The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page
Traveling has always been an important aspect of human life. People travel for various reasons; some for work, education, family, or to simply have fun. Travelling takes us out of our comfort zone and exposes us to new things. We see new places, people, try out new food and learn about different cultures. For students, travelling can be very exciting and educational. But, the question that comes to our mind is does frequent travelling actually broadens our mind or is it just a distraction from our daily life? For a Class 10 student, this question is very crucial as studies and dreams are equally important.
Traveling can surely broaden our minds. A new place is home to various kinds of people having diverse lifestyles. We may find people speaking a different language, wearing different dresses, celebrating different traditions and eating weird food in a new place! At first sight, it may seem weird to us but when we spend some time observing and interacting with them, we understand each other’s culture better. We learn that every kind of lifestyle is valid for people live in peace. We also learn that although people may be different from each other, but they hold the same emotions, aspirations and hopes. This kind of understanding makes a person more tolerant and educated.
For a student, traveling can become an educational experience. Our schools provide us with a lot of knowledge by means of books, videos and discussions but sometimes, real life experience can be much more interesting. Like, for instance, a student may read about ancient monuments in the History textbook but visiting an ancient monument can turn out to be a fascinating adventure. A student can learn more about History by visiting museums, ancient monuments and cultural centers. Similarly, a student can learn Geography better by visiting different places and understanding their climate, terrain, etc.
Traveling can also teach us confidence. At the time of visiting a new place, sometimes, we have to deal with unfamiliar people. We may have to ask them for directions or help and we tend to learn a lot of things from these kind of people. It also teaches us to be independent as we have to handle our own luggage and sometimes, make difficult decisions during the travel. A student who travels often can be confident enough to handle unfamiliar situations as the travel teaches us to remain calm and make wise decisions.
Traveling can also make us more adaptable. During the journey, sometimes, unplanned things can happen. Our train may get delayed, the weather may change or the place we were thinking of may turn out to be full. Instead of getting frustrated, we learn to adapt with the situation. This can be extremely helpful for us as a student as we have to deal with many unforeseen situations in our life.
Traveling can also benefit us by relieving us from stress. In the case of a Class 10 student, stress can be due to the huge syllabus, examinations, assignments, projects, etc. Sometimes, the pressure of all these things can weigh down on us. A student can manage this by taking a break on a suitable holiday. Being surrounded by nature, visiting a new place, spending time with family can make a student feel refreshed and he/she can return to her studies with renewed energy.
Nature is another important aspect associated with traveling. A student who spends most of her time in the coaching centres, school or home can benefit a lot by spending time in nature. We can appreciate the beauty of nature by visiting forests, hill stations, beaches, lakes, wildlife sanctuaries, etc. These experiences can also teach us to be more environment-friendly as we observe the diverse species of flora and fauna and how environment pollution can affect them. Sometimes, we see how beauty of nature is being harmed by plastic pollution and hence, this can motivate us to take action against such anti-environment activities.
Traveling can also help us be socially aware. When a student visits different villages, cities and even different states, he/she observes that people live differently. They may have access to fewer resources or their lifestyle maybe different from ours. This can make us more grateful about what we have. Also, this can motivate us to think about how we can bring changes in society for the better.
However, frequent traveling can also have some negative impacts. For a Class 10 student, the biggest problem can be the disturbance in his/her studies. A student has to manage school, homework, revision, tests and examinations. If a student travels very frequently, this can affect his/her academics very badly. The student may not get enough time to complete his/her assignments or postpone his/her studies.
Another major issue with frequent traveling is that it can sometimes become an escape from responsibilities. Sometimes students start to think that traveling is more fun than studies and they want to go everywhere they can during their holidays. If this becomes a habit, a student can easily become undisciplined. There are numerous responsibilities in life which we cannot run away from. We have to study and make our own path for the future.
Social media can also promote such irresponsible traveling. These days, students see people’s pictures on social media who visit foreign countries. A student may get addicted to such kind of traveling where he/she wants to travel to a foreign land on every possible opportunity. But, social media only shows us the good part of things, not the reality. A student has to understand that an attractive picture cannot represent all things in life. Moreover, traveling is very expensive and a student should be financially strong enough to bear the expenses of traveling. Also, traveling is not the only thing that makes us happy. A student should not spoil his/her health trying to travel more and more; instead, he/she should be happy with what he/she has. We can also find a meaningful journey in a nearby place.
The purpose of traveling is also very important. Sometimes a person only travels to take pictures of herself/himself as a souvenir and then forgets about the real experience of that journey. We should be attentive enough to learn something new by travelling. We may spend our time in a new place, but we should learn the history of that place and respect the people living there. A journey becomes meaningful only when we return home with some new knowledge or understanding.
School trips are a good example of a balanced journey. A student can have fun and learn something new during educational trips. A Science museum visit can make Science more interesting for a student. A historical monument visit can help a student learn more about History. An environmental centre visit can make a student more nature conscious. Also, a student can interact with his/her school friends and make more bonds. Thus, travel becomes the best experience of a student’s life as he/she learns new things as well as have fun.
Family trips are also very important. They give a student a chance to spend quality time with his/her family. Parents are busy with their own works and students are busy with their studies; hence, there is hardly any time for them to interact with each other. A family journey can bring a student closer to his/her parents. During a trip, we have to be dependent on our family members. We have to cooperate with each other and we learn to be patient with our family.
There is a huge difference between occasional traveling and frequent traveling. Occasionally, we can be refreshed by traveling and this can help us to perform better in our academics; however, frequent traveling can be a distraction from our responsibilities. Thus, the question is not whether traveling is good or not. The question is how much traveling is good for us.
Balance is extremely important for a Class 10 student. During examination time, a student should give enough time to his studies and during vacation, he/she can utilize the free time in exploring the world. The student can make a travel plan according to his academics. If there is an important examination approaching, a student should make sure that he/she revises all the important lessons first. Once the important work is done, a student can enjoy a short vacation. A student can also learn to value his/her home by traveling occasionally. We learn to be thankful to our own home by staying away from it for a while.
In my opinion, traveling can broaden our mind if we explore it with a responsible and curious mind. People should not travel to run away from their problems. They should travel to gain knowledge about the world and return home with more awareness. For students, it is important to maintain a balance between a responsible life and an adventurous one.
A Class 10 student has numerous dreams for the future. Some dream of becoming doctors, some of becoming engineers and the rest aspire to achieve various milestones in their respective career paths. These dreams require hard work and discipline. Traveling can only take us halfway in our journey of life. We cannot achieve our dreams just by traveling; we have to put in consistent efforts to achieve our goals.
Traveling can be both beneficial and damaging. It all depends on how we use it in our life. The key is to find out the fine print. Frequent traveling can be a blessing and a curse at the same time.
By: ABHILAKSHYA VIKRAM SINGH
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