Your comfort zone is the enemy of personal development and will prevent you from fully experiencing your travels. Here are nine tips to assist you in stepping beyond your comfort zone during your upcoming journey!
There has probably been a moment when you’ve heard someone say, “I can’t do that. That’s definitely out of my comfort zone. ” To a passionate world traveler, this kind of response doesn’t exist. In fact, thriving outside their comfort zone is where travelers truly flourish!
The process of leaving your cozy bed, forsaking your daily routine, crossing an unknown border, and immersing yourself in a new culture are all components of departing from that limiting comfort zone we refer to as home.
A comfort zone is described as “a place or situation where one feels safe, at ease, and without stress. ” It’s that familiar environment we create around ourselves to evade any unforeseen challenges life may present.
We understand ourselves better than anyone else does, which is why we tend to gravitate toward activities and routines that work best for us. Remaining entirely within this bubble forms a protective barrier around ourselves that hinders our growth, learning, and the acquisition of new skills.
Venturing beyond our comfort zones is something we’ve all encountered before, whether on a grander scale or a smaller one. When you start a new job, you possess little to no understanding of what to expect, but you have to dive in regardless. Over time, you gradually develop the necessary skills to perform your responsibilities, and ultimately your job becomes instinctive to you.
In terms of traveling, stepping out of that comfort zone occurs much more abruptly. You are suddenly placed in a wholly new environment where the locals communicate in a foreign language and embrace a varied culture and lifestyle.
The issue with remaining within your comfort zone while traveling is that you will experience minimal to no personal growth once your time of exploration concludes. That’s the purpose of travel, isn’t it? To expose yourself to new challenges and learning opportunities so that your mind expands a little more and your heart feels a little fuller.
World travel is an enlightening and remarkable adventure that possesses the potential to incite significant growth within us. However, if you remain ensnared in your comfort zone during your trip, you won’t experience this growth very much at all. Indeed, your comfort zone is the enemy of personal progress and will inhibit you from fully experiencing your new destination.
So, how exactly do you break free from the unwelcome grasp of the comfort zone while traveling? Here are nine tips to assist you in bursting that bubble you’ve become so accustomed to. Embrace this guide and allow it to encourage you to break out of your comfort zone on your upcoming trip!
A traveler’s guide to stepping out of your comfort zone
1. Include an activity in your schedule every day that pushes you or even makes you feel a bit uneasy!
Have you always desired to try bungee jumping or learn to salsa dance, but never found the courage to do it? First, secure your preferred activity well ahead of time so there is a reduced chance of you opting out before your journey begins! When there’s significantly more at stake regarding your decision, such as paying upfront, you’re more likely to adhere to the plan you’ve made for yourself.
Next, investigate that activity and converse with others who have experienced it themselves. There are countless excellent online resources like blog entries and videos where travelers share their unique insights on an experience that you’ll want to absorb before you go. Although the aim is to venture out of your comfort zone, it can be comforting to know what you’re stepping into in advance from a genuine, unbiased source.
2. Transform all your activities into a learning experience
Whether you’re sampling the local cuisine or volunteering at an animal shelter overseas, there’s always something to discover.
Not only are you gaining deeper insights about yourself as you step beyond your comfort zone, but you’re also learning how the world functions and how to broaden your influence within a new culture. Consider ways you can make a positive impact during your upcoming adventure, however significant or minor, so you’ll feel more inspired to acquire a new skill or achieve something you’ve never done before.
Participating in a work exchange with Worldpackers is an excellent way to convert your activities into a learning experience while traveling. Worldpackers provides opportunities to travel in exchange for your skills in return for accommodation. Contribute your skills to a local community through social impact initiatives, refine your hospitality and management skills while serving as a receptionist at a hostel, or enhance your digital skill set by working with hostels, NGOs, ecovillages, and thousands of other Worldpackers hosts in over 150 countries.
It’s essential to approach each nation, city, or experience with an appropriate mindset. Travel possesses the ability to make you more open-minded, enhance your character, and your attitude and willingness to challenge yourself throughout your trip will impact how open you are to new adventures, ideas, and even engaging with new individuals along the journey!
A positive, open mind will assist in providing you with the confidence needed to leave your comfort zone behind.
3. Say “yes” to things significantly more often
Before attempting something new, we often focus intently on the advantages and disadvantages of our choices. Even when the situation favors us and the positives heavily outweigh the negatives, we may allow one or two “what ifs” to prevent us from trying something new.
Rather than evaluating the choices and worrying about whether you’ll enjoy it, consider this—you’re here. Everything is already new to you. You might as well maximize your experience and make the most of it. You worked hard to make this trip a reality, and now you must strive to create meaningful memories that necessitate becoming a yes-person!
Certainly, you don’t need to agree to absolutely everything, but it’s an excellent step forward in eliminating your comfort zone and making your travels more exciting.
4. Try new things with others
If you’re intending to travel alone and wish to move beyond your comfort zone, it can be challenging to trust yourself to embrace all the new possibilities that may present themselves.
Instead of tackling it by yourself, opt for a travel buddy or arrange to discover your destination with a group. Everyone feels braver when they have a reliable companion to help make decisions and join in on the adventure!
5. Learn to identify when you begin to make excuses
Venturing out of your comfort zone is significantly more difficult when someone (most often yourself) is holding back on every single aspect.
Excuses, excuses! That little voice in your mind that continuously seems to devise a clever means to opt-out of experiences you might be dreading needs to be silenced. Once more, we know ourselves better than anyone else, and it can be easy to slip into the same familiar patterns and habits that provide comfort. Learn to expose your own nonsense and take the plunge.
With careful preparation, thoughtful mindfulness, and some introspection, you can travel without excuses. Some typical excuses we may use that hinder us from fully enjoying our lives include:
I’m too tired
I don’t have enough time
I don’t have the money
I have no clue what I’m doing
I’m too shy
I don’t know what I want to do
I can’t do this alone
I’ve never done that before (and never will)
In time, you’ll become adept at recognizing when you’re making these excuses, and it will compel you to begin problem-solving and devising solutions instead. For instance, if your excuse is that you lack the funds to travel, staying with Worldpackers hosts to save on lodging can reduce your travel expenses by up to 60%!
6. Find a balance between making quick decisions and taking time to contemplate them
There’s a moment for spontaneity and there’s also a moment for meticulous planning. If you’re aiming to step outside your comfort zone during your travels, it’s vital to recognize the significance of your choices. If you’ve never attempted kayaking and the chance arises, seize it! This serves as a prime example of an impromptu choice worth pursuing.
Nevertheless, if you’ve never stayed in a hostel previously and wish to make some new friends, this choice may need more consideration. Do you value your privacy, or are you okay with sharing a room and bathroom with others? Have you reconciled with the possibility that strangers might take something essential from you, like your phone charger?
Offering an immediate “yes” to everything, regardless of how trivial it may appear at the time, could lead to regrets rather than cherished memories. Be sure to reflect on your decisions when necessary so that you’re making a wise move towards overcoming your comfort zone.
7. Identify your fears and create a strategy to conquer them
Fear is the primary reason many individuals remain in their comfort zone, and it’s also why some may never escape it. Don’t determine your fate just yet!
Fear can be incredibly intimidating and overwhelming, but at times those fears are heightened by our mind’s fight or flight response. It’s in our nature to shield ourselves from the unfamiliar, and we tend to wrap our security blankets even tighter around us when we merely contemplate facing our greatest fears.
Think about compiling a useful list of all your fears, and beneath each one, add a few actions that will aid you in overcoming it. If you fear heights, rather than rashly reserving a skydiving trip, consider visiting the top of a well-known landmark, such as the Empire State Building, and gaze down at the world. Afraid of the ocean? Attempt sailing in a boat with a clear bottom, or enroll in surfing lessons! Conquering your fears and stepping out of your comfort zone is all about small steps.
8. Travel as your more self-assured, more adventurous alter-ego
It may seem a bit unusual to assume another persona while traveling, but listen to my reasoning. If you recognize that you’re typically not a very courageous individual, the phrase “fake it ’til you make it” begins to make a great deal of sense!
Take some moments to contemplate your true self, and ask yourself questions like, “What would the outgoing version of me say to connect with this stranger? Would the adventurous side of me choose to go snorkeling with turtles or remain in the hotel to watch a nature documentary on Netflix? Would brave me have faith in my abilities and attempt teaching English abroad? ”
You are usually Clark Kent, but when you journey around the globe, you unexpectedly transform into Superman. By existing as the individual we aspire to be someday, we move closer to genuinely becoming them. This is how we develop and how we will ultimately manage to discard our comfort zones!
9. Don’t take life too seriously. Enjoy yourself!
Having a strong sense of humor is one of the most essential traits we can have as travelers. It prevents us from sulking when things go wrong, it enables us to laugh at our errors rather than focus on our shortcomings, and it keeps us moving forward when we feel like quitting and returning home.
Life is simply life. It seldom goes exactly as planned, it throws unexpected challenges our way, and it doesn’t pause for us to catch up.
Make an effort to go with the flow of life instead of fighting against it. The world is a captivating, beautiful place meant to be experienced, so allow yourself to experience it!
Certain obstacles might lead to thrilling adventures you wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. One small mistake can result in an entertaining story to share with your friends and family later. Remember that you were made for life’s numerous journeys and that you are capable of accomplishing difficult tasks.
The quicker you understand this, the closer you’ll be to saying farewell to your comfort zone as you set sail into the sunset.
“A ship in a harbor is safe, but that isn’t what ships are for. ” — John A. Shedd
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