Travel as an Investment. ~ 2 mins.

Travelling is seen as an expense by so many.

It is, at face value. But how can we view exploring the globe and understanding the culture of others as an overhead? The whole beauty of being on this ball of rock hurtling through the void is that it's ours, to discover and maintain. Realistically nothing we do at a personal level will be remotely evident within 1000 years, similar to how nothing some guy thought 1000 years ago is particularly relevant to us in a practical sense today.

I never used to understand the benefit of visiting other countries, other than for a change of weather. However in recent years, I now understand there are so many benefits to being more aware of cultures and practices in alternative locations. This can be at a human satisfaction level or from a business perspective, for example understanding the level of containerisation through visiting Hong Kong would provide an incredibly valuable insight into the positions in place, duration of transit through the area to different parts of the world, and therefore give an opportunity to ship products from China to anywhere with apt understanding of the initial part of the process. Alternatively, an incredible journey to another part of the world has been had and people have been met who could change your entire outlook, or give an additional dimension of understanding to your everyday life which you'll continue to carry.

This provides growth as a person and gives you human qualities which are completely transferrable to other aspects of life.

Travelling allows you to meet people from alternative industries, walks of life and cultures which helps you develop your overall understanding of mankind. This is priceless. Any time you meet someone with ideologies different to your own, use it as an opportunity, not a meaningless interaction with another mammal. Some will provide no value to you, some will.

A second language is one of the hardest attributes to add to your arsenal. The best way to learn is in the environment it is spoken, constant exposure, picking up the odd word here and there, piecing it together and eventually speaking it in return. There are an estimated 7,117 languages. Learning one won't be easy but if it's beneficial to your future self or your business, you'll thank yourself for making the effort later. It requires discipline and consistency, which will benefit you overall regardless of whether you ever use it in anger.

Travelling in some form is recommended by every wealthy person I've ever interacted with. This doesn't have to be one huge block. It's enough to fulfil in small doses, and keeps you grounded, empathetic with others and a well-rounded individual.

Travel. Explore. Understand. Invest in yourself through travel.