When
you hear the word education and learning the first visual image is that of a
classroom. Why is that? Because over the years our system of training and
learning has begun and ended in a classroom.
Somehow my best memories from growing up have always been and will
remain of all the outdoor activities I was involved in. Be it going for a trek,
mid term vacations or just simply going for nature walks in biology class. The
most interesting thing was, that I still remember everything that I learned
during these excursions. I remember the names of flowers and trees because I
touched and felt them, I remember the people I met on my treks because I sang
songs with them while cooking Maggi at the end of a long day of trekking, I
remember forming close bonds with strangers through shared experiences. There
was much to learn through all of this.
Here
is what I have to say. One of the best ways to learn is through travel. Get out
there, be on the job and learn on the road. Fortunately now, times have changed
and we exist in a time where it is easier for people to get out of their
comfort zones and travel to places that could be nearby or to far away lands.
Here are some of the reasons why travelling is now turning into a magnificent
way to learn.
Open
your mind to new experiences. I always try and ensure that I travel a little
bit on my own every once in a while. You see when I’m out there on my own I am
outside my comfort zone and outside my network of friends and family. This
means essentially that I am forced to strike a conversation with random
strangers and connect with people. When you are on your own you aren’t
performing for anyone other than yourself and that helps build your confidence
levels in interacting with people and at the same time it introduces you to
different experiences and mindsets. You are forced to find similarities between
yourself and other people as compared to differences in order to be able to connect, which in itself is
the first step towards building strong ties and learning how to socialize.
Self
discovery. Each time I travel I learn a little bit more about myself. Each time
I push myself to do something that I thought I would not be able to do
ordinarily I realize that I can do that and find myself setting a new target.
It’s quite simple, anything that I find myself hesitating to do, I ensure that I
do it. Whether it’s rock climbing for the first time, skydiving or any other
thing that makes you pause and hesitate. On a very simple note, I never used to
walk into a restaurant to eat alone. I was afraid that people would think I had
nobody to eat with. This was till I once decided that no matter what, I had to
overcome this hesitation. I was in a new place on an assignment and I walked
into this lovely German bakery alone and ordered myself the best meal possible.
Within a few minutes of my being there I had a couple who was on vacation
asking if they could join me and we ended up having a wonderful fun evening
together while all cultural differences melted away with overcoming the first
barrier of hesitation.
Get
inspired, get curious and get hungry. One doesn’t always have to go looking for
inspiration. Just stay open minded and ready to absorb experiences like a
sponge and inspiration will find you. Sometimes when I walk though ancient
monuments built many thousands of years ago I find myself in awe of the fact
that many great minds might have walked that path before me and the colossal
effort that must have gone into building something that became an integral part
of the history of mankind. That realization is enough to spark off your
curiosity and the need to learn more about the path you walk takes over and
allows you to explore further.
Collecting
precious experiences and memories. I once had his Holiness, the Dalai Lama sit
in the adjacent seat when on an aircraft. I was unaware of the fact that the
seat was his till his security requested me to shift in order for them to be
closer to him. It was those once in a lifetime moments that I was just not
ready to give up without a try so I asked his Holiness directly if he would
allow me the pleasure of sitting next to him. He just smiled and asked his
security to sit elsewhere. I have not had a more memorable or a richer
experience. We spoke about life, the Tibetan struggle and I showed him the work
that I had done while photographing his monastery. The real learning came from
observing him and hearing him talk with that sparkle in his eyes that had more
positivity than even a child. I saw a man that was truly at peace and had the
power to bring humaneness into humanity. I could not have learned this in a
classroom.
Classroom
learning does have some undeniable benefits but as travel is now becoming
more and more accessible to people it is also turning out to be one of the best ways to
enrich one’s experiences and help build character. There is no age for
learning. Travelling and seeing new worlds helps one in becoming a more
fulfilled human being, while learning how to appreciate, respect and value
their surroundings and other individuals. The adventurous spirit and that
hunger for knowledge is what keeps us alive and it needs to be fed through new
experiences in order to strengthen the human spirit. No matter what you do, you
will never come back poorer of knowledge at the end of a journey.
About the author: Neha Parmar is a wildlife photographer and a conservationist with some tolerable talent for writing. If you liked, connected or have a contrary perspective with anything that you read please feel to share your feedback.
To see more work by Neha Parmar https://www.facebook.com/NehaParmarPhotography.
Disclaimer: This article remains copyright of the author and is her individual perspective. If you wish to give any feedback please get in touch with the author.