5 Reasons Why Traveling Makes You Creative

There are lots of reasons to travel. When you visit a new place, you learn a little more about the world and all the magic it has to offer. You learn to improvise, think on your feet, and adapt to different cultures and ways of living. At the same time, you see an array of colors, taste a variety of foods, build unlikely relationships and even pick up bits of a new language! No matter how limited your budget or how many people you travel with, it is impossible to not instantly fall in love with traveling. In so many ways, traveling brings you closer to the world, your co-travelers and most importantly, yourself.

Indeed, the journey you take while traveling is not just about the places you visit, but how much you change as a result of your adventures. There is a reason why so many writers are also travelers! The wonderful experiences that traveling brings can make you think differently, broaden your mind and make you a much more creative person. In fact, this is the magic behind travel that is least spoken about: its creative potential. If you want to find out how traveling makes you a more creative person, simply read on!

1. Exposes You to New Cultures

The world is an incredibly interesting and diverse place. There is such a rich mix of experiences to be had across the world, that you can travel from one city to the next, in the same region, and be completely struck by how different it is! Take the USA for example. You will love Miami, in the West Coast, if you are looking to tan and enjoy the bright sun and lovely beaches. The feel of the place is fun and youthful. But the moment you visit New York, you will see something entirely different! Not only do the people seem to be entirely different; everything about the city—from its pace to its architecture, to its attractions—is entirely different! When you travel, there is a cornucopia of delights worth experiencing. From the languages they speak, to their traditional performances, to their food; there are magical, sensory experiences to be had. In fact, you can leave a place feeling completely nostalgic for things you were hesitating to try! So you may leave the Scottish highlands with a taste for haggis, find yourself ordering Grolsch Beer after two days in Holland or falling in love with the madness of 1.3 billion people in India! Every trip comes with its own cultural experiences, which can expand your worldview and perspectives.

2. A Spatial Change is a Mental Change

Much of urban living involves the constant repetition of work and home. Researchers find that this constant repetition can be a great stressor, that even leads to depression. Our daily schedules leave very little time to explore and think creatively. When you add the other perils of city-dwelling, such as pollution, loneliness and workplace stress, the need for a change becomes vital. So, by changing your surrounding space, you can change how you feel inside. When you travel to an entirely different place, be it a small mountain town near the city, or beaches in another continent, your mind, and your body can completely de-stress. Many people recognize the need for this change, which is often times why they feel such a strong desire to travel. When traveling, they can relish the scenic beauty and sense of calm that beaches or mountains offer. This scenic change can inspire you to think beyond your everyday schedule and invigorate yourself, both physically and spiritually. Moreover, this new mental space achieved after traveling can oftentimes help you re-organize your priorities or may put into question previous life decisions.

3. Forces You to Think Innovatively in Dire Situations

For many people, traveling to a country where no one speaks any of the languages they know can seem terrifying. For some others, the thought of traveling on an unplanned trip, with a shoestring budget can be intimidating, impossible to undertake. In truth, these terrifying elements comprise all the elements of an adventure. In a country where no one speaks the languages you do, you may find solace in this new tongue, even picking up new phrases along the way. People may even welcome you, recognizing you as a stranger in need of their hospitality. On a minimal budget, you can end up creating experiences and adventures of a lifetime! Instead of sleeping in hotel rooms, you may have to camp behind someone’s garage door! It is only a trip that feels perilous that you will feel thankful and grateful for the little things in life, like the bridging power of home-cooked meals and good garage door service! On such a trip, you will have to think on your feet and step out of your comfort zone. As always, this experience will leave you a better person.

4. Helps You Create Inspirational Memories

 The main reason why people travel is to make memories. Be it with your family or all alone, by traveling and seeing more of the world, you make new memories. While traveling, you may end up doing different things for the first time: it could be something as thrill-seeking as skydiving, or something like camping beneath the stars for the first time. Recording these memories invites you to think differently. When you look back, you will remember these experiences fondly. This is where photos and videos becomes especially important because, without them it's difficult to preserve some of the magic of the moments you created. This is especially true for those spontaneous moments which go by in a flash. The Spivo 360 swivel selfie stick is one of the best ways to ensure you come home with the memories your adventures deserves. The button on the Spivo 360 lets you instantly swivel your phone or camera around so you can easily capture yourself and your surroundings to make awesome travel videos. The video above is a great example of Sydney Herrings Hawaiian adventure with her boyfriend filmed using the Spivo 360 and a GoPro.

Some other ways to build memories, while being very creative, is to keep travel blogs and notebooks from trips. In fact, the magic of making memories and recording them can even inspire you to go on another trip. When editing your travel video or photos, try not to smile about how much fun your last adventure was. We dare you!

5. Strengthens Your Self-Confidence and Self-Perception

At the end of every new adventure, you return a different, transformed person. Through travel, along with the perceptions about the world, your perceptions about yourself change too. Knowing that you survived in a completely different place can boost your confidence, and make you believe in yourself more. Plus, through solo travel, you get more in touch with your inner self by spending time with yourself. For any creative person, fostering this self-confidence is extremely important, because it helps you create and work better. Ultimately, traveling is about learning, and there is nothing better than learning about yourself. To truly tap into your creative potential, all you have to do is go on a trip and make some memories. Besides being a welcome break, you will learn a lot about yourself and the world you inhabit, while experiencing small moments of pure serenity. All you need is a destination, a few t-shirts and your passport, and the world can be your oyster.

Author Bio: Harold Camaya

She is a blogger who loves to write in different verticals. She co-authored Supercharge Organic Traffic: A popular course focusing on Organic Traffic for Ecommerce. Her hobbies are travelling and reading novels.