We all love traveling when there is an opportunity, right? But not all jobs come with opportunities to travel. Some people have a job that keeps them on the desk while others have jobs that turn them into globetrotters. Whether you’re travelling to attend a conference abroad or taking on a field assignment in the countryside, every opportunity to travel for work, whether domestically or internationally, comes with great benefits for your career. Marie Mukundwa, a humanitarian worker, who until recently worked as a nurse in Yemen, says every opportunity to travel for work, regardless of where you are headed to, is an opportunity to master new skills that can enhance your career. “When I got the opportunity to travel to Yemen in 2017 with an international NGO, to provide humanitarian support in communities affected by war, my first impression was that I am going to a war zone.” “I did quite some research online and indeed my fear increased. I started worrying for my life but since it was a good offer and we had been assured of protection by the United Nations, I was ready to go,” Mukundwa says. Upon arriving in Sanaa, the capital of the war-ravaged Middle Eastern country, Mukundwa realised that the offer was worth more than just the money, as she had to adjust to fit in the harsh weather conditions while the constant firing of guns and missiles improved her survival skills. While Mukundwa’s experience is different, experts say traveling is not just a perfect opportunity to see new places, meet new people, and experience unique traditions but also a chance to get exposure and strengthen some of your interpersonal and professional skills. This is simply because travel involves planning, organisation, time management and also resilience, for example if you have to do a long journey and still have to work, sometimes in different conditions from the ones you are used to. Meticulous planning and time management Many people believe travel is just about packing your bags and getting on the road or on the plane, until they miss the flight or arrive late at the destination. For Mukundwa, planning a trip to and from Yemen involved a lot of meticulous planning and meticulous time management. This is mainly because the flights were minimal and the journey to the country goes through many other countries. Missing a flight can be really disastrous. For the three years she worked there, she never missed a flight. If you are travelling for work and you don’t plan well or manage time properly, you are likely to face heavy consequences. If you travel a lot, certainly your time management and planning skills improve. Beyond time management, traveling makes you organised because you have to plan the itinerary, book flights or accommodation, budgeting, plan for the work days on the trip and generally keeping tabs on everything. It also boosts your decision-making skills. Improving creativity Exposure and creativity go hand-in-hand. It is very hard to be creative without getting new experiences and exposure to a different world you have never been to. A trip down to New York to attend the UN General Assembly activities and a trip to Mahama Refugee Camp in Kirehe District will both have similar effects on you and trigger your creativity in different ways. You start imagining different things and what difference you can make not just in your life but also the way you do things. New ideas will pop up depending on the environment you are interacting with. If you can internalize it all, it will greatly boost your creativity and thinking. Networking and collaborations Traveling also boosts your networking and collaborative skills. You get to meet many people of different statuses, who can be of great value to your professional network. Most people who get things done or strike big deals through collaborations, do so on trips. The investor into that superb idea you harbour could be at the next conference you will travel to attend. While traveling, maximise the opportunity to network and create collaborations. Be intentional about it and don’t just collect business cards to fill up your purse for no reason. Follow through on some of the contacts you gathered and you will be surprised how people can easily come together to do great things. As they say, your network is your net worth. Other skills gained through travel include stress resistance and management, versatility, adaptability, social skills and learning new languages, among other benefits.
