Close your eyes and imagine yourself in the place you have always wanted to go to. What might you be doing? Who might you be with? The experience might not seem as impactful as it actually is: traveling when you are young is key.

     While traveling may seem like a hassle at times, it remains key to a person’s perception of the world and different groups of people. Traveling builds perspective and teaches a person about many ways of life. 

     “Traveling when I was younger has helped me become who I am today. It taught me about many other ways of life as well,” civics teacher Michelle Van Gaasbeck said. 

     Some people have had limited experience with traveling, while others have gotten to see what other cultures have to offer.

     “I have been to Ethiopia. It taught me a lot about my own culture, where I come from and where my parents come from” junior Eden Demissie said. 

     Traveling does not just teach you about a certain culture in your life-time, but perhaps in your parents’ time as well.

     “Traveling to Ohio, where my parents are from, showed me a lot about the place they grew up in and similar conditions to what they had as a child. It really broadened my perspective,” sophomore Aiden Peters said.

     While young, one’s view of the world is still growing; this is why traveling when young is important. The information and experiences gathered while young builds and grows over time into a person’s perception of the world.  Tanya Mohn at Forbes reports that “young travelers are 37% more likely to shell out extra cash for food or drink experiences., followed by 27% for events or festivals, according to the survey.”

     “You get to see and experience different things, and I think that can be valuable for a person,” Demissie said. 

     Not only does traveling teach you about other people and cultures, it also teaches you about different areas  and landscapes around the world.

     “The weather in Ohio is a lot colder than it is down here; that is why I like it more down here,” Peters said.

     Traveling while you are young can give you an idea of where you might want to live in the future. A study from Bayut (A UAE real estate portal) shows that “in terms of travel experience, 11.5 percent of beginner travelers take trips to learn about themselves, as opposed to 6.3 percent of intermediate travelers and 5.9 percent of seasoned travelers.”

     “I wish I got to travel more when I was a kid, so I could have seen more places and experienced more cultures. I would definitely recommend all kids nowadays to try and travel as much as possible,” Van Gaasbeck said. 

      From going down the street to across the world, traveling is something people do everyday. Perspective and experience are gained every time someone steps outside their door.