Many of us at SGC love to travel. It’s a fun hobby, a great way to spend time with family and friends, and a fantastic means of expanding our horizons. But did you ever stop to think that traveling can also make an employee better at their job?
It’s true. As we plan out our yearly vacations, we recognize ways traveling improves the work you do at the office.
Here are six reasons traveling turns someone into a more capable, more well-rounded employee.
1. It Changes Your Perspective
When you go on vacation, you learn things about yourself. For instance, you may discover when you take a white water rafting trip that you love adventure and want more of it in your life. You could get that thrill by offering to tackle a new-to-you project at work or pursuing a new leadership role.
2. It Introduces You to New People and Points of View
We learn so much from other people, especially people who don’t share our backgrounds. When you meet someone new, you exchange information and ideas that widen your perspective. That’s a valuable quality in business, where you will encounter many people with differing personalities — and you all need to work together to get a job done.
3. It Uses Up Your Vacation Time
Companies offer vacation days for a reason. Too often employees save them up throughout the year in a well-meaning gesture to show how dedicated they are to their jobs.
But vacation days serve a purpose. Everyone needs a break sometime. Your focus and concentration can break down after too many months without a breather. This can lead to burnout, which doesn’t serve anyone’s purpose, you or your employer.
Take those vacation days, and don’t feel guilty about it. You deserve a break, and you will return refreshed and better able to tackle the toughest parts of your job.
4. It Gives You Confidence
Traveling tests you in ways you may not anticipate, raising your confidence levels and making you feel capable of taking on anything. You may encounter situations where you have to navigate language barriers, find directions in an unfamiliar place, or count out foreign currency.
All these things can teach you the self-reliance that leads to better self-esteem. When you get back to work, you believe you can do challenging tasks that may have given you trouble before.
5. It Encourages You to Ask for Help
When you don’t speak the language or you get lost when you travel, you can ask others for assistance to get yourself back on track. People love aiding others, but it can feel difficult to reach out for help.
Asking is a skill. The more comfortable you get with it, the more apt you are to request help in other areas — like at work, when asking the right questions and getting the right answers are often more effective than trying to do it yourself when you don’t know how.
6. It Shows You Beauty
How does seeing beauty help with work? Everyone feels tense and stressed out sometimes from their jobs or from life. Remembering those moments of bliss on your vacation can calm you down and help you remember all the wonderful things in this world. Then you can relax and become more productive.
There are so many great reasons to travel the world. We hope to see you out there — and we’d love to hear about your latest trip! You can always reach out to us on Facebook with your latest travel story.