TRAVEL: A RITE OF PASSAGE?

Many young people go travelling, often as a ‘rite of passage’ to ‘find yourself’. With the student summer travel season upon us, Esha sets out her belief in the importance of travel, but examines whether it should be viewed as a ‘rite of passage’.

The issue with seeing travel as a rite of passage is it’s simply not accessible to everyone. We all know the struggle of planning a holiday, particularly a group holiday with all your friends, when budgets and desires vary massively. Sometimes, travelling doesn’t always pan out the way we want, if at all. Surely it is discouraging to tell young people that travelling is a rite of passage as if you cannot travel, does that mean you haven’t hit a major milestone? Are you simply stagnant, stuck at 18 years old? It’s perhaps questionable to see travel as a way to ‘find yourself’. This concept envisions you becoming a different or better person when you take on cultures and traditions that you were not once familiar with. However, is this acceptance of culture as part of your new ‘identity’ always done in a respectful way? Obviously, appreciating culture respectfully is very possible. However, cultural adoption while travelling can minimise the significance of that same culture, rather than elevate it. It is important to give credit where credit is due. But I digress - travelling is still important. Maybe not to ‘find yourself’, but to understand yourself in new situations. For example; what are you like under pressure? Or in a new city? Or when trying a new food? It is so important to be exposed to new cultures and experiences. It’s also crucial for us to escape the monotony of life - it’s easy to become so overtaken by your everyday routine that you can’t remember when you last experienced something new. Travel is also vital for expanding your perspectives. The way you approach things will be wildly different because you have been exposed to a wide range of histories, cultures and stories. You are tested in how you approach situations outside of your comfort zone, which forces you to become more mature. You are taught lessons that would not otherwise have been easy to learn at home.

The planet has so many hidden gems and so many places to explore that it feels silly to stay in one place forever if you can help it. Travel is often not feasible, but it remains an extremely worthwhile experience through all of life.

- Esha Dev