For many, traveling is all about dipping your toes in the sand, reading a good book, and forgetting about anything work-related. That’s the point of a vacation, right?

Even though your vacation could be a time to disconnect, there are still plenty of ways you can enjoy your vacation while helping to advance your career. It doesn’t matter if you’ve settled down at a job or are on the job hunt, traveling can not only help you relax but also help you career in the long-run.

Fly Solo

For some, the idea of traveling solo sounds like the worst experience possible. There’s no one to talk to, no one to go out with, and it may not seem near as enjoyable. Plus you won’t be able to split food or drink costs. 

But there are a number of perks to flying solo. You can stay at that cool museum all day if you want, sleep to whatever hour, and go on the same tour three times in a row. 

The pros and cons aside, traveling solo gives you a certain sense of grit and determination you may not have while traveling in a group. You’ll have to prove to be self-reliant, figure out problems on your own, and much more. 

A solo trip may give you that extra bit of confidence and lessons in overcoming difficult moments and failures. 

The one downside to traveling solo is the safety issue. Women especially should be careful when traveling alone, depending on destinations and areas of course. 

Better Empathy

Unless you’re taking a road trip an hour away from home, your new destination is going to present you with people that are completely different than you. They grew up in a different culture and experienced different things in their life.

Traveling to new places is going to open your eyes to just how big the world is and how different people react to different situations. Through this, you’re going to build up more understanding and empathy to people who have walked different lives. You’ll be able to return home with a wealth of experiences in your back pocket and a better understanding for people’s issues.

Control the Unexpected

Every traveler has a story to tell about a flight being canceled or being lost in an alley in a new town. You could have every bit of your trip planned out, but there’s always going to be some unexpected occurrence that throws you off.

While you’re traveling, your only option is to fix the problem. You don’t have a home to fall back on nor can you simply leave the situation. Are you just going to stay in the middle of nowhere because you can’t find your hotel? 

Nope! You’re going to have to learn to roll with the unexpected and solve the issues. 

Of course, there are always positive unexpected occurrences too. Maybe you planned on turning in early but your hostel neighbors are having a part. Why not embrace the unexpected and make the most of it?

You’ll Learn to Let Go

Upon arriving in a new city, your first stop may be a tourist information booth where you can pick up a map and get some pointers. You may spend the whole day following the map, going from place to place until you have seen it all.

You know what’s also great? Putting the map in your back pocket and just going wherever the streets take you.

In your day job, you might be caught up in lots of little things that stress you out over time. Eventually, you’ll learn to prioritize and not focus on the small things that ruin your day. You’ll learn to let go and focus on the bigger picture, not letting small bumps in the road distract you from where you want to go.

Better Communication

All of the above benefits mean, at the end, you’ll be a better communicator. You have gone to plenty of different places, met different people, and gone through various experiences. 

ALong the way, you’ve learned to communicate and work through difficult situations with all sorts of different people. You might have had to do most of it in a different language. When you come back, you’ll be a better listener and communicator, effectively passing off your points while being an open ear to others.

Thanks for the guest post, Clarissa! 

Clarissa is an enthusiast for all things outdoors, although she doesn’t get out as much as she would like. By day, she is the proud owner of a residential cleaning company, keeping her indoors most of the time. Clarissa is hoping to head to the Land Down Under in the near future. When not working (which is rare), Clarissa can be found with her family in their home just outside of Nashville, TN.