Here's a situation familiar to many of us: We decide to take a vacation and go somewhere exotic. We plan the trip, and as the date gets closer, we get increasingly excited. Before we step on the plane, the possibilities seem endless. Anything could happen!
We go. We have a good time. We see what we wanted to and enjoy the break from work. Upon returning home, we share the pictures and step back into our lives. The glow fades and we settle to planning the next round of travel in our daydreams.
In the end, it's a little sad. That incredible experience becomes like a mirage or a dream — similar to watching a movie, but a lot more expensive. What if it doesn't have to be like this?
Travel without participation and reflection is entertainment. When you travel as an active participant — noticing yourself in the journey, capturing insights as you interact with new things — the experience can transform the way you think.
First, inspiration from the past…
Just over 200 years ago, Mary Wollstonecraft, a philosopher and author, was going through an emotionally difficult period. Her partner wasn't interested in being with her anymore. As a single mother in 18th-century England, she faced real financial and social challenges — and it was one of the lowest points of her life.
Wollstonecraft went to Scandinavia, partly to recover some money for her partner and try to win him back. In this she failed. But she captured her journey in Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, and in doing so, she revolutionized travel writing and healed herself.
The Letters offer remarkable insight into Wollstonecraft's lively mind. As she moves through unfamiliar surroundings, she asks herself questions and explores the ideas they bring to mind. Observing Norway's agricultural development , she asks: "And, considering the question of human happiness, where does it reside?" She learns why the locals are nervous about serving coffee and how different their fashions are. In contemplating how Norwegians organize their social hierarchy, she makes comparisons to England — and realizes that the way things are is not necessarily how they have to be.
Most importantly, she records what effect the traveling has on her: "When a warm heart has received strong impressions, they are not to be effaced. Emotions become sentiments, and the imagination renders even transient sensations permanent by fondly retracing them."
Here are some goals we can take from Wollstonecraft's approach:
1. Actively know the place you are in. Observe the customs. Interact with the locals.
2. Learn the whys behind what you observe. Explore the history. Ask questions. Try to understand the answers without previous assumptions.
3. Notice how the journey is affecting you. What new insights do you have? Are your beliefs being challenged?
4. Don't plan out every detail. Explore. The map is not the territory.
Mental models can amplify the travel experience.
We all have a tendency to generalize from small samples. Our own little world becomes, without new experiences, our frame for understanding the entire world. Travel broadens your sample set. You start to understand the universals of the human condition versus the particulars of where you live.
Travel is also a great way to counter confirmation bias. People in a different country will think differently than you. You will be exposed to new ideas and ways of approaching life that remind you of the options you have when you go back home.
When you explore other cultures, you see that there are many definitions of a good life. Not everyone wants what you want. And the physical distance from your regular life gives you the opportunity to observe yourself more clearly — to see problems back home without day-to-day pressures clouding your judgment.
Try these specific tips:
1. Keep a travel journal. Travel is full of idle moments — waiting for transportation, resting at day's end. Reflect and capture.
2. Encourage serendipity. Give yourself the chance to experience the unexpected. Over-planning reinforces your current biases.
3. Go with intention. Don't try to recreate your life at home with the same restaurants and routines.
4. Be open to growth. Embrace the additions to your identity so you have new resources to draw on.
Through staying actively engaged, travel can jolt you awake and show you the world in a different light.