Whether you're hitchhiking, making new friends or buying a train ticket in India, all of these things take confidence. We talk often on The Thoughtful Travel Podcast about the myriad ways travel helps you grow, and one of the biggest benefits I've had from travelling is that it's given me immense confidence - a trait that's carried through into my personal and professional life far beyond my travels.

In Episode 272, my three guests tell me about incidents from their travels which have given them lasting confidence. I start with Sophia Bentaher who has a great philosophical approach to what she's learnt from travel and thinks that travelling gives a compounding benefit as you see the results of your actions and become increasingly confident in all that you do.

I then chat with Nathan Thomas who describes the daily achievements in travel like buying a ticket at an Indian train station where even the scam artists are dressed in an official-looking uniform. Each of these kinds of achievements add to your confidence. Finally, I hear from Sarah Meyer who intentionally went looking for her confidence to be built on a long-term solo trip in Asia - and found it in spades.

Links:

• Crossing cultures: Student travel and personal development - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0147176797000217 
• Sophia’s website https://sophia-b.co/ 
• Nathan of Intrepid Times https://intrepidtimes.com/ 
• Nathan’s new book Travel Your Way: Rediscover the World on Your Own Terms
• Sarah’s site Last Minute Wanders https://lastminutewanders.com/ 
• Ep 15 - Travel Builds Confidence, So Do It! - notaballerina.com/15 
• Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
• Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin
• Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/272