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To get the most out of travel, DIY. Research, make your own plans, rent a car (it's fun to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road), don't stay in a hotel...rent a house or apartment.
Not always dtt, I recall many, many, moons ago, maybe v. early 80s, when I, as a young, but experienced London licenced taxi driver, quite used to driving in France, Germany, and the U.S., was on vacation in N.Y.C., staying with a friend on 113th. and Amsterdam, Manhattan.
She got a call from a mutual friend, who was working as a blackjack dealer on a cruise ship out of Miami.
The dealer friend, with whom I'd enjoyed a romantic liaison when she was an exchange college student in London, urged me to fly down to Nassau, Bahamas, to hook up when her ship docked there in a couple of days time.
When I hesitated, she said, "Look, J.F., I'm a bit flush right now, go to Eastern Airways, (still alive then), at JFK, I'll have a round trip ticket there in your name, and I'll make a reservation at the X hotel, off the Straw Market."
What's a guy to do?
Anyhoo, I landed in Nassau, picked up a beat up Ford LTD left hand drive rental car, and drove out of the parking lot onto the right hand side of the road, only to be confronted by a truck, flashing its headlights and the driver honking and looking aghast through the windshield.
Nobody told me that as an ex British colony, they still drove on the left, that was fun, (I don't think).
I'm with OP. I saw/experienced nothing that changed me or added to my quality of life when I used to travel. When the trip was over, all that remained was the charge card bills!
I never understood "travel porn" books like Eat, Pray, Love or Wild. Didn't think the experiences really changed the authors in any appreciable way.
My FIL was an avid traveler. He would return from a trip and wear native clothing (his walking around in a lungi skirt from Burma/Myanmar was a sight to behold!) or drink wine exclusively from where he had just traveled to (had to be Australian wine for a while)...until the next trip then led to a focus on stuff from there.
I have a friend who also loves to travel. When she went to Vietnam, she ate Vietnamese food for the first time...and last time. She won't ever think to have it again, even though it's readily available here.
I have a friend who recently went to the Netherlands. She toured a couple of places where they grow tulips. Saw all the photos. But she didn't know about tulip fever that had happened years ago. (I did and have never gone there.) Hasn't been interested enough since returning to read about it.
I believe in "wherever you go, there you are." People aren't going to change just from a week of sightseeing. Maybe if you actually stayed in a place for a year it would. But even then, you could be likely to fall back into old ways of thinking and being once you return to your home base.
I have a curious mind and love learning and experiencing things different from myself. Watch tons of foreign movies. Read books from all over. Eat ethnic foods. But I don't need/want to travel to do so. And the personal growth I've experienced has come from doing the hard work of going inside, such as through meditation and really thinking about who I am and who I want to be, not flying to a place and taking photos. Not saying travel isn't right for other people---but I think anyone who expects to be changed by it will be disappointed.
Nodpete, I do like the Mark Twain quote, but don't you think things have changed a lot since then? With globalization and the Internet, travel isn't necessary.
Fair question and points. For me, the answer is simple. I walk away from my travels with a greater general and cultural awareness gathered from meeting and breaking bread with locals and seeing local sights. But, as others have mentioned, I find that I get the most out of my travels by spending time and getting to know the locals, not staying in a ritzy, secluded resort with others (though you definitely gain a greater awareness from such situations, too . . . or at least I do).
I think my WorldView is quite different from someone who has never left the country. Of course, your WorldView is influenced by where you've been. My travel has mostly been high tech-oriented business travel so very heavy on EU, Asia, and OZ/NZ.
All this talk about spending time with locals when traveling, it always forgets to include one important thing: language barrier. When you and the locals can only talk with tarzan language (me tarzan, you jane), how meaningful do you expect that conversation to get anyway? And to claim such conversation can lead to mind changing and life altering experience is utter BS and pure snobbery.
You don't change as a person from a short travel, let alone to a foreign country where you don't speak a lick of the local language. You need to fully immerse yourself in a prolonged amount of time in order for that experience to change you in a meaningful way. Even then, maybe not. And that's ok. Not everything should have a reason. I think there should be more people who travel for no other reason than for the fun of it.
I understand how traveling can be educational and fun.
But what I'm getting at is - how has traveling changed your life in a profound and permanent way? Did it change your religious beliefs? Did it change how you work, how you spend your money, what your main hobbies are or how you go about your daily life? Those kinds of things.
A trip to Paris changed my life. I went there 'just because', you know, since Paris is one of those places everyone loves (or hates). Afterward, I've become a complete Francophile and am now learning French. I even tried to get a job in northern Vermont, Maine or New York so I could spend lots of time time working on/enjoying French stuff by visiting French Canada frequently, but it didn't work out (lousy pay in that part of the country for my line of work). I cook French food now, download French music, follow French-language businesses and people on twitter, decorated my kitchen in french style. Yup, life changed.
I taught English in China for about two years. It completely changed me as person as one could imagine living in a different country. Living somewhere is completely different from travelling. When people lament about immigrants not learning English I tell them about my experience attempting to learn Mandarin. I took classes and studied and my Mandarin is so-so. I am more patient with people because people in China were very patient and helpful despite my horrible mandarin. Living there highlighted what was both great and bad about America culture. I lived car free for two years and that helped spur me to join movements here at home to support public transportation.
Yah, I think traveling in a foreign country can be an experience beyond the ordinary. Like most things, it depends on how much effort you put into it, & what attitudes you take with you. If it's to a place with a language you don't know, you might consider taking basic language/culture courses beforehand - kinda homework.
Most people respond well if you attempt the local language(s), & try to avoid local hot buttons. Travelers can be people who just want to hit the beach, mountains, some shopping, nice food & drinks. Or they can explore the host country & culture(s), visit the museums & points of interest, try to talk to locals beyond the service economy (most of them will speak English, a plus). Myself, I prefer a combination of the two - I spent a school year in Mexico City & enjoyed it - learned a lot about the people & cultures & myself, boarded with a Mexican family, attended a sister school there. Of course, that was ages ago, but we did have preparation - it was through a year abroad program @ college, & we spent the freshman year on intensive language, history, etc. It was a good preparation.
A trip to Paris changed my life. I went there 'just because', you know, since Paris is one of those places everyone loves (or hates). Afterward, I've become a complete Francophile and am now learning French. I even tried to get a job in northern Vermont, Maine or New York so I could spend lots of time time working on/enjoying French stuff by visiting French Canada frequently, but it didn't work out (lousy pay in that part of the country for my line of work). I cook French food now, download French music, follow French-language businesses and people on twitter, decorated my kitchen in french style. Yup, life changed.
Now if only I could meet a Frenchman...
Thanks for sharing. Yes, I also visited Paris a few years ago. And it did feel like a place that could possibly transform who I am if I immersed myself in that culture for a lengthy period of time.
Having said that, I had already been something of a Francophile for a long time before that too.
All this talk about spending time with locals when traveling, it always forgets to include one important thing: language barrier. When you and the locals can only talk with tarzan language (me tarzan, you jane), how meaningful do you expect that conversation to get anyway? And to claim such conversation can lead to mind changing and life altering experience is utter BS and pure snobbery.
You don't change as a person from a short travel, let alone to a foreign country where you don't speak a lick of the local language. You need to fully immerse yourself in a prolonged amount of time in order for that experience to change you in a meaningful way. Even then, maybe not. And that's ok. Not everything should have a reason. I think there should be more people who travel for no other reason than for the fun of it.
Exactly.
And it's unrealistic for most adults to learn a new foreign language.
However, why don't people try countries where there's practically no language barrier? Canada, Australia, New Zealand and UK are all good destinations.
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It was a good experience
