4 Ways Traveling and Living Abroad Has Enabled Profound Transformations and Personal Growth

Recently, I wrote this article about the downsides of being a digital nomad. In response, someone asked what I enjoyed about being a digital nomad. Of course, it’s been incredible to see and experience so much of the world, watch one beautiful sunset after another across countless numbers of beaches and be able to say things like I’ve visited the Taj Mahal. However, for me, these things have paled in comparison to the profound transformations and personal growth that traveling and living abroad have brought to my life. Here for four:

1) Solo traveling has enabled me to overcome so many of my fears

I used to feel queasy about solo traveling. So much so that when I was living in Milan, I had qualms about traveling solo on a 1-hour train ride to a nearby town.

But I did it anyway. Then shortly afterward, I went on a one-month Euro trip.

And that trip gave me the confidence to accept a consulting gig in Zimbabwe, which I had so many qualms about because I’d never spent a significant amount of time in a developing country.

My time in Zimbabwe then gave me the confidence to buy a 1-way ticket to India a few years later. I was so scared of going to India because of all the stories I’d heard about solo traveling in India as a female.

This year, I went back to India for the second time, solo.

Traveling has helped me see how so many of my fears are inside of my head and the more that I am able to work through them, the more that my life will expand.

2) Living abroad has provided me the distance I needed from my family

I did everything that was expected of me growing up — I got into the best schools and I landed a cushy corporate job during my senior year of college. Less than a year into that job, I was miserable and I didn’t know what to do with my life. I didn’t know what I wanted because I had been told what to want for the entirety of my life.

Living abroad has provided me the distance I needed from my family, upbringing and societal norms so that I can hear myself think and reflect on what it is that I want out of life.

I was born and raised in New York City and it was a given that I would return upon graduating from college. And I fulfilled that expectation. Traveling and living abroad in multiple countries around the world has shown me that I actually don’t like big cities and prefer smaller ones and at times, even small towns, preferably one where I can be near mountains or a body of water. Returning to New York City is now something I don’t see myself doing.

3) Traveling and living abroad has allowed me to see how other people live…and thrive

In the United States, there is a huge emphasis on productivity, hustle culture and societal markers of success (e.g.: how much money you make, what company you work for, etc.). Before traveling, I was so enmeshed in that world — I associated my self-worth with the company I worked for, the job title I had, etc. When I lived in Thailand for 2.5 months, I noticed how practicing Buddhists were so just focused on living in the present moment, recognizing that it’s all that we have. Seeing people be culturally attuned to values different than the ones that are emphasized in the U.S. makes me aware that I can choose different values in my life too.

4) Traveling has enabled me to learn different healing modalities from around the world

Yoga Teacher Training in India, completing ayahuasca ceremonies in Ecuador, sitting by myself in a 3-day dark room retreat in Thailand, just to name a few.

Every experience has enabled me to come closer to my true self — the part of me that has the courage to act, despite my fears, the part of me that wants to pursue my passions and interests, even if they don’t make sense to the people around me. I find that countries in the East and countries with natives are more in tune with nature and connected with a force greater than themselves and being in these places has taught me to let go of (some) control in my life, trust that the Universe has my back (even when things are seemingly going awry and to surrender (to something bigger than myself).

Travel is beautiful, not only because of the places we get to see as tourists, but because of the transformative experiences that can touch our hearts and change our lives.

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