International travel is transformative. Whether you’re immersing yourself in a foreign language or figuring out how to use a public bathroom designed differently than the ones that you are used to – crossing an international border can immediately take you outside of your comfort zone.
This, of course, creates endless opportunities for personal development. From increased confidence to heightened humility, there’s a lesson to be found for every personality type in even the briefest foray into a foreign land.
In this article, we suggest a key lesson in personal growth that each of the 16 personality types might glean in a cross-border adventure.
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Analyst Personality Types
Architect (INTJ): Improved Flexibility
When traveling internationally, Architect personalities are likely to have spent a lot of time planning their trip and to have a solid sense of what they want and expect from it. But what happens when their remote getaway has too many tourists for their liking or that highly rated restaurant has a visibly disgusting kitchen? Situations like these obligate Architects to become more flexible in the way that they deal with unmet expectations.
Logician (INTP): Deepened Appreciation for What You Have
International travel often leads to the uncomfortable realization that options are notably limited for many people around the world. Thanks to their restless sense of curiosity and imagination, Logicians sometimes feel a sense of discontentment with the opportunities that they’ve had in life. But watching a kid sell trinkets to tourists instead of going to school can be an eye-opening experience, one that can transform their sense of dissatisfaction to appreciation – and maybe even inspire them to dedicate some of their creative energy to making a difference back home.
Commander (ENTJ): Increased Learning Capacity
Immersing yourself in a different language, experiencing new tastes, or trying to understand foreign social cues can be disorienting but also incredibly stimulating. Exposing the brain to so many new inputs wakes it up and gets it firing in new and inspired ways – something that Commanders will immediately recognize as beneficial to their goals for self-improvement. Regardless of where they visit, they’ll arrive home with reawakened creativity and a boost to their natural ability to find connections between ideas.
Debater (ENTP): A More Balanced Ego
Debaters tend to have a bit of an ego, which is often reined in by stepping beyond the familiar norms that they’re usually so comfortable challenging. Immersing themselves in a different culture gives them the opportunity to hold back and be humble enough to take in new experiences, ideas, and knowledge. This allows for more meaningful adventures while traveling and is also a lesson that they can apply back home in more familiar territory.
Diplomat Personality Types
Advocate (INFJ): An Even More Open Mind
Traveling has a way of inspiring curiosity about the ways that people think, believe, and interact with the world. Observing or participating in cultural practices outside your previously held concepts of “normal” is a powerful catalyst for developing a more holistic notion of the human experience. For Advocates, who rank among the most open-minded of all personality types, traveling serves to reinforce the idea that one should always be ready to contemplate new points of view and reconsider old ones.
Mediator (INFP): Heightened Independence
Venturing abroad sometimes brings about situations that require decisive action. Whether it’s figuring out how to deal with a missed connection or resolving a billing mishap, sometimes one has to step up to the plate to resolve certain issues. Successfully working through these types of problems allows Mediators to more fully step into an enhanced sense of independence that inevitably carries over into their everyday lives.
Protagonist (ENFJ): New Practical Skills
Whether they’re aware of it or not, when Protagonists travel, they are often looking to learn and practice skills that they may have a hard time perfecting on their home turf. Sure, it’s not always necessary to visit a foreign country to do this, but crossing borders allows them access to more varied opportunities. Whether it’s a recreational scuba program, a permaculture course, or a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certification, these personalities want to take home more than simple souvenirs.
Campaigner (ENFP): Improved Planning Capabilities
While spontaneity can infuse international travel with excitement and unpredictability, there’s a certain amount of risk involved in not planning or anticipating certain details of a vacation. If Campaigners find themselves unexpectedly stranded because they didn’t research the local ferry schedule, for example, they’ll quickly learn to pay closer attention to the seemingly minor details of their plans. They can apply this lesson to their regular life for obvious benefits.
Sentinel Personality Types
Logistician (ISTJ): A Wider Worldview
Logisticians are likely to curate their international experience for predictability, but this doesn’t mean that their observational skills go on vacation. With their keen eye for detail, they’ll take note of all the differences in how things are done. Even if what they see doesn’t always make sense to them, they’ll have a newfound appreciation for how things work outside their home country and a broadened worldview that will inevitably come to influence their opinions and perspectives.
Defender (ISFJ): Enhanced Confidence
When leaving their home country, everything feels at least slightly beyond Defenders’ comfort zone. Between managing travel logistics, moving money around, or figuring out the language, it’s easy for them to feel like they are in way over their heads. But for these personalities, pushing past that discomfort to do what needs to be done so they can enjoy their international adventure usually results in a huge boost of confidence.
Executive (ESTJ): An Enriched Sense of Empathy
In the course of just one cross-cultural excursion, it’s possible (and probable) to experience a whole range of circumstances that provoke intense emotional reactions. Maybe it’s a language barrier creating a confusing situation or being taken advantage of by a shifty tour operator – these less-than-smooth travel experiences are likely to become emotional reference points for Executives. As a result of these charged situations, they will be able to more broadly empathize with others who have also had to deal with similar scenarios.
Consul (ESFJ): Finely Tuned Quick Thinking
Compared to other Sentinels, Consuls find it relatively easy to think on their feet and improvise. When they’re outside of their home territory, however, this ability can be put to the test. Whether it’s a reservation that falls through or a passport that gets lost, unexpected complications in their travel plans will obligate these personalities to set aside their emotional reactions in order to quickly come up with solutions. When they come back from overseas, it will likely be with an enhanced ability for quick thinking.
Explorer Personality Types
Virtuoso (ISTP): Escape from the Rut
Virtuosos may struggle with boredom, something that a healthy dose of novelty usually takes care of. And what is more novel than traveling to some exotic country with minimal preparation? “Escaping from the rut” is not so much a lesson as it is a strategy for dealing with the monotony of life’s routines. It may not be practical to travel every time they’re bored, but the promise of a future adventure may help them get through the banalities of daily living.
Adventurer (ISFP): Renewed Inspiration
Adventurers are likely to come home from their international travels fully inspired and convinced that exploring the world is the best way to get their creative juices flowing. Their travels will likely become a well of inspiration that will keep them going for years. When they find themselves feeling like they are simply tolerating their lives, they can draw from those memories to find the motivation and confidence to keep tackling life’s challenges in creative ways.
Entrepreneur (ESTP): Improved Budgeting Skills
When Entrepreneurs head out for a cross-border adventure, their plans may hit some speed bumps if they don’t work out a basic budget or accurately anticipate their needs for cash. They might find themselves fumbling to cover their expenses in some remote region of a country where there is little tourist infrastructure and no bank. These kinds of experiences can influence them to have more financial foresight both while traveling and in their day-to-day lives.
Entertainer (ESFP): An Upgraded Backstory
When trips abroad are over, all that’s left are the memories and the stories that we tell to others. For Entertainers, their tales of international adventure will become a key part of their wide-ranging conversational repertoire, allowing them to do what they do best – captivate their audience through fascinating discussions. Being well traveled, and having the stories to prove it, adds some serious shine to their allure.
Final Thoughts
Now that you’ve read through the likely takeaways that each personality type can gain from traveling internationally, it’s worth noting that these individual life lessons and insights are available to everyone as part of the personal growth process galvanized by cross-border adventures.
The only way to figure out which lessons await you is to make the leap and get outside of your comfort zone. Go somewhere that you don’t speak the language, make purchases in a currency that you’re barely familiar with, and put yourself in an environment that is radically different from the one that you’re adapted to. Go out there, live, and discover what international travel can teach you about yourself.