Reasons to Travel After College - Heying
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July 18, 2016

Reasons to Travel After College

As a senior in college, it seems that every conversation revolves around the dreaded question: “What are your plans after graduation?” Unlike those rare people who knew exactly what they wanted to do since they were five years old, many of us are frantically searching for an answer to this question.  When I was tired of not having an answer, I hesitantly approached my parents and dropped the hint that I wanted to travel after graduation.  As it turns out, they were behind this idea 100%.  After hours of thorough research, I finally had an answer to the question I spent years of my life avoiding.  Well, an answer that would work for the time being that is.

My friend and I left a week after graduation to explore the diverse landscapes of New Zealand and Australia for two weeks, and here’s why you should do the same:

  • You’re young: As you get older, you not only gain more responsibilities, but your health comes into question as well. Would you rather be traveling with your best friend in your twenties when you can still fall asleep in uncomfortable hostel beds, or be trying to comfort a crying baby during your 13-hour plane ride? Clear winner there. Your body can also handle a lot more when you’re younger. You won’t have to question if you can go blackwater rafting through the Waitomo glowworm caves, bungee jumping off the Auckland Sky Tower, or scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, you’ll just do it.
  • You’ll become more independent: While college is a time where you are most likely living far away from home, your parents are still just a phone call away. But when a call costs you fifty cents every minute and you are without Wi-Fi, you have to be confident in everything you do. Things such as: knowing how to fill out a customs form properly so you aren’t quarantined, being able to use city transportation without getting lost, and knowing who to complain to when they try and charge you $350 to check a bag and then bargaining them down to $130 (still bitter about that). Whether it took a time or two to figure out, every challenge was a great learning experience.
  • You’ll never forget the people you meet while traveling: We chose to travel with a tour group where we met individuals from Australia, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and more. Having such a diverse group of people surrounding us allowed us to learn more about other countries’ cultures and even more about our own. Better yet, now we are connected with people and have places to stay if we choose to travel more.
  • You’ll experience things you never imagined: I can now say I have been scuba diving in the one of the seven natural wonders of the world, witnessed someone get sick 200 meters in the air on a parasail, went platypus hunting (it was as weird as it sounds), and saw the movie “Finding Dory” in Sydney, which was sadly a dream come true. No matter what it is, traveling is a unique experience that will supply you with memories that you will never be able to replicate.

 

Overall, graduating from college means that you just worked harder than you ever have. Celebrate your success rather than diving into the real world right away.  Whether it’s for two weeks or a year, traveling somewhere new is something everyone needs to experience, and what better time to do it than after graduation.  You’ll be working for the rest of your life, so enjoy your free time and minimal responsibilities while you can.  I promise you won’t regret it.