How Travelling Contributes to Personal and Professional Development
1. Show us an activity you enjoy doing. Tell us how you
think it contributes to your personal and professional
development.
Laura Camargo Franco
Note: The photographs of this document where taken by the author.
IE Business School Application
Program of Interest: MIM
7. “Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be
acquired by vegetating in one corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”
-Mark Twain
8. Travelling has allowed me to interact with people from
other cultures and learn about the way they think, dress,
behave and live. This contributes to my personal
development as I can appreciate the contrasting cultures
and be enriched by people I never thought I would meet.
Intercultural Interaction
9. Visiting historic monuments and
museums allows me to learn about
the roots and history of a nation
and understand the economic,
social and religious systems of
different countries. This contributes
to my general knowledge.
General Knowledge
10. When travelling I experience new things, taste new types of food, enjoy
different types of music, appreciate beautiful landscapes, learn about diverse
types of flora and fauna, and venture to do things I never imagined I would
do. I have learned every country has wonderful things to discover which can
only be experienced when visiting.
New Experiences
11. Relax and Disconnect
Travelling provides a relaxing
atmosphere that helps me disconnect
from my daily activities in Colombia
and recover energies. It is an
opportunity to reconnect with myself
and learn about aspects of my
personality, which enhance my
personal development.
13. “Don t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you
have travelled.”
-Mohammed
14. Open my mind to new ideas
When I travel I open my mind to other ways
of doing things. In my particular case,
travelling allows me to appreciate the
infrastructure of cities, observe different
architectural trends, learn about new
construction methods and materials and
perceive innovative marketing campaigns,
which leads me to think in new business
ideas for my company.
15. Network
Travelling allows me to expand my network as I
am constantly interacting with people that live
around the globe. I have the opportunity of
sharing experiences and exchanging personal
information, which opens doors to new
potential opportunities and enriches my
professional development.
16. Improve
Important Skills
Travelling helps develop
communication skills as
you have to deal with
different languages and
be able to ask where you
are or order food. In
addition, when you
travel you have to be
resourceful as you are in
a place you do not know.
It is also necessary to be
organized in order to
optimize the use of
resources and make the
best use of time. All
these skills are essential
in a competitive and
successful professional.
17. Research and Planning
When I travel I spend a considering amount of time before and during my trips,
investigating about the places I am going to visit and planning my daily activities, in
order to make the most of the trip and get to visit as much as possible. Research
and planning are essential tools for any business. Research allows companies to
keep ahead of new developments and market trends, and planning helps achieve
organizational goals and objectives.
18. In conclusion, I firmly believe travelling has contributed to
every aspect of my life. When I travel, I acquire new
knowledge, new ideas, new contacts, new perspectives, new
thoughts, new energies and a very strong desire to continue
pursuing my personal and professional goals.
