Challenging ourselves is how we grow as people, an idea that most people, even if they don’t embrace it in their personal lives, have most likely heard. Keeping ourselves mentally stimulated helps us to be more creative, more productive, and helps keep our minds sharp as we advance in age.
This even applies to our nearest evolutionary relatives. A recent study of chimpanzees in Uganda showed that the chimps that traveled the farthest were the most intelligent and resourceful.
Traveling, not just within your own country but to other nations—especially those that don’t share your language—is one of the best ways to stimulate your mind.
International travel expands your horizons by introducing you to other ways of life, making you think about or in another language, and giving you experiences that you really couldn’t have anywhere else. Pictures of the Eiffel Tower might be impressive, but they can’t prepare you for, or have the same effect on you as, seeing it yourself.
College students who take semesters or years to study abroad are better able to “think outside of the box,” which tends to net them more job offers after graduation, while retired people who travel are more mentally stimulated and better able to get things done when they return home.
Learning how to deal with life in another place helps us realize how strong we are and gives us a better insight into the experiences of other people, which generally leads to happier, more supportive people. Learning another language, even if you really struggle with it, can help improve your memory and your understanding of the languages you already speak, especially when you have to learn very different grammar.
International travel isn’t always cheap, and some people don’t have the ability to do so, especially to visit other countries, but it is something that, if given the opportunity, everyone should try to do.