Self esteem and travel go hand in hand. In fact, you can actually build your self esteem by traveling. Whether you have a long history of struggling with self-esteem, or could just use a pick-me-up, travel can be a great way to help develop healthy self-esteem.
Despite all the known benefits of travel, self-esteem often gets overlooked. So, I thought it would be helpful to give self-esteem its own dedicated post to highlight the connection between travel and self-esteem. In this post, we’ll take a look at how to build your self esteem by way of travel.
Self-esteem refers to the personal evaluation that people make of themselves. We often think of this in terms of how we evaluate our physical appearance, but self-esteem can also include how we view ourselves in other areas like intelligence, work performance, personality traits, inherent self-worth, and in social relationships.
“The best travelers have already learned that self-discovery comes with world-discovery.”
-Psychology of Travel
The best travelers have already learned that self-discovery comes with world-discovery. Personal growth, including about how we view ourselves, regularly occurs during travel. An important part of this is that we have more chances to gain perspective by learning about other people and cultures. We can learn about the things we can strive for, as well as recognizing things about ourselves that we may have under-appreciated.
That part of your appearance that you don’t like about yourself? It may surprise you to find that others admire your uniqueness.
Want to live your life with the wisdom that you sometimes see in others? Go to where they are and learn for yourself.
Find it hard to stand out in a crowd? Travel to a place where you couldn’t help but stand out.
“Find it hard to stand out in a crowd? Travel to a place where you couldn’t help but stand out.”
-Psychology of Travel
Personally, I felt quite accomplished last summer after completing a brief but intense cross-country road-trip, particularly when I got feedback from friends like “You went how far in 3 days? There’s no way I could have done that.” I also felt valued when talking with locals during that trip, as what felt very “common” for me was actually quite unique to them. “You cook what kind of food down where you live? Never tried that, it sounds good!” That trip was a nice healthy boost for the ol’ self-esteem.
What part of your self-esteem do you feel like needs a little work? Get some perspective by noticing your self-esteem…what you think, how you feel, and how others respond to you on your next trip. When you shake up the norm by traveling, you have more opportunities to find evidence of your self-worth and value. Let this evidence build a case for your own value!
“When you shake up the norm by traveling, you have more opportunities to find evidence of your self-worth and value.”
-Psychology of Travel
So go ahead, get traveling and give your self-esteem a boost!
*For more resources, check out some good books on self-esteem development like Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining Your Self-Esteem and Get Out of Your Own Way.
How has traveling positively impacted your self-esteem? Comment below and remember to sign up for the Psychology of Travel Newsletter for more travel insights.
Happy Travels,
Dr. L
Founder of Psychologyoftravel.com
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