How to spend your vacation profitably

I was very lucky: my mother worked as a flight attendant, and thanks to her, I already knew as a child how important it is to take advantage of every opportunity to discover new places. At the same time, it is very funny to hear from my father and many other people: “How can you come back from vacation so tired? This is silly! . For them, travel is an opportunity to simply turn off their brains for a while and take a break from work.

I manage to achieve at least some understanding only when I explain to them that I am very tired of flying. The fact is that my height is 183 centimeters. When they understand how hard it is for me to shove my body into the economy class seat, I see compassion and empathy in their eyes.

But if the journey is an intense workout, then of course you will feel tired afterwards. But at the same time, they are satisfied with themselves.

What I have learned from travel

My mother often told me how much useful travel can be learned. Later I became convinced of this from my own experience. For example, I learned a lot about myself. It turns out that I always wear the same four plain T-shirts because I'm too lazy to stuff something else in my little suitcase. It turned out that I am too tall to travel by any type of public transport in Japan. And if I buy a pack of plaster, I will definitely use it completely.

When I travel, I try to memorize and use any universal gestures and other means of communication that everyone understands. When you are looking for ways to adapt to a new environment for you, along the way, you often find non-trivial ways to solve some day-to-day problems. This is what inspires me the most when traveling.

For example, during my recent trip to Japan, I discovered that the Japanese do not attach eyelets to their clothes, but they always have convenient hangers in their hallways on hooks.

In addition, I was pleasantly surprised by the Japanese invention of umbrella parking. There are so many people in Tokyo that an entire system has been invented to accommodate their umbrellas. What good fellows!

Even before the trip, I knew that the Japanese display plastic samples of dishes from the menu on display windows. It turns out that this is really very useful! And not only because I don't understand anything about hieroglyphs. Thanks to these layouts, I was able to estimate the size and composition of the dish I was about to eat.

In addition, I realized that the most complete immersion in another culture is possible only through the language spoken by the locals. It helps you understand how the people around you think. When I travel to another country, I try to learn at least a few basic phrases necessary for communication: from greetings to the question "Where is the toilet?"I also try to learn as many words as possible so that I can chat about little things and keep the conversation going.

Interestingly, at home I avoid talking to strangers. When I get a call from an unknown number, I break into a cold sweat (introverts will understand me). But when traveling, I take every opportunity to connect with new people.

It would seem, why learn a new complex language when you can safely speak English? Yes, it really is the language of world communication, and it simplifies the interaction between people from different parts of the world. In addition, in such a short time, you still will not learn to understand what the people around you are talking about. But if a couple of learned phrases help me satisfy my curiosity and get even a little closer to understanding the representatives of another culture, then these efforts will be worth it.

Travel makes you better

When I return home from another trip, I feel spiritually enriched. According to my feelings, in everyday life every day I am literally bombarded with some important news and urgent matters. After a trip to another country, I feel that I have restored spiritual harmony, got rid of many fears and again believe in humanity.

Of course, people from different cultures have their pros and cons. But when you feel how warmly you are received, how the locals are grateful to you for getting to know their culture, your heart literally melts. After my trip to Japan, I have only the best impressions. It seems that for the first time in my life I was surrounded by such honest, polite, friendly and pleasant people to talk to.

I have noticed that traveling helps me to change for the better. Not only do I learn a lot about myself and the people of other countries, I am enriching myself as a person.

Going outside my comfort zone and communicating with people who think differently influenced my system of values and ideas about the world. Something I found confirmation, but from something I decided to refuse.

Travel makes you smarter

You've probably already heard that travel affects thinking. I do not mean new ideas that come to your mind, but an increase in the number of neural connections in your brain.

When you change your environment and habits, the number of neural connections in your brain increases. This means that new sounds, smells, sensations, communication in a new language and eating unusual food for you have a positive effect on the functioning of the brain.

Of course, to experience this effect for yourself, you must get out of the shell and completely immerse yourself in a new environment for you. You need to try to live like the locals do.

Of course, you will not get the results that can be achieved by moving to another country, but changing the environment for a couple of weeks will also benefit you a lot. The more cultures you are familiar with, the wider your perception. This way you can find more ways to solve the same problem.

Perhaps this is why more and more digital nomads are appearing in the world. Many employers understand the benefits of constantly changing the environment, so they offer subordinates the opportunity to work remotely or leave on special terms.

I realized that my goal was to find the right balance between work and travel. I will never give up traveling, because after them I feel renewed. I become more positive, determined and creative. In general, this is a good way to pump yourself.

Yes, it is not so easy to travel profitably, sometimes it takes considerable effort to improve oneself. But this is just the case when all the efforts and monetary costs will pay off with interest.