Backpacking seems to be a right of passage for young people making their way into the world. It’s a way to travel without having to bring a lot with you. It’s a type of travel that symbolizes freedom, excitement, and adventure.
Some people believe that traveling to an unknown place is uncomfortable and a bit scary. While this statement is true for first-time travelers, you will learn to develop your confidence as you travel more often. Remember, discomforts are crucial so that you can grow, and stepping out of your comfort zone is one way to become a better, more well-rounded person. To give you a better view, here are some ways backpacking can make you a more confident person.
It Teaches You to Express What You Feel
Backpacking in unknown places can help you express what you really feel. For some reason, when we travel, we aren’t weighed down by the preconceived notions and judgements of our daily lives. We are more free. So, when you travel, you have fun without being judged. From there, you will better understand yourself and learn to express your true self freely. The reason is that there is no one judging you, so you feel more confident about the things you want to do and the things you wish to express.
It Teaches You to Be More Independent
One of the best ways backpacking can make you a more confident person is because it teaches you to be more independent. As you know, when you visit different places, you’ll have to make decisions- quite often on your own. The choices you make are your own, and they are not influenced by others. Once you’ve made good decisions in life, you will feel more confident about yourself. So, through this process of backpacking, you can learn to trust yourself more.
It Forces You Out of Your Shell
If you’re a little bit shy, backpacking can force you to get out of your shell and be more confident. Remember, you will meet a lot of people when you travel. At first, you may feel uncomfortable talking to strangers. However, as you travel more often, you become more comfortable, allowing yourself to talk more and express yourself more confidently.
It Teaches You to Overcome Challenges
Aside from those ways, you will also learn to overcome challenges as you travel to different places. As you know, you won’t be able to control everything when you travel. Sometimes, there will be mishaps, like delayed flights and bad food that inevitably makes you sick. Also, you will get lost at some point and likely ripped off at another. All these unfortunate events are part of traveling. Despite experiencing some challenges, you will learn to adapt and overcome them, especially if you want to enjoy your trip.
Overall, these are some of the best ways backpacking can make you a more confident person. If you feel that you lack the confidence to face the world and its challenges, you can try backpacking to different places. After all, backpacking and/or solo traveling is most definitely a right of passage. As you travel more often, you will not only gain confidence. You will also learn a lot of things, things that can help you discover your true self.