unless you’re able to make a career out of travelling (some of my idols have been able to monetize travel through writing and videos – however this is quite rare), an extended time travelling will often be at the detriment to your career.
In particular – to those graduating who want to travel forever – know that the law of diminishing returns applies equally to travel. Strategic short-term travel can develop you in so many ways, however travelling aimlessly for a long period of time will likely cost you something – whether it be financially or through career and general life opportunities.