What do Steve Jobs, the Beatles, and J.K. Rowling all have in common? They all launched highly successful careers after receiving valuable experience and inspiration from world travel.  Saint Stephen’s is all about developing the well-rounded individual, and  travel is an essential building block for this.

Looking at the act of travel through the perspective of a few SSES community members, we realize how influential it can be.  The value of travel goes beyond the experiences and the memories gained.  It provides opportunities to discover interests, meet new people, learn new skills and languages, and develop a sense of adventure.  Also essential is the tendency while traveling to create a sense of self-awareness, allowing for new perspectives gained on the world around you.

It’s no surprise that many of the successful people in the world have traveled abroad, considering these skills are needed in the workplace.  A deeper look into the success of many individuals in the Saint Stephen’s community, as well as in the world at large, shows that the seeds of accomplishment are often found in experiences gained from world travel.

Faster than we can imagine, society is becoming more and more global.  It is increasingly easy to see, with one’s own eyes, the places that were previously so isolated and so distant that they only existed only in our imagination.  We should be taking advantage of this and exploring more of what the world has to offer.

Travel teaches us essential human values such as persistence, adaptability, and confidence.  During his expedition to India, everything seemed to go wrong for Steve Jobs.  He came down with a bad case of dysentery, contracted lice, and narrowly avoided a mob attack after refusing to buy watered-down buffalo milk from a vendor.  To make it worse, upon his arrival Jobs discovered that the spiritual guru he had made the trip to see had died, making the whole voyage seem worthless.

Jobs worked through hopelessness, discomfort, and danger of his journey.  The persistence he gained through his experience in India translated well into the workplace, where he was able to plow through the setbacks and build an incredible company.  Not all setbacks take the form of illness or danger.  Being able to adapt to the changes in schedules, flights and appointments that always seem to be inevitable with world travel helps you to adapt to similar setbacks in other aspects of life.

Traveling provides unique opportunities for learning that are impossible to match in school or in your community.  When you travel, you learn things about government, economics, environment, society, and culture that you can’t get from a book or classroom.  Steve Jobs learned about business in its most basic form in the hectic bartering and negotiating that he witnessed in the Indian street markets.  Mr. Yanelli, a major member of the Saint Stephen’s community, learned a lot about human nature from living in Saudi Arabia and working with hundreds of people from all around the Middle East.  It is often the most valuable knowledge that comes from experience in the real world.

Learning a language is another skill that is undervalued in America.  When you meet the people of other countries, for example, in Europe, many of them speak at least two languages fluently.  Speaking a second language doubles the number of people you can meet and the connections you can make in your life.  It also helps you integrate further into the culture and personality of a country.

Learning languages can certainly lead to opportunity. Journalism teacher Mr. Hoonhout said, “Learning Spanish allowed me to meet and make actual relationships with people that I wouldn’t have gotten to know without the language skills.  In college I worked in a hotel, and truly made friends with many of my co-workers who spoke only Spanish. We’ve since traveled together and visited each other.  Language has also helped me to obtain work and jobs in countries in positions that demanded those skills.”

Learning a language can be done in school or at home but it often takes years and lots of hard work.  Going to a country and talking to the locals allows you to pick up parts of the language as you go.

Perhaps the most impactful aspect that can be drawn from traveling the world is the wealth of stories that come from the experience, along with the lasting memories.  The most intriguing people you meet are the ones who have stories to tell of surviving in a rickety catamaran during a squall off the coast of Panama, like Mr. Hoonhout, or who can describe in perfect detail the taste and texture of a Mongolian mare’s fermented milk, like Emiliano Concha-Toro in eleventh grade.  Most people want to look back on life when they’ve hit eighty and remember all the adventures they embarked on and all the things they have tried along the way.

Some practical suggestions for travel is to go in with some level of preparation, whether it be knowing the essential words or phrases of the local language, such as asking for directions or introducing yourself, or knowing a little bit about the customs and cultures of your destination. This will prevent you from being perceived as an naive tourist.  For example, while greeting someone of the opposite sex in Spain, a handshake would seem cold and impersonal, while an enthusiastic kiss on each cheek shows warmth and openness.  In Japan, however, bowing one’s head is the custom when meeting new people and extending your hand for a shake might earn you some weird looks.

What so many people don’t realize is that travel is something that is doable.  Sure, it can be expensive, but instead of spending money on a 47th pair of shoes, one could put it into a fund towards future travels.  Researchers at San Francisco State University have determined that the happiest people are the ones who spend their money on experiences rather than on material things. So take that trip to Mexico to learn Spanish that you have been thinking about for months.  Don’t make excuses not to tag along with your friends on their summer trip to Europe.  Take the opportunity to visit your relatives on the other side of the country, even if you don’t want to deal with the constant questions regarding your college plans and life aspirations.  Get out and explore your world.