Dealing with my fear of traveling – why I travel despite the discomfort

I’ve visited nearly all continents of this wonderful planet – and all that exploring has taken me well out of my comfort zone by being confronted with cultures and languages that were completely foreign to me. Someone once told me that life starts at the end of my comfort zone. Those learning experiences and opportunities for personal growth are much more powerful when I’m further out of my comfort zone, and no longer surrounded by the things I’m used to: whether it’s people speaking the same language, or the same kind of stores. Remove anything familiar, and the opportunities for personal growth are amplified tenfold.

Life starts at the end of your comfort zone.

Most reasons people have to not travel are just excuses, that keep us trapped in circumstances that we think are comfortable. It’s nice to stay inside the boundaries of that comfort zone, whatever we make it out to be. Blaming something external like a job, life partner or the kids is a convenient way to avoid taking full respo…