At any age travelling can be an amazing experience and can open your eyes to an array of cultures, people and opportunities. And travelling whilst you’re young is pretty important. You may want to wait until you have more money or more life experience, but once you read why you should travel when you’re young, you’ll be booking your next trip immediately.

It may sound harsh, but when you’re young, you’re more likely to have less physical attachments (think a mortgage, a car and children). And having fewer attachments makes travel so much easier and you’ll have a lot more freedom to take trips and visit the places that you want to.

Another reason to travel young is that it opens up opportunities to experience different cultures and meet a range of diverse people. By travelling young and mixing with people on your travels, you’ll learn how to relate to others from different backgrounds. And hopefully you’ll take something away from this experience, which will enrich your life for years to come.

Travelling when you are young will also (hopefully) help you decide what you want in life. Each new place you visit has the potential of becoming your new home. Each location will allow you to experiment with something different in your life. By travelling and doing this whilst you’re young, you will find your potential sooner and can get on with living your life.

For many young people travelling solo is one of the first times they’ve had to experience true responsibility and independence- something that you absolutely need to get on in life. Travelling will require you to save money for trips, book flights and accommodation, and navigate unfamiliar surroundings. By learning this young, you will have a better chance to hone and develop these skills to take with you into your future career and travel plans.

And finally, one of the last, and probably one of the most important reasons you should travel young, is that it will enhance your career. Whether you choose to intern abroad for a summer, or live half way across the world for a year, any type of travel experience will look good to a potential employer. It shows to them that you’re adaptable, your ability to relate and deal with a variety of people and situations, as well as your organisational and communication skills.

And if you didn’t have enough reason to start travelling, you now have plenty.

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