Please Travel

As a faculty in a management college, I have seen students hesitating around career choices that revolved some sort of travel.
“The company wants me to relocate to Pune & I don’t want to”.
“HR said the 1st year I’ll be posted in Calcutta & shifted back later on”.
“They asked if I was willing to travel. The job involves travelling within the state”.
I’ve never understood why travel is such a dreaded word amongst the student community. The only valid reason not to be able to take up a job that involves relocation is a medical emergency at home. Say, one of your parents being bed-ridden or terminally ill or needing constant medical care. Everything else is just hogwash.

Sample this:
“I’ve a dog/cat/cow at home. I can’t be without it”.
“I don’t know anyone there”.
“My fiancé doesn’t want me to”.
“My parents are very strict. They won’t allow me to go to any other place”.

The real reason is a refusal to move out of one’s comfort zone; an unwillingness to try new things. Conservative parents, strict spouses, possessive fiancé’, family responsibilities are all convenient excuses. The cowardice lies hidden behind them. Only a brave heart can venture out into an unknown place & make a living. The more adventurous one thrives on it.

If you’re a student, here’s ONE good reason why you’d travel:
1. It’s an antidote to your narrow-mindedness. It opens up avenues for knowing &
understanding other cultures.You witness ways of life, eating patterns, dressing
habits, & life preoccupations different from your own. So the more you travel,
the more you can try & understand others. And in the process, shed some of your
prejudices & rigid beliefs.

If you’re an executive, here’s ONE solid reason for you:
1. It’s company money. You lucky ass…you get to travel, eat great food, visit
another city/state/country, capture memories of a foreign land & culture. All
this at the expense of your company? What are you waiting for? You are among
the privileged few, you dumbo.

The important thing about living is to be able to meet new people, explore new cities, & then attempt to observe & understand them. And if possible, appreciate the beauty & diversity of human society. No wonder, travel is a good teacher. It’s better than your best degree that formal education can ever give you. It helps you grow as a person. You become less judgmental of people & situations. You become more loving & accepting because you’ve seen bigger & better things or sometimes even worse. It’s an eye-opener in the true sense of the word; the only medicine for all the self-righteous, prudish, uptight people of this world.