Skills from Solo Travel

Anju Sharma - Travel

“I would rather have a passport full of stamps than a house full of stuff.”

I have always believed and followed this quote. Hence travelling has always been a big aspect all my life. So far, I have traveled to approx 50 countries, and I look forward to traveling many more!

Last year, I went on a trip of a lifetime to Southeast Asia that transformed me tremendously! Now that I have re-entered the workforce, I reflect on the skills that I had gained from my solo travels that I currently use in my career (and personal life too!).

  • Research and Planning: I realized that researching and planning are a key phase of any project, especially for my solo travel. It gave me the confidence I needed to travel solo and face any potential unknowns/risks because I was better prepared.
  • Set Goals: I realized that having an overarching main goal for the travel project and doing regular checks of this goal is important so that we stay on track and focused. There are numerous distractions in this world, and it is important to stay on track. The same can be applied at work, as we are easily distracted with irrelevant tasks. We need to remind ourselves of our goals to stay focused on the right work activities.
  • Have Growth Mindset: I realized to be open minded and spontaneous for new surprises on the trip. The same is applied at work, where you might face a surprise ‘failure’, and having a growth mindset will make you perceive it as an opportunity to grow.
  • Develop Active Listening and Communication: I learned to be a confident communicator and active listener during my travel. You meet all kinds of people and need help from people as you travel solo. I learn to observe body language as a way to communicate due to language barriers. I realized that non verbal cues are a significant part of the overall communication. At work, observing non verbal cues and listening actively build the trust needed in the relationship to ultimately succeed.
  • Optimize Budget: I learned to manage my finances really well during my travels as there was a limited budget I had. For various professional projects, there is a limited budget that we need to be mindful of. 
  • Reflect on Lessons Learned: I learned to reflect and celebrate all sizes of accomplishments and failures as you learn something about yourself in these processes.
  • Have Bravery and Strength: I realize how brave and strong I am, especially when dealing with any challenges on my own. This strength can be applied when I am facing tough situations during my professional career, such as demanding timelines or controversial colleagues.
  • Have Trust: I learned to trust my intuition and have faith in God/higher consciousness for each step of my journey. I apply this skill in my work and always trust that whatever is happening, is happening for the best.

If you ever have the opportunity to travel solo, I would highly recommend it as it will push you out of your comfort zone and tap into a profound potential inside you that you may not have known that you had. During this solo travel, you will gain multiple skills and knowledge that you will value for the rest of your journey.

 

REFLECTION

  • What are the key skills or knowledge you have gained from your past travels?
  • What is your favorite travel destination?

 

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