Creating Self Confident Travelers

The snow has melted away, temperatures have increased, and many Americans have received the Covid-19 vaccination. With these exciting events we see many communities opening up and becoming active again. Life may not return to what we once knew, but many are finding new routines and venturing out to explore their communities again.

Preparing individuals to use public transportation has changed as well. There is the typical list of needs before anyone sets out for the bus stop. Keys, ID, bus pass/money, phone/charger, route card, wallet/bag, emergency card, water and medications. Now we add hand sanitizer and a mask to this list.

With these basic insurances, bus and rail trips can be more comfortable and can add confidence to any rider. Confidence being a key piece. Much of travel training involves boosting trainees’ self-confidence. Naturally confidence can grow as we see developed skills, accomplished goals and demonstration of new knowledge.

Studies have shown individuals with high self-confidence are more likely to stand up for themselves, stretch their limits, overcome fears, confidently respond to questions and inquire for help when needed. Instilling confidence through quality travel training is important if we want individuals to continue to increase their travel skills in addition to other life skills (time management, budgeting, social interactions to name a few) beyond travel training.

Because an individual completes travel training does not mean learning and development stops. Creating robust resources and tools for trainees is important, as it has a greater chance of making an impact. Tools and resources provided to trainees can be a catalyst for confidence building.

A confident travel training graduate is one of the best transit riders that can be found on any system. Knowing that an individual is ready to react appropriately, use problem solving skills and complete trips with poise is a winning situation.