You Can Include Travel on Your Resume. No, Really.

I always knew how essential travel is for my own growth, in my career or otherwise, way before I started working as a copywriter for Ultimate Break. From navigating international airports on my own to living in a foreign country where I didn’t know a soul to exploring little towns in my own backyard, I’ve gained so many valuable skills and experiences, all applicable to the jobs and internships I’ve landed in the past. Including travel on your resume shows your capability to adapt to other cultures, natural independence, the ability to plan ahead, and an interest in the world. If you’ve done some traveling, too, keep reading for a few tips on how to include travel on your resume.

This kind of goes without saying, but just like your current and previous work experience or education, a dedicated travel section will make your background really pop. This is the place to showcase your passion for adventure, so give it as much attention as the other areas of your resume. (If you studied abroad for a few months or more, though, that should go in your education section.)

Seeing the world, experiencing different cultures, trying new foods—all of that can help you grow in ways that are super valuable in a future job.

“The best use of Integrating travel experiences into your resume isn’t about a list of countries visited; it's an opportunity to showcase the valuable skills cultivated through exploration,” says Suzi Meconi, EF Ultimate Break’s VP of People. “Emphasize traits such as open-mindedness, cultural awareness, resilience, and resourcefulness, qualities honed when navigating unforeseen challenges inherent to travel.”

Think about it. You miss your connecting flight in Copenhagen and the next one leaves in 24 hours, so you decide to just make the most of it, book a hostel, and cross the ABBA museum off your bucket list. That shows adaptability. Or you’ve been dying to visit Tokyo, but none of your friends’ schedules line up, so you’re like “Whatever I’ll just go by myself.” That shows independence. Or you’re the only one in your group who can speak passable French, and you spend most of the trip helping everyone navigate the Métro and order crepes. Language skills, baby!

These are the kinds of skills and experiences you want to highlight, because not only do they make you infinitely more interesting, but they’re also directly transferable to work. At any job you’ll get thrown curveballs, you’ll be surrounded by different people from all kinds of backgrounds, and you’ll need to think on your feet. Communication, resilience, problem solving—travel will teach you all of it, and it will give you a leg up when you’re sending out your resume.

There’s no way around it—traveling requires adjusting to different cultures and customs, which, surprise, you’ll also do on some level in the workplace. If you’ve never left Vermont in your life and you spend a week in Texas, well, even that can feel like visiting another country.

On your resume, you’ll def want to emphasize your ability to navigate diverse environments and show respect for local traditions. One time in Budapest, I was at a restaurant and couldn’t finish all my food, and our server didn’t seem very happy about it. Apparently in Hungary it’s considered rude to leave food on your plate, so from then on, I made sure to only order what I could reasonably eat. In China it’s the opposite, where cleaning your plate is actually considered impolite because it suggests the food wasn’t good or filling enough. Who knew?!

The point is, being aware of your surroundings and adapting to people and their customs are valuable skills that show flexibility and open mindedness—both essential for any job. Of course, making mistakes will happen in any new situation, on a trip abroad or during a meeting, and bouncing back with a laugh at yourself and trying again next time will go a long way.

In other words, talk about why you love to travel! Fun stuff. If you studied abroad, did a gap year, or just took some time off for an extended trip, explain in a quick sentence or two where you went and why, and the impact it had on you.

Same goes if you’ve traveled for vacation, even local or domestic trips—travel is travel, and planning a trip anywhere shows initiative and curiosity about the world around you.

Suzi says, “If someone can show us that they worked hard saving, planning, or making a dream trip come true, or tell a story about what travel has taught them about seeing things from different perspectives or working with people from different cultures, then I’m engaged.”

As someone who lives in Boston, I get as excited about a long weekend down the Cape as I do about 10 days in Europe. I just like to go somewhere and try something new, even if it’s a place I’ve been a dozen times before. Highlighting your “why” when it comes to travel helps whoever’s reading your resume to understand the value of your experience and gives them some insight into what you get out of it personally, not just a list of places you’ve been. That being said, make sure that any kind of travel experience you include speaks to the skills asked for in the job description.

If you’ve documented your travels on your IG, TikTok, or your own blog or website, link to it! Not only does it show off any video editing, vlogging, or photography skills that you might have, but it also highlights your ability to curate thoughtful, narrative content and engage an audience, which let’s bffr, is important these days. And while your written resume is super important, being able to actually see you hiking through the Swiss Alps in or hot-air-ballooning over the desert in Kenya is pretty cool, too.

Who woulda thought that having an absolute blast while exploring the world would be a total resume builder? Turns out that while you were practicing crow pose during that yoga class in Bali and stuffing huge German pretzels into your face you were also learning skills and building life experiences! And if you haven’t had the chance yet to get out there and see the world, we can help. TL;DR: travel as much as you can. There are places to go—and dream jobs to land.