Student Of The World

I love to travel. Yeah big shocker I am sure. It’s like oxygen to me; it’s vital and non negotiable. To go on an adventure and recharge my batteries has always helped put things in perspective when I needed it. But of course when you travel you also learn about different countries and cultures. And I feel this is what sets a traveler apart from a tourist. I like to prepare for my trips, when I can, so I can take full advantage of it. I am very, very fortunate to have amazing friends all over the world who generously have opened their homes to me over the years. To get immersed in a culture is obviously much easier when you are staying with locals. Although my hosts have a wealth of knowledge, I still like to prepare. It’s to better understand the place, but also to show an interest in my host’s everyday life. If you are traveling solo, being prepared is obviously also important. I am sure many of my fellow travelers also prepare for trips. Some of you are probably way better than me at it. But I will give you my two cents:

I like to learn some phrases in the language spoken at my destination. This obviously works well if you are traveling by yourself. It’s also great to be able to say a few words in case you are visiting a friend and his or her parents/grandparents try to speak English to you. They may feel embarrassed if they think their English is not up to par. By you butchering their language, well this can break the ice. And overall show some respect. Also, the rush I once felt, while at the beach with a friend, when I understood part of the conversation between a local boy and his father, was amazing! It’s also good to be okay with not understanding everything. If people are talking amongst themselves, not directly to you, and you don’t get it, just enjoy hearing the melody of their language.

Study the geography of the country. Will you be able to name the 10 most important cities, which natural resources the country has and 5 of its major rivers? Probably not. But perhaps a few more cities than the capital and where they are located. I am pretty good with geography, but I am definitely influenced by being raised in Europe, meaning some parts of the world are a bit more blurry to me. This makes my inner global kid squeal. As I don’t like to feel uninformed, I am hitting the Atlas.

Watch documentaries, both historical and modern. Try to learn a bit of the history of the country. I must admit, dates and years often flies right over my head, but I like to get a general idea of it all. Of course history dating back hundreds of years can be interesting, but I have often found myself focusing on events from World War II and beyond. And check current news, so your image of the country will not be one based in the olden days. I would not want visitors to Sweden think us Vikings still use wooden ships as a means of transportation. Flying with commercial airlines and driving Volvos is obviously our forte nowadays. Try to find movies made in the country, and embrace subtitles. Not only to get a feel for the arts of the country, but also so you can hear the native language. Perhaps you can understand a sentence or two?

Read up on what foods are typical for the city/country. Here is obviously also where being with locals rocks, ask what they had growing up. I have been treated to home cooked meals and I remember eating so much I thought I would burst. But my heart was bursting with happiness alongside my growing belly. And wine, ask which local wine to pair with food. Almost every country, yes there are of course exceptions, uses alcohol in celebrations. I am not a big beer drinker, but have I had Guinness beer in Ireland, Singha in Thailand and Tsingtao in China? Yes I have. “When in Rome” as the saying goes…and in Rome I had wino rosso…naturalmente.

I would say hit up your local library and borrow some books - yeah old school! You may not read all of them, but flip through them. Just to find different sources for your information and not just utilizing the internet. Oh I bet my old university teachers are proud of me being source critical! And now I will go over to the dark side, the internet. Take advantage of social media. What I mean here is watch YouTube videos and vlogs from the area and read blogs. I like guidebooks, such as Lonely Planet, but sometimes you need to blend their information with non professional opinions. Check out friends Facebook albums. If the friend lives there, shoot them a message and ask if you can go visit or at least meet up for dinner. I have no shame! Or if he or she has lived there, but don’t anymore, ask if you can be connected to some old friends there. Getting an in with the locals is priceless.

All these preparations usually make my trips more meaningful and I feel like I am getting more out of them. Of course it’s also great to kick back and just relax. Some vacations, such as trips to Paradise where you mainly lay on a beach with a Margarita or a Mojito in your hand, are amazing too. Maybe then you don’t have to “study” so much in advance. But it’s also good to see trips as a continuation of a global education. I loved my formal education in International Relations at Webster University, but the aftermath, what I am doing now, matters too. If in a time crunch, as I found myself before my latest trip to Thailand (booking the flight on Monday, flying out Wednesday does that to you), make sure you print out an overview of the country (even Wikipedia works here) and study it on the plane. Wikipedia?! And out goes the possible new-found respect my old university teachers had for me. It’s just to brush up on basic information about the country. A lot of times I use The World Factbook (from CIA) and BBC Country Profiles. If you know a little, you know where you can start asking questions. All this knowledge, the tidbits of facts my brain manage to absorb, has made me say random stuff to my hosts like: “Oh so that is 1 of the 700 churches in Nashville?” Yeah I have been so pesky. But I think it has made my hosts happy. To show that I have a genuine interest in their country and city. My studying has also generated a few random comments even before my departures. Like when my grandfather called the other day to just say hi and ask what I was doing. “Oh you know, just reading up on the life of Diego Maradona, the soccer player.” In preparation for my next trip to Argentina of course.

A bit of further advice, when you arrive, don’t overdo it. With having a little bit of knowledge you can understand the context of where you are better. But then it’s time to let go and just be. I can honestly say I usually don’t make an itinerary with tons of stuff on it. Some of my best adventures have happened when taking a wrong turn, gone off the beaten path and down a dark alley way. Second thought, make sure the alley way is well lit. I am notorious for getting lost, but having a great time doing so.

And be humble. I would never tell a host a list of things I expect to see. But I have found it that if I pick out a few things (the number depends on the amount of time you have in the place) and mention them to my hosts, that has been well received. This may ease the burden for the host to come up with places to visit. 

I know not everyone has the good fortune I have to have friends all over the world. But I think these few practical advice works if you are staying at a hotel too. And do I frequent tourist traps and visit monuments? Have I had my picture taken trying to "hold up" the Leaning Tower of Pisa? You betcha. However, my absolute favorite moments have been when I have been invited to tag along with friends - go to a house party and meet their childhood buddies, go grocery shopping at their local store and visit their mom and dad at work. I may be a weird tourist/traveler, but I get the biggest rush (well more like a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart) when I have been invited to such events. I hope I can get settled in Sweden, or at least somewhere in Europe, soon and show the same hospitality to my international friends who have opened their homes to me over the years.