Travel is for anyone who wants it, but it’s not what anyone might call “easy”–kind of like life! Traveling, especially international traveling, truly opens you up to the world in so many different ways, most of which you would never guess or expect. Don’t believe me? Here are my 10 favorite ways that travel prepares travelers for real life!

It’s okay that you don’t always get what you think you want.

Travel is the unexpected. Hardly anything goes according to plan (no matter how great you are at planning!), and even if most things do play out as expected, something will throw you for a loop on every trip. But you know what? It’s okay. You still get to experience new things. You still get to be in a new place. It’s okay to be disappointed, but it’s also okay to move on to the next thing and be excited for that. Letting go of the things you can’t control is actually a relief! If something you wanted to see or experience is overcome by events, find a new event. Travelers know it’s not the end of the world–the world is round.

Read next: Perfect Trips aren’t Planned

You realize how important sleep is.

Thanks to jet lag, travel gives you a renewed appreciation for sleep. I mean sure, we all know we need sleep, but throw 34 hours’ worth of flying and 15 hours of jet lag in the mix, and “sleep” takes on a whole new meaning. Fortunately, the best strategy is to follow the sun–stay outside, or be in places with plenty of natural light, and your body will know it’s time to be awake. Unfortunately, your body will not like this, and neither will your brain. However, when night time at your destination does come, you’ll sleep like a rock and be much more likely to feel better the next day. You’ll also never take your typical sleep schedule for granted again!

More here: Your Ultimate Guide to Using Jet Lag to Your Advantage

You find out there are so many ways to do everything.

Travel teaches you to roll with the punches and think of everything as an adventure. No matter where you go, it seems like everything is different. The jet lag makes everything seem harder. The language barrier seems impossible. But eventually, you start to appreciate all of the differences (well, with the exception of the jet lag, but even that fades). You start to realize that the way you’ve always done it is not the only way to do it, whatever “it” is.

Seeing and experiencing how different every day things can be will teach you how to think outside the box in your travels, and in your every day life. This also shows you how to be more open-minded, which objectively makes you a better, more well-rounded person.

Read on: The Luckiest Things that Ever Happened to Us on Travel

You develop empathy.

When you see the world, you see its people. When you see people for who they are, you realize how similar we all are. When you see the similarities, you inherently develop empathy, which in turn makes you a more understanding person. But it doesn’t stop with one example of empathy on a trip! It keeps going back home and in your “real life,” too.

Keep reading: The Ultimate List of Harsh Truths about Travel

You appreciate what you have…

Traveling really shows you how fortunate you are in everyday life. No one really understands how much they have–materially and otherwise–until they either don’t have it anymore, or they see that others are perfectly happy living without. At first you might feel guilty or otherwise bad about yourself. You may even decide to make some positive changes in your life. But eventually, you just appreciate how blessed you are.

Read next: The Best Advice for New Travelers

… And you realize how much you don’t actually need.

Talk about baggage. Toting your own load around the world really lets you know how much you don’t need! If you’re traveling long enough and lugging a lot of heavy bags (yes, even roll-aboards are cumbersome!) you’ll almost inevitably start offloading some of the things you don’t really need for your trip. Think you’d never get rid of any of your stuff? You might just surprise yourself! And you’ll definitely pack lighter next time.

More here: What Minimalist Travelers Leave Behind

You learn what you’re capable of.

Travel will show you things you didn’t know you needed to know, but the most valuable lessons it will teach you are the things you never believed you could do. In my personal opinion, travel is the ultimate confidence developer. Even the least confident person will find it within themselves when they have to make the right train, they have to find another way because their connecting flight was cancelled, they have to ask directions of someone who doesn’t speak the same language. It’s all intimidating at first, but the great news is that it’s all doable! You’ll be shocked and delighted to find that you can do more than you thought you could, especially when it counts.

Read on: What I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started Traveling

You learn what you can live with.

Not everything has to be perfect. In fact, nothing and no one is perfect, including travel and including you! So you learn what’s workable. And you start to realize that some things are not the big deal you thought they were. For example, wearing a different outfit every day makes for a lot of luggage, so maybe you re-wear a couple of outfits over the course of a trip. Eventually, maybe you learn to pack things that mix and match so that you have maximum outfit options with minimal items. You just learn what you can live with versus what really is important to you.

Keep reading: The Top 10 Ways to Ruin a Trip

Travel forces you to become more efficient.

Due to circumstances beyond your control, your connecting aircraft might leave you behind unless you can run to your next gate–with your luggage! Sometimes you look back at the TSA line behind you and realize you are the problem, and you have to pack your carry-on better next time. If you’re prone to rushing around and leaving things behind in your hotel at the last minute, you might need to try some new ways to pack and unpack so you always know where things are. Basically, travel will kick you in the behind while kicking your butt in gear, y’all.

More here: Ultimate Time Wasters on Travel

You realize that the world is so much bigger than where you’re from.

Travel opens your eyes in so many ways, to so many different things. But I think most importantly, it broadens the concept of the world you live in. It humbles you in strangely encouraging ways. The world is huge, but little, tiny-you can go just about anywhere, see just about anything. When I hear people–who don’t travel–say that where they have always lived is the best place in the world, it makes me sad. They have no idea how beautiful the world is or how kind people are all across the globe. Sure, it’s great to love where you live, and you should 100% live in a place where you are comfortable and happy, but it’s also important to know what else is out there.

Read next: How Travel Helped Me Heal from a 22-year Eating Disorder

Want more? Check out all the best travel advice on my dedicated Travel Tips Page!

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