Why I Would Always Choose Study Before Travel

Lately, social media has been flooded with declarations that travel teaches you more than school ever could. Celebrities openly brag in the media about how they hated school and it was useless. It’s no wonder that many young people start thinking they should ditch their studies, grab a backpack, and spend a decade wandering the world. Whether you choose to study abroad or at a local university, travel does teach you a lot — greater tolerance for other cultures, independence, resilience, and adaptability — but there are things it simply cannot replace.

Before I dive into why I would never choose travel over education, let me say a few things. I absolutely don’t think everyone needs to go to university. I believe it’s wonderful when someone decides to become a skilled bricklayer, a florist, or a hairdresser. This article is simply about me — about why I would always choose university before travel.

1) There Are Things You Can’t Learn Without University

Our generation wants everything now. But not everything can happen overnight. You can’t become a doctor or a lawyer on the fly, and you certainly can’t get there through self-study alone. But it’s not just about those professions. At university, you explore subjects in a depth you’d never reach on your own. Maybe they don’t even interest you. Chances are you’ll never directly use most of that knowledge. But what it gives you is an understanding that nothing is black and white, that every problem has multiple layers worth examining. It teaches you to approach issues critically — because sure, down at the pub, everyone’s got an opinion on everything, but nobody actually knows much of anything.

2) Seeing the World From a Broader Perspective

Our world moves fast. Most of us are just glad to get through the daily juggle of work and family, with little appetite for deep discussions. Debating, having your own views challenged, and seeing the world through the eyes of people outside your bubble was one of the most fascinating aspects of university. Of course, some institutions don’t give enough space for debate, but that’s a topic for another day. While studying, you have a unique opportunity to attend all sorts of discussions and guest lectures. Sure, you can do that after graduation too — but hand on heart, how many of us actually make the time once real life kicks in?

3) You Get to Try Things You’d Never Otherwise Experience

I didn’t study chemistry or nanotechnology — that would make this point even more compelling. I studied journalism (and loved every minute of it!).

During my first years as an undergraduate, I spent hours in the darkroom developing film and enlarging photographs. I’ve never had a bigger adventure packed into one tiny room.

4) The Connections You Make

Studying journalism meant I was surrounded by people heading into the same or very similar fields. Just being part of that community is enriching in itself. My classmates (far more successful than me, I might add) now work at major TV and radio stations, and whenever I turn on the news or the radio, it’s only a matter of seconds before I hear a familiar voice.

At uni, I had the chance to meet people I’d looked up to since secondary school — some of them even taught me or ran a few of our seminars. I tried to squeeze every last drop out of my studies. In the early years, before I started working, I was running from one internship to the next, taking courses, attending workshops and lectures (for several years I went to a summer journalism school, for instance). Those first years at university were the most wonderful. Thanks to all those activities, I didn’t just discover what I’d enjoy doing — I also figured out what I’d never want to do in a million years.

5) Learning to Navigate the System

This point might sound a bit funny, but it’s true. At university, you’ll have more than a few frustrating encounters with bureaucracy. In the best cases, it’s just wrestling with course requirements and a glitchy exam registration page. Living in Europe means living within a system. And university is basically a training ground for the annual battle with your tax return, sorting out a mortgage, or dealing with insurance companies. Of course, no matter how much practice you get, you’ll still never remember what can be submitted online and what requires printing a mountain of paperwork and handing it in at exactly the right counter. Because the system keeps changing. And our stress levels keep rising accordingly. 🙂

When I walked away with my master’s degree, I felt a genuine sadness. I wouldn’t trade those years of study for anything in the world. I’m the kind of person who didn’t want to miss a single class, and I honestly looked forward to most of my lectures. Sure, I sometimes half-heartedly rushed through an assignment, and occasionally I skipped something. But my years studying at Charles University’s Faculty of Social Sciences in Prague were beautiful, exciting, and magical — and I don’t regret for a second that I didn’t spend that time travelling instead. After all, I’ve got a whole lifetime for that.