Write a speech, for a class debate for or against the

motion: “Young people should travel and see the

world before joining the workforce or furthering
their education.” (2016 composition section).
Good morning classmates, fellow students, Ms Leahy, adjudicators and members of the
opposition. For those of you who don’t know, my name is Charlotte. It’s a pleasure and a
privilege to be speaking here this morning. As my opponent Grace has already made clear,
today’s motion poses the question of whether or not young people should take time out
after finishing second level education to see more of the world. As this is an issue that I feel
particularly strongly about, I am proud to be arguing in favour of it today for reasons I will
now outline.

The most obvious asset of travelling at this stage in our lives is undoubtedly getting the
opportunity to disconnect from the treadmill of everyday life. The traveller gets to forget
their problems for a few weeks, whether it be under the blazing sun of Marrakesh or in the
tangled lanes of Prague. Imagine for a moment the feeling of strolling out of your physics
exam in a few months’ time, knowing that you are about to escape from the pressure-
cooker of exam stress and career anxieties which we’ve all been trapped in for the last two
years. The bedlam that has consumed all of our lives recently could be abandoned for some
time in the Alps or Pyrenees mountains. That time, spent alone or with friends, is something
that would be valued by everybody in this room by the end of June, I think. Am I wrong?

It cannot be denied that travelling increases our knowledge and widens our perspective. To
view new customs, different ways of living and other lifestyles is fantastic for the mind. It
gave me a whole new perspective on things when I went to Turkey last year and was
confronted with the dichotomy of extreme wealth and extreme poverty. I will never again
take for granted the luxury of having a warm bed, a hot dinner and a clean bathroom after
seeing the squalor and filth in which some of the homeless population of Turkey live. I am
adamant that this has made me a better person and I think that a similar effect would be
had on the majority of our generation, which is so preoccupied with our superfluous
gadgets and gizmos that we sometimes lose sight of the real substance in our lives, the
things that could be taken away and leave us devastated at any minute.

However, just as travelling is humbling, it is also empowering. It enables us to take on new

challenges. It forces us out of our comfort zone and thrusts us into “independent mode”. We
have to be mindful of our own budget, security, safety and belongings when abroad.
Mammy and Daddy aren’t going to be texting you every five minutes to remind you to put
on sunscreen! Well, actually, now that I think about it, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of
mine doing just, that but that’s beside the point! I guarantee you, if you can spend a
fortnight looking after yourself in Eastern Europe, you can do anything. It’s going to be skills
like that that will make you the real star of the workplace or lecture theatre.
I think a lot of people put off travelling because they want to be responsible, work hard, get
married, have kids and build up a life. However, I think it’s a grave error to procrastinate
with the belief that you can do it when you’re retired and have more time. While I certainly
plan to continue to travel after I retire, I also realise that I am not guaranteed old age. There
aren’t going to be any summertime frolics in the Caribbean for me when I’m a pensioner if I
trip and fall down the stairs and break my neck on my way to collect my diploma at my
college graduation ceremony. However, if I had taken the time to see everything the world
has to offer before progressing to third level, perhaps I would have fewer regrets as I went
tumbling gracelessly down those stairs, arms flailing. I would have experienced the world to
the best of my ability by taking every opportunity presented to me to see as much of this
gorgeous planet as I can.

Has anybody here ever felt a disconnection from the material they’ve been learning from
their textbooks for the last fourteen years? I know I have. Sadly, I was never one for history
until last summer. I couldn’t bring myself to have any passion for the oh-so-patriotic soldiers
who went off to fight in wars, nor the French proletariat who overthrow their government,
nor Winston Churchill and his passionate wartime speeches. They were just ink in a
textbook to me. All that changed when I had the privilege of visiting the very place where
Marie Antoinette and her husband King Louis were guillotined, while on holiday in France
last summer. All of a sudden, all those history lessons I felt so removed from became real
and vivid. It became crystal clear to me that these were real people who lived and died,
loved and were loved, had personalities and interests and weren’t that different to us. Travel
truly makes history come alive, and the same is true for all disciplines. Go to Andorra and
see the mountains you’ve been drawing diagrams of in geography class for years! Don’t just
read about Bavarian gentians in the poetry of D.H. Lawrence, go to Southern Germany and
smell them for yourself! I implore you, go out and into the world and prove to yourself that
learning has a purpose and a reward. You’ll appreciate seeing these marvels so much more
when they are still fresh in your head than you would if you were older and could barely
remember the first thing about them.

Finally, and in contradiction to what my esteemed opponent said before me, travelling
doesn’t have to break the bank! It has never been this cheap to travel. A recent poll of
passengers in Dublin Airport revealed that 73% of them paid less than €100 for the flight
they were about to board. However, with soaring oil prices, the cheap travel era may be
about to end. Now is the time. Seize your opportunity. Take the risk, choose your
destination and start planning your trip today. When you come back you’re not going to be
worrying about not having gone to college or joined the workforce at the same time as
Johnny, Micky and Paddy. Even if you do make a mistake and find yourself in a situation that
is not suited to you, keep in mind that money will come back, but years won’t. I’ll leave you
with the inspiring words of Helen Keller, who had the right idea about travel: “Life is either a
daring adventure or nothing at all”.

Thank you.