Why Travel Is The Best Investment For Your Professional Creativity

Whether you’re traveling statewide or overseas, leaving your normal surroundings allots ample opportunities to grab creativity by the horns and go wild. Travel is the best investment because creativity comes in many different realms; it can be from something a passing stranger says, the aroma from food, the art-like painted sky, or an instance that reminds you of a memory.

Below you’ll find reasons why travel can spark your best professional creativity in ways unimaginable. And the best part? You don’t even have to try, the creativity will naturally come to you; So even if you can only travel once a year, Her Agenda will give you an idea of why it’s an investment worth taking.

Immersing yourself into a new culture can expose you to new food, music, language, and a new lifestyle. Traveling affords you the ability to experience something fresh and new. When you’re exploring a new place, your creativity is open to all possibilities. This can be beneficial to your career because you’ll be able to incorporate splashes of creativity in your work.

It would also be beneficial to do your research on the place you intend to visit, so as not to disrespect their culture, and to understand how others live in a place that is foreign to you.

Word Packers suggests studying customs ahead of time with a few examples below:

These may seem like trivial things, but some cultures take these customs very seriously. For example:

• Many countries in Asia find it disrespectful if you don’t remove your shoes before entering a building. 
• Countries like the USA and Canada find it disrespectful if you don’t tip your waiters and bartenders. 
• Mediterranean and most Latin American countries consider a close embrace and kiss or two to be a normal greeting, whereas greetings in other countries may not involve touching at all.

Getting outside of your routine and comfort zone produces new experiences, a change in environment, presents new people, and essentially forces you to adapt. Due to the unknown, your perspective is heightened, your vision is widened, and your creativity has free range.

Cleveland Clinic says, “When we step away from our routine, our brains reset,” Dr. Albers explains. “Any time we experience a new activity, new neural connections form in the brain. Those new pathways help you see things from different perspectives and improve your problem-solving skills. It also decreases some of those stress hormones, which improves your mood.”

Whether it’s an excursion, bus tour, hike, museum, boat ride, or wine tasting, opening your mind to do different things can spark creativity. With each new experience, you’ll be able to incorporate that into your art. 

According to Psychology Today, these “out-of-the-ordinary” discoveries alert our brains to the fact that there’s usually more than one way—a unique and creative way—to do something. When we travel, we open up our minds to those new discoveries, new visions, and new practices. We break out of normal expectancies and allow ourselves to engage in novel interactions or experiences.

Travel has a way of allowing you to appreciate your present experiences by thinking about what you’ve already discovered. Comparing and contrasting what you thought you knew and are learning can be a powerful tool for your future. When people say “your future self will thank you later,” this rings true in many cases when it comes to investing in your travels. 

You’ll remember the amazing dinners you had abroad, the new languages you and words you learned, and the way it all made you feel. Ultimately, travel creates a more informed, well-rounded you, because there’s so much room to explore, and so much opportunity to share with the world creatively.