The man is not only reason. A sphere of our intelligence is the ability to recognize and understand their own emotions and those of others, the ability to empathize and relate to themselves and to others: it’s the emotional intelligence. Also called Emotional Quotient, it helps us to make decisions, it favors us in the workplace, it allows us to manage emotions every day.
According to us, and many other people, traveling is one of the best activities to nurture this aspect, to cultivate our emotional intelligence, improving awareness of ourselves and improving our relationships with the other.
How traveling develops our emotional intelligence
Anyone who has traveled already know what I’m talking about. Traveling in a new place, away from familiar surroundings, also means embarking on a journey in ourselves, experiencing new things, living new experiences we learn to know ourselves, we understand our limitations, and we see ourselves able to do what we never thought.
Every trip is an adventure, with its dose of unpredictability. To better address the unknowns of traveling we need flexibility and a degree of tolerance to stress: we learn to adapt and make the most in complicated situations. Whenever we get lost in a strange city, when we try to communicate in an unfamiliar language, when we encounter delays and connection we discover new resources and learn to deal with unexpected events and stress, controlling our negative emotions.
There is no journey without an encounter with the other: there isn’t in the world a best way to break down barriers, to know and understand those who are different from us, realizing that emotions are the same. We can put ourselves in the other’s shoes, we can identify ourselves in their thoughts and feelings, thus improving our empathy and of course our social skills.
And so traveling is not just about exploring new lands and meeting new people, but also improving ourselves, starting with emotional intelligence.
Cover photo by Moyan Brenn via Flickr