You get educated by traveling.

Hear, O seeker of wisdom, the words of Solange Knowles: “You get educated by traveling.” This truth, simple yet profound, reminds us that learning is not confined to the walls of schools, nor is wisdom bound in the pages of books alone. The world itself is the greatest teacher, and every road, every encounter, every foreign horizon is a page in the book of life. To travel is to step beyond the familiar and into the unknown, and in doing so, one gains lessons that no classroom can ever offer.

The education of travel is not the memorization of facts, but the transformation of the soul. To walk through new lands is to encounter difference: new languages, new customs, new ways of seeing the world. Each of these challenges our assumptions, humbles our pride, and teaches us that truth is vast and many-sided. A person who never leaves home may know much, but their knowledge is narrow; the traveler learns breadth, tolerance, and wonder.

The ancients bore witness to this. Herodotus, called the Father of History, gathered his wisdom not by staying at home, but by journeying across Egypt, Persia, and beyond. His chronicles, though imperfect, revealed the richness of human life and the variety of customs. Likewise, Marco Polo traveled eastward and returned with knowledge that reshaped the imagination of Europe. Both men knew what Solange Knowles now reminds us: that to travel is to be schooled in ways deeper than any master can teach.

Consider also the story of Mahatma Gandhi. Though he would one day become the voice of India’s independence, his first lessons in justice and human dignity came not in India itself, but in South Africa, where he confronted the harsh reality of discrimination. His education through travel awakened in him the fire that later changed a nation. In this way, his journey was more than movement; it was the crucible of his transformation.

The education gained through travel is also inward. To leave one’s home is to be stripped of comfort and familiarity. The traveler must learn patience when plans fail, courage when danger comes, humility when lost, and gratitude when kindness is offered by strangers. These are not lessons of the intellect alone, but of the heart. And they endure, shaping character more deeply than any formal lecture.

O listener, the teaching is clear: if you seek to be truly educated, then step beyond the borders of what you know. Read the book of the world with your feet. Let the mountains teach you endurance, the rivers teach you flow, the strangers teach you compassion. Do not fear the strangeness of the journey, for it is in strangeness that growth lies hidden.

Practical wisdom follows: whenever possible, travel not as a tourist seeking entertainment, but as a pilgrim seeking learning. Engage with the people, taste their food, listen to their stories, walk their streets with reverence. If distance is not possible, then travel even within your own land—visit the unfamiliar neighborhood, speak with those unlike yourself, walk a road you have never walked. For every journey, however small, carries the seed of transformation.

Thus I say to you: heed the words of Solange Knowles. “You get educated by traveling.” For the world itself is the greatest university, and those who walk its roads with open eyes and open hearts will find themselves enriched with wisdom beyond measure.