Prolonged travel and experience abroad contribute significantly to a change in personality and character. It is not easy to measure the extent to which a person's character changes as a result of an experience abroad, because one has to examine what kind of experience can have an impact on the personality and at the same time take into account the individual character that led to going abroad in the first place. 

A person's character is characterised by a series of long-term dreams and goals that they have set for their life. It distinguishes individuals from one another. Personality is characterised by five main groups: Extraversion, agreeableness with others, willingness to experience, conscientiousness and emotional stability. Logically, people with more willingness to experience are usually those who seek experience abroad, so this characteristic is more a prerequisite than the result of travelling.

A longer stay in a foreign country and a different culture takes a person out of their comfort zone. A traveller has to adapt to new people and new cultures. Even seemingly similar cultures in neighbouring countries often turn out to be a challenge. Foreign countries have different languages, eating habits and perspectives. The more a traveller engages with new people, the more their desire for new experiences increases. Travellers abroad also gain new perspectives on life, which make them less emotionally reactive to daily changes and thus increase their emotional stability. 

By meeting new people and becoming dependent on them, compatibility increases, whereby it is not important how many people you meet, but how you learn to deal with them.

If you compare people who have spent a long time abroad after their return with those who have stayed in their own country, you will find that their experience abroad has increased their willingness to learn, their tolerance and their emotional stability as a result of their trip. Even if these personality changes may not be serious, they can still be found with reliable certainty.

The change in character often has a greater impact on younger people, although an experience abroad at any age broadens mental horizons considerably.