Undergraduate / Travelling alone gave me the opportunity to explore the world in different aspects; UW-Madison essay [3]

Hello! I am applying to UW Madison and my prompt was "Consider something in your life you think goes unnoticed and write about why it's important to you." It is to be between 300 and 500 words. Corrections and comments will be appreciated!! Here is my essay:

Ever since I was a child, my parents love traveling with me. At those ages, I would define traveling as a way to have fun and enjoy a holiday. As I grow up and became a teenager, I began to travel alone. While traveling with family, friends or a significant other can be a lot of fun, traveling solo gave me an opportunity to learn a new definition for traveling.

When I am on my own in the journey, I became eager to meet new people and make new friends. Through talking to other travelers and locals, I learnt about different cultures which amazed me with their uniqueness. In countries like Germany and Switzerland, I really like their lifestyle and how they balance their daily lives. During weekdays, they would work hard to finish their work and during weekends, they would have activities, such as hiking or family gathering to relax themselves after a busy week. In countries like China and Japan, I admire their efficiency in work. After experiencing different cultures, I would try to learn the good perspectives of it and apply them to improve myself. Sometimes, it may be very different from my own cultures, but I am open to change.

Another big influence to me was to challenge my fears. Without my parents beside me, I needed to be independent and self-reliant. When I traveled alone in a place that I was unfamiliar with, I was terrified by the unknown. Therefore, I learnt that I must read and do research before I travel which made me understand that being well-prepared is really important. Moreover, I must be brave to start a conversation with strangers that may not share the same language as me in order to seek help. Now, I've developed a new interest, to learn different language.

Traveling solo may seem lonely and frightening to others, but if I have not taken that step, I would never get to know the strong, adventurous and courageous side of me. Travelling alone gave me the opportunity to explore the world in different aspects, understand different cultures, challenge and overcome my own fears. It is more than just a regular vacation, it is an adventure.