Your 20s have a lot to offer.  One of the biggest advantages to being in your 20s is time.  You’re older but still young, wiser but still immature, and adventurous, but the world is still new.  Make your 20s even more memorable by planning a trip somewhere out of your comfort zone and expanding your horizons.  Looking back, there are many reasons why I decided to spend my 20s traveling, but I summarized them into these five things.       

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1. Unforgettable Memories 

The memories you make while traveling will likely be some of the greatest in your life.  There is something special about exploring the world as a young buck.  Sharing a trip with a close friend or significant other binds you for life.  The trip and the people you enjoyed it with will shape you into the person you will become.  And one day you’ll look back on your pictures, watch your old videos, and think about your experiences and find they’re even more special than you could possibly have realized at the time.     

2. Enhanced Problem-Solving Skills 

Traveling can sometimes require a lot of thinking on your feet.  Whether this is due to a sudden flight change, a rainy day, or a closed attraction, you’ll learn how to go with the flow and be more flexible.  This may come more easily for some people than others, but it’s a useful skill to develop and will help you juggle the things life has in store for you.  Missing your flight to Siem Reap by five minutes because your layover plane was late may seem bad enough.  But being escorted out of the terminal with your passport stamp voided and told to purchase a new flight for the next day, just adds insult to injury.  Once you experience a day like that, things won’t stress you out as much.  Keep things on the bright side.  One bad night doesn’t have to ruin the trip.  And looking back, it’s almost hilarious how it happened the way it did.  Sometimes plans change.  You just need to be able to roll with them, and learning that in your 20s can be a great life skill.   

3. More Energy, More Fearless 

The world is yours.  The possibilities are endless.  Nearly anywhere in the world is an option.  Sleeping in cheap hostels, riding cramped overnight trains, and backpacking on a tight budget are possible because you are young and willing to take chances.  Hangovers, cheap food/drinks, and late nights with little sleep aren’t as fun when you get older.  You’re also more likely to challenge yourself and experience things you might not want to do when you are older.  Skydiving, experimenting with street food, or moped through the countryside with limited directions.  That, ‘Sure, why not?” attitude might not be around forever.  Enjoy it while you have it. 

4. Less Responsibilities 

You might feel overwhelmed now, but life moves a lot faster as you get older.  Take advantage of the time you have now.  The younger you are, the less likely you are to have a mortgage, car payments, bills to pay, health problems, children, etc.  As you get older, you’ll start to see these pile up one at a time.  You are also still working on getting your career off the ground and having more flexibility at work.  This doesn’t mean you can’t travel later in life, but you have to make a lot more tough decisions to make it work. 

5. Perspective 

Traveling gives you perspective.  It opens up a worldview that is vastly larger than anything you have experienced prior.  If you want to learn about other cultures, religions, or languages, then there is no better teacher than traveling the world.  Experiencing different places gives you a little insight into how other groups of people see the world and experience life.  Like Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, something once seen can never be unseen.  You’ll likely place new values and appreciation on things previously overlooked or expected.  You might realize many people are happier with a lot less, and you might realize many people could use a lot more than they have.  Traveling can help you appreciate what you have, but it can also change your mindset on wants and needs and how you can make the world a better place. 

If I could summarize my advice in a nutshell, it would be simply this: go somewhere.  Go somewhere fun.  Go somewhere not being posted all over social media.  Go somewhere to learn.  Go somewhere to challenge yourself.  Go somewhere to make yourself a better person.  And while you are there, just know you are making memories and creating stories that will stay with you for the rest of your life.