travel open mind

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Traveling Opens Your Mind: Here's How

Raised in the small suburb of Schaumburg, Adriana Perez knew there was more to life than a white ...

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Mark Twain said it, your travel advisor said it, even you've told it to yourself—traveling opens your mind. But what exactly does that mean? What does that look like in your day-to-day life abroad? 

Panoramic view over the city of Barcelona seen from Parque Guell

Photo credit to Natalia Sleszynska

Yes, travel CAN broaden the mind, but it's up to the traveler to tune in, pay attention, and simultaneously practice humility and self-reflection. Here's our take on how travel broadens the mind.

What is relativism?

It is a fancy way of saying to keep an open mind and be aware that how you see the world is not how everyone else sees the world. Priorities, morals, values, every possible social aspect of a culture are unique and open to interpretation depending on who is experiencing it.

The opposite of relativism is ethnocentrism. While the word has a negative, racist connotation, it just means being unaware of the other cultures around you and not accepting the differences in how other people may see the world. Sometimes ethnocentrism is intentional, but more often than not is purely ignorance, which can be easily fixed with knowledge. 

How is this different than culture shock?

Culture shock affects some people more than others, but no matter how tolerant or learned someone is, that initial contact with a new culture is always eye opening. It is one thing to read about a culture, how it is different, and to keep an open mind. It is another thing entirely to experience firsthand a conflict of cultural norms. Many assume that the greater the difference, the greater the culture shock. This is not always the case, though, and sometimes having only subtle differences can be just as disarming because they are so subtle that they no longer appear as cultural differences; rather they come off as potential personality traits or character flaws. 

A few examples of how traveling opens your mind

In Barcelona, it is very common for a waiter to be taking your order and if he sees that you are slow in saying what you want, or hesitant and uncertain at the last minute, to walk away from you and begin to take care of another table. This is a subtle difference in cultures that happens frequently, and is very normal, but to an American traveler may come off as rude or impatient. These feelings are ethnocentric, but feel valid because the cultural difference is so subtle that it is not as obviously a cultural difference. It is important to understand and be ready for these subtle differences in culture, because someone may interpret an experience like this negatively, and let it negatively impact the rest of their day and ruin what should have been a nice evening. 

Another example of this is riding on public transportation. In many cultures it is considered rude to stare, but in Barcelona it is not taken quite as offensively. Because of this, many people commuting will be faced with looks or intense stares. Some can interpret this offensively and let it bother them the rest of the day, perhaps cause them to think there is something on their face or they had been doing something wrong, but that is not the case. It is a common occurrence, and should you be stared at, shake it off and do not take it personally. Perhaps join in on the cultural habit and stare at others as well, gauging how they respond to it. 

On top of a mountain in Cape Town, South Africa

Photo credit to Hillary Federico

It is a lot harder to experience events like this and think, “I am in a new culture, it is different from mine, and they see the world through a different lens than I do” than if the difference was more obvious. 

But just like a photographer packs many lenses for his or her camera, it is just as important for a traveler to pack some cultural lenses, and prepare themselves for seeing the world in a different way than they are used to doing.

Travel broadens the mind if you are open to it

Life and the encounters experienced are all based off of how they are interpreted and perceived. Someone walking down the street that gets pushed can either interpret it as an act of hostility or as an accident. These interpretations are what create experiences, and experiences vary internally from person to person, even if the actions that occur are the same externally. 

Traveling is a unique experience, and it is over before you know it, so it is crucial to take advantage of every moment and make everyday a positive one. Feeling upset or irritated are normal human emotions, and it’s impossible to not feel down every once in awhile, but it is good to minimize feeling these negative sensations when they can be controlled. Including a relativistic view of the world and the cultures within it can help in reducing these negative sensations, using knowledge and an open mind as a shield from potential emotional threats. 

Any experience can be a positive one if you have the right mindset. Whether you are heading to the other end of the world, or to Barcelona, it is important to note the cultural differences and be prepared for what is to come. Everyone always warns you about the big cultural differences, but the subtle cultural differences can be just as important to take note of. Some you can read about and be prepared for, but no matter what there will always be those that catch you by surprise. Remember to pack a relativistic mindset, and every experience abroad should be a learning experience for you, opening your mind in ways that you never imagined were possible.

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Does travel really open your mind?

By George Stone , TRAVEL Executive Editor The idea that travel makes you a more open-minded person is rooted more in well-meaning fiction than in fact. One of the most frequently quoted justifications for seeing the world is a snippet from Mark Twain ’s The Innocents Abroad : “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things can not be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” But if travel truly were fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, wouldn’t more of the 1.4 billion annual international tourists ( pre-pandemic ) have made the world kinder and less biased by now? ( Pictured above: Tourists buying fruit juice in Siem Reap, Cambodia. ) We asked reporter Ruth Terry to look into the science behind the empathy that travel is said to encourage. “The coronavirus pandemic and, more recently, the global Black Lives Matter protests have forced an uncomfortable reckoning—that all the travel in the world might not be enough to engender the deep cross-cultural awareness people need now,” Terry writes. “While experts conclude that travel may not inspire enough empathy to turn tourists into social justice activists, the alternative—not traveling at all—may actually be worse.” With pandemic restrictions still in place, missed opportunities to travel will have social, as well as economic, impacts. “Because travel produces encounters between strangers, it is likely to prompt empathetic-type imaginings, which simply wouldn’t be there without the proximity created by travel,” says Hazel Tucker in a 2016 study on empathy and travel. Whether seeing the world actually opens travelers’ minds and makes them more empathetic is an unsettled question, but Anu Taranath , a racial equity professor at the University of Washington Seattle and a second-generation immigrant, says that travel is a step in the right direction. “It’s an invitation to think more carefully about our good intentions and where they really need to be challenged,” she explains. Her book Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World is a super starting point. The good news, according to some researchers , is that empathy can be learned. “If we are to move in the direction of a more empathic society and a more compassionate world, it is clear that working to enhance our native capacities to empathize is critical,” writes Harvard’s Helen Riess in a 2017 study. I’m hoping we can get back to travel and to learning from the world—soon! Do you get this daily? If not, sign up here or forward this to a friend.

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Devalued passport : The exclusion of most U.S. citizens from European Union countries because of COVID-19 is just the latest blow to holders of the blue passport. A survey says the U.S. is effectively tied with Mexico in the power of its passport to open travel doors overseas. The latest survey places Japan with the strongest passport, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 191 destinations around the world. Singapore is in second place (190 countries) and South Korea ties with Germany in third place (189 nations), CNN reports . There be dragons : They’re ten feet long and weigh more than 300 pounds. They clamber in the Indonesian wilds or in zoos. Jason Bittel goes on the trail, carefully, of the carnivorous Komodo dragons, the closest thing we’ve got to the mythical beasts that haunt our dreams. “We have this phrase,” ecologist Tim Jessop tells Bittel for Nat Geo . “We consider Komodo dragons deadly, but not dangerous.” Bumping into a grizzly : A woman was running a trail at Glacier National Park when she collided on Saturday—with a young grizzly. They both went down, and the grizzly ran away, National Parks Traveler reports . The Montana woman, who was leading two other runners, was able to walk back on the trail and was treated for minor injuries to her head and an arm. Park authorities have discouraged trail running, partly because the runners could surprise the bears. Boom : A Denver-based startup says it is beginning test flights of a plane this fall that may be the first commercial supersonic carrier since the Concorde, CNN reports . The company says it hopes to begin service next year. The Concorde’s last flight was in 2003.

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Awash in castles : We’re talking about Wales, which has more castles per square mile than any other country in Europe. That includes Kidwelly Castle —featured in the opening scene of the classic comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail . Why so many castles? They first served as strongholds for tax collection and treasure, then some morphed into stately homes, writes Raphael Kadushin for Nat Geo . Pictured above: Thomas Telford ’s 1826 suspension bridge—one of the world’s first— leads into the town of Conwy, home of Conwy Castle. Related : Your best castle and palace pictures

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How to Travel with an Open Mind

It’s hard for some people, traveling to a place that resembles nothing they know from back home and not sure how to react to awkward situations. For many, it’s hard to travel with an open mind. Any traveler who has been outside the US or Canada (we are pretty much the same in culture) can attest that the world is culturally far different from us.

In Europe many people are a tad shocked from romance countries’ ease towards public displays of affection or how fundamentally liberal they are compared to the average American. Many travelers who visit China are put off by how many people spit and how there are no such things as lines. Many travelers hate the way women are treated in many African countries and the Middle East. And I’m personally discouraged with how over 70 countries feel towards gay people.

How do we Travel with an Open Mind?

For me, I know every time I leave my own comfortable borders I’m going into something I hardly understand. That’s one of the reasons why I love to travel so much. It’s also one of the reasons you should love to travel. Because the biggest hurdle from not traveling with an open mind is not opening your mind in the first place. Sounds logical and easy but really people put expectations on other cultures that are hardly ever correct. Maybe they read a book or read something somewhere on the internet. Remember that any time you read anything written by someone else, there is a biased opinion.

You may be thinking then why should I listen to you? Well that is for you to decide but I always quote:

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who says it, unless it agrees with your own reason and common sense.”

Understanding this quote more, I like to think like this no matter if I’m traveling or not. Use the power of your mind before you make quick judgments about something and then decide to agree with it or not. The point of travel is to go do it for yourself so you can make your own judgments. You may hear stories from other people but remember that is from their perspective and own bias. You don’t have to agree with them.

Reason and common sense are not enough bases for determining what the truth is. That is there for you to discover and experience on your own. So should you still read travel blogs and travel guides (I still do), but part of it is to not fully trust anything you read until you have done it for yourself. This is one of the fundamental great things about travel and why it’s so exciting!

It’s important to drop the assumptions we already have and to be aware when we are thinking of them in our head. It’s hard to drop things from our mind that are already ingrained but the more you realize you’re doing it the more you realize how crazy they can be. That’s awareness and it’s extremely important when traveling! Just because, on the surface, everything seems to be a certain way doesn’t mean it actually is. Take a moment to step back and reflect. In travel, everybody encounters a lot of frustration, lots of confusion and awkwardness but those are mentally constructed and can be broken. Over the years I’ve learned to be more calm and patient and always aware. It has worked wonders.

While on the Road

We all make snap judgments. I still do to this day but the difference for me is now I realize when I’m doing it. I can see the awareness inside of me awaken every time I make a snap judgment. I may be wrong or right but there is no need to judge something as wrong or right. Instead just leave it as it is. Be the observer, instead of some one who constantly judges everything they see.

While walking down a street in Paris or Buenos Aires or any city, take it all in as an observer who doesn’t label anything. Nothing is nice or ugly or stupid or beautiful. It just is, when you don’t label. Suddenly you begin to feel more at ease and “awaken;” more relaxed when you don’t assume anything or you don’t automatically judge something. You’re the observer now of your mind and able to control those snap judgments. Everything just is and you can enjoy it in its own right.

The food may not be great for one of your meals. There may be locals you find annoying, disgusting or not have your own morals. These are one of the many reasons many people decide to never leave the comfort of their own surroundings. Never bothering to step out and experience something that may be uncomfortable and awkward. But I argue that we need these experiences in our lives to makes our lives richer and to better understand other people who also live in this world. To better understand our own lives. Understanding customs and other ways of life before beginning to label is a step in becoming more aware. Another reason personal travel is so important.

There are plenty of instances where I’ve felt really uncomfortable and awkward but to be honest most of it was in my head. Each time I travel and experience something that isn’t too fun I look back at it as a learning experience and have grown from those moments. I feel I’ve become a better traveler because I’m able to realize I can make it through most situations. It’s true that patience and calmness will help extremely. And so I’m not intimidated to go to another third world country and try their food. Or stay in a run down hotel. It doesn’t bother me because the fact that I’m getting to have that experience already says a lot. I’m one of the lucky ones who can afford to experience new things and can partly put myself in others shoes. That is a gift and shouldn’t be taken lightly. And the pay off for visiting such places is the reward of meeting the people who live there, experience culture and seeing the beauty that this world has to offer.

Ready to Explore

People who are adventurous won’t need much advice from me. They are willing to go to some strange foreign land and experience all the cultural differences this world has to offer. Others are willing to fly to a third world country but will only eat American food while there and never fully immerse themselves in other cultures. Others would never leave the US.

It’s fine to choose whatever you want but to understand the world around you more, you need to drop the judgments and travel with an open mind. You need to open your mind for yourself and then form your own opinion. Or just don’t form any opinion and be the observer that I was talking about earlier. You may be surprised that with extensive traveling under your belt you begin to see the world differently and that your own personal viewpoint also changes. Hopefully for a more open-minded viewpoint!

images by: shawnvoyage

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Wander-Lush

Mindful Travel: 10 Easy Tips for a More Fulfilling Trip

Looking to enrich your next travel experience? Here are 10 practical tips for mindful travel that will help you to live in the moment and get the most out of your trip.

About the author: Lucile Hernandez Rodriguez is the Registered Yoga Teacher, Blogger and Mindful Business Advisor behind lucilehr.com.

Travelling is almost always a fun and exciting experience that gives you the opportunity to learn new things, discover different cultures and explore the unknown. Travel is filled with surprises – some may disappoint you, but most of the time travel can be unexpectedly wonderful.

The best way to really enjoy your chosen travel destination is to live a mindful lifestyle. You can make the most of any experience with the right attitude. Savour the moment and be in awe of your surroundings by bringing mindfulness to your travels.

If you’re not sure how to start, keep reading for my top tips on how to become a more mindful traveller.

Please note: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you make a purchase by clicking a link (at no extra cost to you). Learn more.

What is mindfulness, and what does it have to do with travel?

Mindfulness is placing a gentle awareness on the experiences of the present moment as well as what is happening inside you: your thoughts, feelings and sensations.

This means you are paying attention to what you’re hearing, seeing, feeling and everything that you do.

By being mindful, you accept all that’s happening around you without any judgment and without getting distracted by thoughts of the past or future.

In short, you can fully live in the present.

Mindfulness is often associated with meditation. Having a meditation practice can really help you to be more mindful, especially when you’re getting started. What is most important, though, is bringing the benefits of that practice into your daily routine (and into your travel routine, too).

Why pursue mindful travel?

Practicing mindfulness as you travel helps you to slow down and savour the wonderful things life has to offer. Instead of ticking off a list of countries or cities to visit, you’re more likely to take the time to stop and appreciate your stay.

As you pay attention to your surroundings, you’ll become more curious. And when you’re curious, you tend to find out more and discover more – which will then make your journey a lot more meaningful.

Travelling with an open mind also helps you get to know yourself better. Mindful travel is perfect for self-discovery as you become aware of how your thoughts, feelings and sensations are impacting your reality.

10 tips to become a more mindful traveller

Here are 10 concrete ways to practice mindfulness while travelling. These tips should help you enjoy the journey even more.

1. Let go of expectations

It’s normal for most people to build up their expectations of a destination. Often we wish to experience the same things as people on social media or TV – and when our experience is different, there tends to be dissatisfaction.

Instead of forming expectations of what a place needs to have, how it should be, what the food should taste like, or that a certain area should look like it should in pictures, learn to let go . Be prepared for what’s to come and you might just have the surprise of your life.

2. Pack light

Carting around heavy bags can be stressful in itself. To free yourself of that hassle, choose to travel light and only pack items that are essential. Getting to different places is also so much easier when you don’t have to lug around bags. And of course, less baggage means less worries . 

If you’re taking a long-haul flight, it’s still possible to travel light. All it takes is bringing travel essentials that can help reach your mindfulness and wellness goals. Click here for tips on how to pack for a long-haul flight to feel good when you arrive.

3. Meet the locals

Meeting the locals is one of the best things about travelling. There’s nothing more exciting than meeting and connecting with people from all walks of life and hearing their stories. Just by starting a simple conversation you can start to appreciate what life is like and learn more about a place’s history and culture .

One way you can do this is by visiting the local market. You’ll be hitting two birds with one stone: you get fresh produce to cook healthy meals, and you get to talk with the locals at the same time. Just connecting with people can make your trip all the more memorable.

4. Go for meditative walks

Practicing meditation is part of living a mindful lifestyle, but you don’t have to sit in silence for hours to do it. And of course, you can still meditate even if you’re on the go . Taking meditative walks is one way to do this, and there’s plenty of opportunity when you’re travelling.

Research local parks and green spaces where you can take some quiet walks. Or, start with a popular tourist attraction but approach it at a different pace. Slow it down and observe your surroundings as you explore the area.

5. Take time for mindful travel

Since mindfulness is all about paying attention, that means you need to slow yourself down and observe your sensations and surroundings. Often travellers want to cross so many things off their list that they fail to savour each moment, rushing from one landmark, city or country to the next.

Taking your time with travel lets you relax and avoid any anxiety caused by rushing . Do not put a time limit to your adventures. Instead, slow down and get a deeper feel for the place.

6. Practice zero-waste

Sustainable travel is interwoven with mindful travel. Travelling responsibly means being conscious about how your actions affect the local environment. There are several ways to become a more sustainable traveller, but one way to start is by practicing a zero-waste lifestyle.

It can be challenging to jump straight to this kind of lifestyle, but taking the first step is a great start. Make small changes in the choice of items you use everyday, especially when you’re travelling.

I have compiled a list of zero waste swaps that you can easily make to ensure your pack is more sustainable. You can read all about it here.

7. Practice gratitude

Several scientific studies have shown how gratitude can have a positive effect on your well-being. Practicing it as you travel will always make for a more mindful experience.

Remember that being able to travel is already something to be grateful for , as many people never get a chance to do the same.

Be thankful for every day that you get to have an adventure. An easy way to do this is by keeping a gratitude journal with you, either a physical notebook or a mobile app .

8. Watch what you eat

It’s easy to fall out of your healthy eating habits when travelling, considering you’ll be presented with plenty of delectable choices. But it’s important to accept that there may be changes to your diet when you’re on the move.

What matters most here is that you are open to new things. When trying out foods you’ve never had or dishes you can’t find back home, do so mindfully.

Mindful eating means taking your time when eating. Try taking smaller bites and chewing a lot slower than you normally would. This lets you savour the unique tastes on your palate and bring greater awareness to the moment.

9. Be curious

A great strategy to enrich your travels is to seek out places in your chosen destination that are less popular with tourists . Oftentimes this is the pathway to the best adventure of your life.

There’s nothing wrong with being curious when you travel, so ask questions of locals and tap into their knowledge. Learn as much as you can about the destination to enhance your mindful travel experience.

10. Get some rest & do some meditation

Jet lag is one of the more unpleasant aspects of travelling. It can shake up your routine and sleeping habits. It’s essential to ensure you get a good sleep so you can be your best when you wake up, ready to take on a new adventure.

Even if you’re in a new place, you can still establish a nighttime routine to help you relax and ease into sleep. Try incorporating meditation to help clear your mind of any troubling thoughts that might hinder sleep.

Meditating even for five minutes a day can really make you more mindful. Start with easy meditation techniques and practice everyday if you can.

As with every habit, don’t try to take on too much. It’s more important to be consistent . Practicing five minutes a day for a few months is much more powerful than doing one hour a day from time to time.

Mindful travel: Final thoughts

Mindfulness is a wonderful tool to incorporate into your travels. Focus on what’s around you and don’t worry too much about what could happen, your itinerary, or taking the perfect photos for Instagram.

Being present and aware of your surroundings allows you to enjoy the moment – and that always makes travel all the more meaningful.

Another thing to keep in mind is that mindfulness should not only be observed when travelling. If you practice being mindful on the daily, you’ll make it a habit.

And when mindfulness becomes a habit, it doesn’t matter where you go –  you will always see the benefits.

More resources & inspiration

• How to support small travel businesses , on the road & from home
• How to be a tourist in your own city , push your boundaries
• Tips for making friends on the road , a journey shared!
• 10 ways to find authentic souvenirs when you’re travelling , shop responsibly
• 12 tips for eating like a local when you’re on the road , engage through food
• How to avoid crowds when you’re travelling , without skipping the must-sees
• Tips for long-term slow travel , slow down & engage
• How to choose the best travel insurance provider , things to keep in mind
• More travel resources & booking tips , handy tips & tricks

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Why we travel

I t's 4.15 in the morning and my alarm clock has just stolen away a lovely dream. My eyes are open but my pupils are still closed, so all I see is gauzy darkness. For a brief moment, I manage to convince myself that my wakefulness is a mistake, and that I can safely go back to sleep. But then I roll over and see my zippered suitcase. I let out a sleepy groan: I'm going to the airport.

The taxi is late. There should be an adjective (a synonym of sober, only worse) to describe the state of mind that comes from waiting in the orange glare of a streetlight before drinking a cup of coffee. And then the taxi gets lost. And then I get nervous, because my flight leaves in an hour. And then we're here, and I'm hurtled into the harsh incandescence of Terminal B, running with a suitcase so I can wait in a long security line. My belt buckle sets off the metal detector, my 120ml stick of deodorant is confiscated, and my left sock has a gaping hole.

And then I get to the gate. By now you can probably guess the punchline of this very banal story: my flight has been cancelled. I will be stuck in this terminal for the next 218 minutes, my only consolation a cup of caffeine and a McGriddle sandwich. And then I will miss my connecting flight and wait, in a different city, with the same menu, for another plane. And then, 14 hours later, I'll be there.

Why do we travel? It's not the flying I mind – I will always be awed by the physics that gets a fat metal bird into the upper troposphere. The rest of the journey, however, can feel like a tedious lesson in the ills of modernity, from the pre-dawn X-ray screening to the sad airport malls peddling crappy souvenirs. It's globalisation in a nutshell, and it sucks.

And yet here we are, herded in ever greater numbers on to planes that stay the same size. Sometimes we travel because we have to. Because in this digital age there is still something important about the analogue handshake. Or eating Mum's turkey at Christmas.

But most travel isn't non-negotiable. (In 2008 only 30% of trips over 50 miles were made for business.) Instead we travel because we want to, because the annoyances of the airport are outweighed by the visceral thrill of being someplace new. Because work is stressful and our blood pressure is too high and we need a vacation. Because home is boring. Because the flights were on sale. Because New York is New York.

Travel, in other words, is a basic human desire. We're a migratory species, even if our migrations are powered by jet fuel and Chicken McNuggets. But here's my question: is this collective urge to travel – to put some distance between ourselves and everything we know – still a worthwhile compulsion? Or is it like the taste for saturated fat: one of those instincts we should have left behind in the Pleistocene epoch? Because if travel is just about fun, then I think the new security measures at airports have killed it.

THE GOOD NEWS, at least for those of you reading this while stuck on a tarmac, is that pleasure is not the only consolation of travel. In fact, several new science papers suggest that getting away – and it doesn't even matter where you're going – is an essential habit of effective thinking. It's not about a holiday, or relaxation, or sipping daiquiris on an unspoilt tropical beach: it's about the tedious act itself, putting some miles between home and wherever you happen to spend the night.

Let's begin with the most literal aspect of travel, which is that it's a verb of movement. Thanks to modern engine technology, we can now move through space at an inhuman speed. The average walker moves at 3mph, which is 200 times slower than the cruising speed of a Boeing 737. There's something inherently useful about such speedy movement, which allows us to switch our physical locations with surreal ease. For the first time in human history, we can outrun the sun and segue from one climate to another in a single day.

The reason such travels are mentally useful involves a quirk of cognition, in which problems that feel "close" – and the closeness can be physical, temporal or even emotional – get contemplated in a more concrete manner. As a result, when we think about things that are nearby, our thoughts are constricted, bound by a more limited set of associations. While this habit can be helpful – it allows us to focus on the facts at hand – it also inhibits our imagination. Consider a field of corn. When you're standing in the middle of the field, surrounded by the tall cellulose stalks and fraying husks, the air smelling faintly of fertiliser and popcorn, your mind is automatically drawn to thoughts that revolve around the primary meaning of corn, which is that it's a plant, a cereal, a staple of farming.

But now imagine that same field of corn from a different perspective. Instead of standing on a farm, you're now in the midst of a crowded city street, dense with taxis and pedestrians. (And yet, for some peculiar reason, you're still thinking about corn.) The plant will no longer just be a plant: instead, your vast neural network will pump out all sorts of associations. You'll think about glucose-fructose syrup, obesity and Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food ; ethanol made from corn stalks, popcorn at the cinema and creamy polenta simmering on a wood stove in Emilia Romagna. The noun is now a web of tangents, a loom of remote connections.

What does this have to do with travel? When we escape from the place we spend most of our time, the mind is suddenly made aware of all those errant ideas we'd suppressed. We start thinking about obscure possibilities – corn can fuel cars – that never would have occurred to us if we'd stayed back on the farm. Furthermore, this more relaxed sort of cognition comes with practical advantages, especially when we're trying to solve difficult problems.

Look, for instance, at a recent experiment led by the psychologist Lile Jia at Indiana University. He randomly divided a few dozen undergrads into two groups, both of which were asked to list as many different modes of transportation as possible. (This is known as a creative generation task.) One group of students was told that the task was developed by Indiana University students studying abroad in Greece (the distant condition), while the other group was told that the task was developed by Indiana students studying in Indiana (the near condition). At first glance, it's hard to believe that such a slight and seemingly irrelevant difference would alter the performance of the subjects. Why would it matter where the task was conceived?

Nevertheless, Jia found a striking difference between the two groups: when students were told that the task was imported from Greece, they came up with significantly more transportation possibilities. They didn't just list buses, trains and planes; they cited horses, triremes, spaceships, bicycles and even Segway scooters. Because the source of the problem was far away, the subjects felt less constrained by their local transport options; they didn't just think about getting around in Indiana – they thought about getting around all over the world and even in deep space.

In a second study, Jia found that people were much better at solving a series of insight puzzles when told that the puzzles came all the way from California and not from down the hall. These subjects considered a far wider range of alternatives, which made them more likely to solve the challenging brain teasers. There is something intellectually liberating about distance.

The problem is that most of our problems are local – people in Indiana are worried about Indiana, not the eastern Mediterranean or California. This leaves two options: 1) find a clever way to trick ourselves into believing that our nearby dilemma is actually distant, or 2) go someplace far away and then think about our troubles back home. Given the limits of self-deception – we can't even tickle ourselves properly – travel seems like the more practical possibility.

Of course it's not enough simply to get on a plane: if we want to experience the creative benefits of travel, then we have to rethink its raison d'être. Most people escape to Paris so they don't have to think about those troubles they left behind. But here's the ironic twist: our mind is most likely to solve our stubbornest problems while we are sitting in a swank Left Bank cafe. So instead of contemplating that buttery croissant, we should be mulling over those domestic riddles we just can't solve.

The larger lesson is that our thoughts are shackled by the familiar. The brain is a neural tangle of near-infinite possibility, which means that it spends a lot of time and energy choosing what not to notice. As a result, creativity is traded away for efficiency; we think in literal prose, not symbolist poetry. A bit of distance, however, helps loosen the chains of cognition, making it easier to see something new in the old; the mundane is grasped from a slightly more abstract perspective. As TS Eliot wrote in the Four Quartets : "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

But distance isn't the only psychological perk of travel. Earlier this year researchers at Insead, a business school in France, and at the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago reported that students who had lived abroad were 20% more likely to solve a computer simulation of a classic psychological task known as the Duncker candle problem than students who had never lived outside their birth country.

The Duncker problem has a simple premise: a subject is given a cardboard box containing a few drawing pins, a book of matches and a waxy candle. They are told to determine how to attach the candle to a piece of corkboard on a wall so that it can burn properly and no wax drips on to the floor. Nearly 90% of people pursue the same two strategies, even though neither strategy can succeed. They elect to pin the candle directly to the board, which would cause the candle wax to shatter. Or they say they'd melt the candle with the matches so that it sticks to the board. But the wax wouldn't hold; the candle would fall to the floor. At this point most people surrender. They assume that the puzzle is impossible, that it's a stupid experiment and a waste of time. Only a slim minority of subjects – often fewer than 25% – come up with the solution, which involves attaching the candle to the cardboard box with wax and then pinning the cardboard box to the corkboard. Unless people have an insight about the box – that it can do more than hold drawing pins – they'll waste candle after candle. They'll repeat their failures while they're waiting for a breakthrough. This is known as the bias of "functional fixedness", since we're typically terrible at coming up with new functions for old things. That's why we're so surprised to learn that an oven can be turned into a small closet or that an apple can be used as a bong.

What does this have to do with living abroad? According to the researchers, the experience of another culture endows us with a valuable open-mindedness, making it easier to realise that a single thing can have multiple meanings. Consider the act of leaving food on the plate: in China this is often seen as a compliment, a signal that the host has provided enough to eat. But in America the same act is a subtle insult, an indication that the food wasn't good enough to finish.

Such cultural contrasts mean that seasoned travellers are alive to ambiguity, more willing to realise that there are different (and equally valid) ways of interpreting the world. This in turn allows them to expand the circumference of their "cognitive inputs", as they refuse to settle for their first answers and initial guesses. After all, maybe they carry candles in drawing-pin boxes in China. Maybe there's a better way to attach a candle to a wall.

OF COURSE THIS mental flexibility doesn't come from mere distance. It's not enough to just change time zones or to schlep across the world only to eat Le Big Mac instead of a quarter pounder with cheese. Instead this increased creativity appears to be a side-effect of difference: we need to change cultures, to experience the disorienting diversity of human traditions. The same details that make foreign travel so confusing – Do I tip the waiter? Where is this train taking me? – turn out to have a lasting impact, making us more creative because we're less insular. We're reminded of all that we don't know, which is nearly everything; we're surprised by the constant stream of surprises. Even in this globalised age, slouching toward similarity, we can still marvel at all the earthly things that weren't included in the Lonely Planet guidebook and that certainly don't exist back home.

So let's not pretend that travel is always fun. We don't spend 10 hours lost in the Louvre because we like it, and the view from the top of Machu Picchu probably doesn't make up for the hassle of lost luggage. (More often than not, I need a holiday after my holiday.) We travel because we need to, because distance and difference are the secret tonic of creativity. When we get home, home is still the same. But something in our mind has been changed, and that changes everything.

• The Observer

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Your Guide to Mindful Travel

There are so many different reasons that people love traveling. Some enjoy the luxury of resorts, soaking up the sunshine in some of the world’s most beautiful locations. Others prefer budget backpacking with a little more freedom to move around. Some prefer luxury cruises, while others want to holiday while working in remote locations to help communities.

When it comes to travel, there’s no right or wrong way to do it. All of your adventures are down to personal preference, so whether you love snapping selfies in front of famous landmarks or you’d rather stroll the streets of small country towns and meet the locals, it’s totally up to you.

However, today we’re talking about the idea of mindful travel, and what it means to really immerse yourself in a destination. If you’ve been struggling to find a deeper meaning in your overseas adventures, you’ll definitely want to learn more about mindful travel.

What is mindful travel?

Mindful travel gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself more deeply in a location. We talk a lot about storytelling when it comes to mindful travel because most parts of the world have some magnificent stories to share.

When you travel mindfully, you’re less concerned about the flashy Instagram-worthy side of travel, and more focussed on learning about the local history, culture, customs, and stories of the community.

When you travel mindfully, you’re a guest of the land and the local people. You have a genuine interest in community stories, and your travel experience can also lead to significant personal growth.

Through learning and a deeper immersion into local cultures, you return home with new knowledge and a deeper appreciation of the world around you.

Deeper immersion into a destination

Often, when you touch down at a destination, it’s straight to the hotel and then off to explore the local landmarks. Time is often an issue because you might be rushing to see everything in one city before skipping to the next one.

While there’s nothing wrong with that, it doesn’t give you the opportunity to really immerse yourself in the local culture.

With mindful travel, you learn more about the history, culture, customs, and stories behind each place you visit. You talk to locals, participate in community activities, you hear stories of the past. Ultimately, your travel experiences give you a greater appreciation for the ‘real’ side of a town, city, village or country.

Appreciating the world’s diversity

When you involve yourself in more meaningful travel experiences, you don’t just help yourself. You’re also learning more about different cultures and different ways of life. Some might be considerably different from your own way of life, which is all part of the journey.

By taking the time to learn, you begin to understand not only that other countries and cities are different, but you also learn why, and the significance of those cultural differences.

Be a guest of the land

When traveling mindfully, you develop a strong understanding that you are a guest of the land you’re visiting. Rather than viewing somewhere as a holiday destination, you approach each journey with gratitude that you’re being accepted into someone else’s land and culture.

Being open to personal transformation

Mindful travel has a way of changing perspectives. The reality is, life is different all over the world, and there are so many different cultural nuances and ways of life to discover. When you travel mindfully and embrace these differences, you set the stage for a period of personal growth.

It’s easy to become sheltered in our daily lives, not really appreciating how lucky we are. Even in our travel experiences, it’s tempting to stick to sightseeing and luxurious hotels. But when you deeply experience other ways of life, you open yourself up to a life-changing journey.

To travel with storytelling

Most people can read history books, for example, to find out when and why the Eiffel Tower was built.

But there are so many incredible stories all around the globe, and often they can be found in smaller places. Destinations that might not necessarily be on everybody’s itinerary.

By learning the stories of different people’s lives , their heritage, and the history of the world’s smaller towns, you get to enjoy a more meaningful, often extremely uplifting travel experience.

Why is mindful travel so important?

As we mentioned at the start of this article, travel means something different to everybody. For those travelers who want a more enriching, more engaging travel experience, mindful travel can be a life-changer. Here’s why.

Mindful travel serves the traveler and the destination

Travel can sometimes feel selfish. Especially if you splash out on fancy resorts and treat the destination as your own personal playground. But the reality is, mindful travel helps both the traveler and the people of the chosen destination.

For the traveler

We’ve already touched on what mindful travel can do for the traveler, with some of the key points being:

• A more immersive and meaningful travel experience
• An opportunity for personal growth
• Understanding of different cultures
• More unique travel experiences 

Alongside these benefits, the traveler also gets a great feeling of satisfaction, knowing that their journey also helps the lives of people at their destination.

For the destination

Mindful travel experiences can be found anywhere, from the biggest cities to the most remote villages. It’s fair to say that most major tourist destinations don’t explicitly need your travel dollars. But for smaller cities and communities, the time and money you spend there can be equally as rewarding.

Sharing a deeper understanding of culture and history

Consider venues that may not necessarily be on the main tourist map, such as Kenya or Jordan. In the western world, many of these cultures and communities are wildly misunderstood, with most people not taking the time to learn about life in these locations.

But when you visit, and you show a genuine interest in the people and the culture, you often find they’re more than willing to share their life with you.

In fact, smaller communities around the globe are usually a lot more welcoming, because they love the chance to share their history and way of life with the rest of the world.

Money going back to local communities

When we talk about mindful travel, it’s not about donating large sums of money to local communities. The experience is a lot deeper than that.

However, one of the by-products, especially when you visit smaller communities, is the financial benefit. You don’t need to go throwing money around, but the dollars you do spend there are of great help to the people and business owners of that region.

How to access mindful travel experiences

One of the reasons that many travelers don’t get to enjoy more mindful experiences is that they are simply less publicized.

Double hammock, double feel-good sensations!

When you shop for round-the-world flights, the options are usually major tourist destinations, and the smaller regions often get left off the map. But these mindful travel experiences are out there if you know where to look.

Postcard – hotel and tour directory

Postcard is essentially a search engine for mindful travel. They have a tour and a hotel directory where visitors can find boutique hotels and travel designers who curate experiences with the local stories of their lands. Postcard offers immersive, meaningful travel experiences in many parts of the world.

From learning the story of the Cholitas in Bolivia to visiting and helping communities in Uganda , there really is something for everyone.

With so many different stories to tell around the world, Postcard taps into the hidden beauty of less-walked pathways. Best of all, it’s not just about checking out the sights.

You will get opportunities to really immerse yourself in local culture and learn all about them.

Read destination stories to be inspired

Another way to find more meaningful travel experiences is to simply do your own research.

While the above option with Postcard is a lot easier due to tours being planned for you, there’s no reason you can’t discover stories from around the world and head off in search of adventure.

Even looking for stories from other travelers who have made similar trips is a great way to get inspired for your own journeys.

Connect with the hotel or tour to learn more

Finally, once you’ve arrived at your destination, the experience you have is in your own hands. If you’re staying at a local hotel or participating in tours, lean on them for more information about the local area.

Provided you take the necessary safety precautions, you can of course explore places your own way, spending time with locals and learning more about the different stories and history of the region.

How to incorporate mindfulness into travel

Young couple enjoying the sunset

If you’ve been inspired to take a different approach with your next travel opportunity, here are a few tips for incorporating mindful travel into your journey.

Read about the local stories

They say knowledge is power, and in this case, knowledge gives you the power to explore, learn and discover things you may never have even dreamt of. There are stories everywhere you go, so if you’re planning a trip to a specific region, try to dig a little deeper.

This is much easier once you get there, of course, but by thoroughly researching a destination beforehand, you may find some interesting opportunities to immerse yourself more fully into the location.

Respect the land

Perhaps the most important thing when mindful traveling is to respect the land. Remember that you’re a guest of the land you’re visiting, and if you show the proper respect to the land and its local communities, you’ll almost certainly be welcomed with open arms to immerse yourself into their culture.

Travel with an open mind

Itineraries are great, and you should always have some key things organized, such as return flights, transfers, and accommodation. But once you arrive, it’s important to approach everything with an open mind.

Ultimately, travel is what you make it, and when you travel mindfully you have a much greater opportunity to expand your mind and your outlook on the world.

Embrace opportunities to interact with locals

As we previously mentioned, if you travel with an open mind and respect the place you’re visiting, most communities will be extremely welcoming.

Most people around the world love sharing their culture with visitors from abroad, so if you get an opportunity to interact with locals, take it.

Naturally, you need to ensure your own safety at all times, but if you feel an experience will help you learn, grow and understand more about the culture, it’s a great opportunity to take.

Read also: Surf Mindfulness

Focus on where you are, not where you’re going next

Finally, one of the key aspects of mindfulness in general is to always be present in the moment.

So, when you travel, try to maintain a strong focus on where you are right now. If you’re visiting multiple towns, cities, or countries, it’s easy to look ahead to the next adventure, but this often prevents you from fully immersing yourself in the current experience.

Take your time, and enjoy what mindful travel has to offer.

He is passionate about creating and empowering communities to bring about change in the status quo. He founded Postcard when, as a traveler, he found it difficult using conventional channels to find luxury hotels and tours that promoted responsible tourism.

He also believes responsible travel starts with building empathy and educating people about the people and places they visit and is on a mission to build the world’s largest collection of local stories about people and places.

Open-Mindedness: What Every Traveler Needs to Know

One of the most important traits a traveler can develop is open-mindedness.

But what is open-mindedness?

Open-mindedness is a willingness to search actively for evidence against your current beliefs, plans, or goals and to weigh this evidence fairly.

Open-mindedness is the ability to move beyond our more primitive instincts and to use the rational parts of our brains—the thing that most makes us human—to its full capacity.

Open-mindedness transform the world from a place filled with fear and danger into a garden overflowing with possibility and delight.

Crescent Lake, an oasis in China's Gobi Desert.

Fortunately, anyone can become more open-minded. You just have to follow a few simple steps and next thing you know you’ll be turning every moment into an opportunity to learn and grow—to go to bed wiser, happier, and healthier than you woke up.

What is Open-Mindedness?

To be open minded is to reject certainty and embrace a world of new ideas and exciting possibilities. It is to allow for the possibility that your deeply held beliefs are false or misguided.

It is to experience people and places without rushing to judgement. It is to consider changing how you live your life.

Don't you want to live life with this kind of energy and enthusiasm?

The open-minded traveler sees a world filled with opportunity. They understand that they don’t have all the answers within and so they set out on the road to discover a better self.

They learn what they can from others and bring that knowledge home with them. They take comfort in their uncertainty, as they feel no need to defend their world view to every person they encounter.

Open-mindedness is not intellectual wishywashinessy. Rather, it’s the most principled, courageous thing you can do—to search for the truth regardless of where it takes you or how uncomfortable it makes you.

Being open-minded also does not mean  you can't have judgement. You can remain both principled and skeptical, saying 'no' when you know something to be wrong.

You can be open-minded and still maintain strong life principles.

Why Open-Mindedness is So Important (Both While Traveling and in Daily Life)

1.) open-mindedness makes travel (and life) more exciting..

Whether at home or on the road, doing, seeing, and thinking the same thing every day is boring.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what closed-minded people do. In an effort to maintain their beliefs, they live in a bubble of comfort and sameness with limited exposure to alternative viewpoints or ways of doing things.

In contrast, open-minded people’s lives are much more interesting. They don’t let the possibility of changing their opinions prevent them from experiencing all that life has to offer.

Rather than rigidly following routines, open-minded people regularly seek out novelty in the form of new ideas and activities—all of which makes for more exciting travel and a more exciting life.

2.) Open-mindedness promotes personal growth.

Why do some people repeat the same mistakes again and again while others make constant progress in life? The answer is open-mindedness.

The first group digs their heels into the ground and would rather die than be wrong while the second group is wiling to learn from past mistakes.

Being open-minded allows you to weigh new ideas, even if (and especially if) you don’t instantly agree with them. And the more you’re wiling to do this, the faster you will grow.

3.) Open-mindedness leads to better relationships.

Want to have more high-quality relationships? Then become more open-minded.

Open-minded people attract more interesting people—and develop deeper connections in the long run—than their closed-minded counterparts.

Rather than automatically avoiding someone based upon a potential difference in beliefs, open-minded people go out of their way to meet eclectic and intriguing people, knowing that such individuals often have the most to teach.

And since open-minded people allow others to simply be themselves, the people they meet often will want to stick around, sharing their deepest personal beliefs while appreciating the non-judgmental vibe.

So next time you’re looking to connect with the locals while on the road or build up a network of high-quality friends at home, consider being more open-minded.

4.) Open-mindedness makes things more relaxing.

Basing your identity on a rigid set of never-questioned beliefs can be exhausting.

No matter how well you insulate yourself from the outside world, you’ll inevitably have to face someone or something that challenges your ideas—and when you do, you’ll have to fight back with all your might. After all, admitting you were wrong would be to give up part of yourself.

Open-minded people don’t have to worry about this issue. Because they admit that they don’t know it all, they don’t have to see new ideas as threats to their very existence. And as a result, their travels are more relaxing.

Open-mindedness can give you more of this on your next trip.

5.) Open-mindedness promotes self-confidence.

There’s something empowering about questioning one’s beliefs.

Giving yourself the freedom to examine your thoughts—breaking down the logic behind them and considering alternative solutions—is what creates stable, easily-defendable belief systems.

And a life based on sound, well-reasoned principles is one that naturally breeds confidence.

You worry less about the road ahead when you're open-minded and confident.

So when someone in New York confronts you for believing that it’s important to spend time with family or when someone in Mumbai questions your insistence on regular exercise, you’ll be able to easily and comfortably explain why.

6.) Open-mindedness leads to better problem solving.

No matter how experienced of a traveler you are, unexpected problems can and will occur when you’re on the road.

Fortunately, being open-minded helps you to more quickly and easily solve these issues.

Because they don’t automatically reject ideas, open-minded people can see solutions that close-minded people cannot. 

7.) Open-mindedness creates safer travel.

When you're able to correctly determine what should and shouldn't worry you, you're a much safer traveler.

The open-minded traveler is a safer traveler. They don’t rely on stereotypes or previously-conceived notions to understand their world.

Rather, they see things as they are, adapting their perspective to new information and responding accordingly.

How to Become More Open-Minded

Now that you’ve seen how beneficial open-mindedness is, you’re probably wondering how you yourself can be more open-minded.

Fortunately, there’s a number of simple (if not always easy) things you can do at home and on the road to encourage open-mindedness.

How to be More Open-Minded At Home

1.) find your motivation.

The easiest way to motivate yourself to become more open-minded is to find your motivation for doing so.

Write down a list of ways in which your life would improve if you were to be more open-minded. What would change on a daily basis? What would change in the long run (both professionally and personally)? How would your travels become more enjoyable?

2.) Start practicing

There are a number of activities you can do before your next trip to become more open-minded.

1.) Remember a time when you were wronged by someone. Wright down three plausible reasons why that person intentionally or accidentally wronged you.

2.) Find someone who, in your opinion, believes things very strongly and very differently from you, and have a dialogue. Pause a few seconds after every sentence they say, so as to ensure that you’re actually thinking about their words rather than just preparing for a rebuttal.

3.) Read a book about a topic you’ve never explored before, such as exotic cat ownership, kite sailing, or Peruvian cooking.

Learning to cook a new type of cuisine is often an mind-opening (and mouth-watering) experience.

As you do these activities again and again, your default mode of thinking will start to change. You'll begin to look for explanations rather than immediately passing judgement.

Looking for more exercises to help get you ready for your next trip? Get your FREE guide here. It's packed with interesting and inspiring activities that are guaranteed to have you prepared for the trip of a lifetime.

3.) Practice Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness mediation—the act of purposefully bringing one’s attention to the preset moment in a non-judgmental way—can greatly encourage open-mindedness.

To learn how to meditate mindfully, check out this informative article  from Mindful.org.

How to be More Open-Minded While Traveling

1.) listen more than you talk..

One of the easiest ways to be more open-minded while traveling is to listen more than you talk.

So often our impulse when having a conversation—especially with someone we disagree with—is to think about our next point rather than what our partner is saying. As a result, we fail to truly appreciate their points.

It's amazing how much you hear when you just stop and listen.

Instead of trying to “win” every conversation, make a point to learn as much as you can from whomever you’re speaking with.

Whether you’re chatting about politics with a bartender in Buenos Ares bar, discussing soccer with taxi driver in Manchester, or debating the merits of adding cola to beer with a tour guide in Berlin, you’re interacts will be more insightful and worthwhile if you make an effort to carefully listen.

2.) Avoid making snap decisions (get the facts first).

It’s tempting to make snap decisions about things while on the road. When traveling—especially to new places—it’s easy to play things safe and remain closed off to anything that makes us feel uncomfortable.

It may seem weird at first—especially if you’ve just come from Italy, where espresso is to be drank quickly—but sipping a coffee for a few hours is a surprisingly enjoyable and relaxing French custom.

However, doing so causes you to miss out on much of what’s interesting about the world.

Behind every fear is an opportunity to learn, grow, and be amazed—if only we’re willing to give things a shot.

Whether it’s a meal, an activity, or a life philosophy, take the time to learn the how, why, and what of it before you say 'no'.

3.) Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

It’s easy to assume that everyone you meet has the same information—or lack thereof—that you do. This is true both for visitors and for locals.

Next time you find yourself unsure about something, remember this gap in knowledge and ask for clarification.

Often something that made little sense without and explanation will become perfectly logical with one.

4.) Travel more.

The best way to become open-minded is simply to travel more.

Traveling opens you up to a wide-variety of ways of thinking and being. Traveling shows you that people find happiness and health in many different ways. Traveling teaches you that just because you were taught to do things one way doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best.

The world becomes both smaller and larger when you travel, as you see both the depth of our similarities and the breadth of experiences available.

Marcel Proust once said, “ The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. ”

As you’ve seen, being open-minded helps these eyes to open up.

Open-minded individual see a world filled with opportunity and excitement. They know they don’t always have the answers so they explore the world with energy in a search for a better tomorrow without fear of what they might find.

In short, they choose to live life to its fullest.

Are you interested in becoming more open-minded and bullet-proofing your mind for travel? Get your free copy of ‘ The Traveler’s Mindset ’ right now. It’s packed full of exercises based on the latest scientific research and personal experience that are guarantee to transform how you see the world while getting you ready to make the most out of your next trip.

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For a More Creative Brain, Travel

How international experiences can open the mind to new ways of thinking

There are plenty of things to be gained from going abroad: new friends, new experiences, new stories.

But living in another country may come with a less noticeable benefit, too: Some scientists say it can also make you more creative.

Writers and thinkers have long felt the creative benefits of international travel. Ernest Hemingway, for example, drew inspiration for much of his work from his time in Spain and France. Aldous Huxley, the author of Brave New World , moved from the U.K. to the U.S. in his 40s to branch out into screenwriting. Mark Twain, who sailed around the coast of the Mediterranean in 1869, wrote in his travelogue Innocents Abroad that travel is “fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

In recent years, psychologists and neuroscientists have begun examining more closely what many people have already learned anecdotally: that spending time abroad may have the potential to affect mental change. In general, creativity is related to neuroplasticity, or how the brain is wired. Neural pathways are influenced by environment and habit, meaning they’re also sensitive to change: New sounds, smells, language, tastes, sensations, and sights spark different synapses in the brain and may have the potential to revitalize the mind.

“Foreign experiences increase both cognitive flexibility and depth and integrativeness of thought, the ability to make deep connections between disparate forms,” says Adam Galinsky, a professor at Columbia Business School and the author of numerous studies on the connection between creativity and international travel. Cognitive flexibility is the mind’s ability to jump between different ideas, a key component of creativity. But it’s not just about being abroad, Galinsky says: “The key, critical process is multicultural engagement, immersion, and adaptation. Someone who lives abroad and doesn’t engage with the local culture will likely get less of a creative boost than someone who travels abroad and really engages in the local environment.” In other words, going to Cancun for a week on spring break probably won’t make a person any more creative. But going to Cancun and living with local fishermen might.

In Galinsky’s latest study , published last month in the Academy of Management Journal, he and three other researchers examined the experiences of the creative directors of 270 high-end fashion houses. Combing through 11 years’ worth of fashion lines, Galinsky and his team searched for links between the creative directors’ experience working abroad and the fashion houses’ “creative innovations,” or the degree “to which final, implemented products or services are novel and useful from the standpoint of external audiences.” The level of creativity of a given product was rated by a pool of trade journalists and independent buyers. Sure enough, the researchers found a clear correlation between time spent abroad and creative output: The brands whose creative directors had lived and worked in other countries produced more consistently creative fashion lines than those whose directors had not.

The researchers also found that the more countries the executives had lived in, the more creative the lines tended to be—but only up to a point. Those who had lived and worked in more than three countries, the study found, still tended to show higher levels of creativity that those who hadn’t worked abroad at all, but less creativity that their peers who had worked in a smaller number of foreign countries. The authors hypothesized that those who had lived in too many countries hadn’t been able to properly immerse themselves culturally; they were bouncing around too much. “It gets back to this idea of a deeper level of learning that’s necessary for these effects to occur,” Galinsky says.

Cultural distance, or how different a foreign culture is from one’s own, may also play a role: Surprisingly, Galinsky and his colleagues found that living someplace with a larger cultural distance was often associated with lower creativity than living in a more familiar culture. The reason for that, they hypothesized, was that an especially different culture might come with a bigger intimidation factor, which may discourage people from immersing themselves in it—and no immersion, they explained, could mean none of the cognitive changes associated with living in another country.

Traveling may have other brain benefits, too. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, an associate professor of education and psychology at the University of Southern California, says that cross-cultural experiences have the potential to strengthen a person’s sense of self. “What a lot of psychological research has shown now is that the ability to engage with people from different backgrounds than yourself, and the ability to get out of your own social comfort zone, is helping you to build a strong and acculturated sense of your own self,” she says. “Our ability to differentiate our own beliefs and values … is tied up in the richness of the cultural experiences that we have had.”

Cross-cultural experiences have the potential to pull people out of their cultural bubbles, and in doing so, can increase their sense of connection with people from backgrounds different than their own. “We found that when people had experiences traveling to other countries it increased what’s called generalized trust, or their general faith in humanity,” Galinsky says. “When we engage in other cultures, we start to have experience with different people and recognize that most people treat you in similar ways. That produces an increase in trust.”

This trust may play an important role in enhancing creative function. In a 2012 study out of Tel Aviv University, researchers found that people who “believe that racial groups have fixed underlying essences”—beliefs the authors termed “essentialist views”—performed significantly worse in creative tests than those who saw cultural and racial divisions as arbitrary and malleable. “This categorical mindset induces a habitual closed-mindedness that transcends the social domain and hampers creativity,” the study authors wrote. In other words, those who put people in boxes had trouble thinking outside the box.

Of course, although a new country is an easy way to leave a “social comfort zone,” the cultural engagement associated with cognitive change doesn’t have to happen abroad. If a plane ticket isn’t an option, maybe try taking the subway to a new neighborhood. Sometimes, the research suggests, all that’s needed for a creative boost is a fresh cultural scene.

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Travel with an Open Mind To Really Find Yourself

You’re entering early adult life and you seem to be facing two options: One, jump right into a career-launching job, or two, travel the world to create the life you want. As you think about the options, you realise that having a job doesn’t allow you to keep learning or align with your current values. You’re hoping that traveling will help you “find yourself” or inspire your next big idea.

There’s a way to travel and get what you want from it. However, merely visiting a new place and seeing the touristic sites won’t do the job. It’s the experiences you create or how you react to new ideas while you’re traveling that will help you find yourself. Traveling with an open mind allows you to immerse yourself in new cultures, ideas, and even lifestyles.

Travel with an Open Mind To Find Yourself

Here are a few things that happened when I traveled the world with an open mind…

A Wider Perspective

Traveling gives you a new and better outlook on the world.

Instead of seeing things from a small window, you begin to see the big picture and over-arching themes. You learn about a country’s history and culture and how that entangles with another country or even your own. You begin to understand how history influenced a country’s current social structure and values.

After going to so many countries you begin to see how much the world has in common with your home country. You might even fathom the opposite: many things you thought were universal are specific to your country.

Traveling allows you to meet other people from different walks of life and cultures. You recognise that at the end of the day we’re all humans. We all have common wants and needs and problems we face moving forward in life. When I traveled in Europe and Asia, I enjoyed discovering one thing I shared with someone from a different culture. It gave me a reason to start talking to that person and form a relationship with them.

Challenging and Setting New Limits

Traveling allows you to be completely independent and forces you to make decisions for yourself. You don’t have the usual support you’re accustomed to at home. If you run into a problem, you have to figure out a new way to solve it.

You might come to a new destination and find that it wasn’t what you expected. Perhaps, the place doesn’t have a customary amenity. You accentuate the positives of the situation and find something enjoyable you can do even if that amenity isn’t there. After living a different lifestyle, you gain a better understanding of the things that are absolutely necessary to you and those that are “luxuries”.

When I traveled to France, I stayed with a family whose internet access was restricted. I could only access the internet between 11pm-7am. At first, I didn’t know what to do with my time. I thought of the activities I enjoyed doing before technology took over. Luckily for me, the family had a bike I could borrow. Every afternoon after lunch, I would read books and bike around the French countryside. It was there that I defined myself not as a tourist but as a traveler. By the end of my stay, I didn’t feel the need to check my phone so often and became more focused on creating new experiences for myself or with other people.

Appreciate New Experiences

When you travel, go somewhere no one ever goes and do something one rarely does.

If you have an open mind, you’ll welcome the unfamiliarity enthusiastically and willingly accept the challenges that come with it. When you immerse and open yourself up to new ideas and experiences, you leave what you know behind. You become happy to listen and learn about other cultures and ideas from your own. Afterwards, you re-evaluate what it’s important to you and maybe how you want to integrate new ideas into your lifestyle.

Throughout my month and a half stay in France, I began to notice how laid-back people acted. No one was in a hurry since they were in the present moment. It made me ask myself about why I always rushed to get places. I began to appreciate the journey and obstacles to reach my final destination as a part of my overall experience.

You will not be able to re-define your values or discover new ones if you’re attached to your old ones.

You can’t understand what you value and how to create a life with them if your friends and family influence you. It might be scary to restrict contact with your family and friends, but it’s necessary to help “find yourself”.

Try to either limit your time on social media or find remote places that don’t have internet access or have regulated access. Life becomes simpler without the constant bombardments of the news and social media posts. This alone time allows you to deeply consider what you value in life, what quality of life you want, what type of people you need around you, and how to create it.

When I was trekking in the Nepali mountains, I didn’t have internet for two weeks. I was truly present and curious about the things I saw around me. The only things I had to worry about was feeding myself and hiking to the next village by the end of the day. I had more free time to make connections with the other trekkers. I also had time to journal and evaluate what I wanted. At the end of my trek, I came up with two plans. One, if I came back home and two, if I continued my travels. I was happy doing either of the two plans since they aligned with my values and could lead to the quality of life I wanted.

Create Your State of Independence

All of the ideas you read about, help create your state of independence during and even after you’re traveling.

Traveling helps you build a stronger, more confident, independent person. You know what you value in life, the lifestyle you most desire, and the quality of life you deserve. You will do anything to help grow and sustain that state of independence and eliminate the things that shrink or harm it.

Take a leap, plan your next travels, don’t look behind, and come back a changed person.

Author:  Troy has been married for 27 years to his wife Shauna. They have six active children and they love to participate in many extracurricular activities including: boating, flying, mountain biking, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, and adventure motorcycling (pretty much whatever will get them outside). Troy has a vast amount of experience in the following business sectors: medical, dental, manufacturing, retail, restaurants, construction, farming and ranching. He is a shareholder in Cook Martin Poulson a Utah Accounting Firm .

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How traveling makes you more open-minded

People who travel will probably agree: experiences abroad change your mindset... for the better. Keep reading to discover how traveling makes you more open-minded.

Jun 04, 2023

Travel has the power of make us a better person . When I think about the benefits of traveling the world as it relates to open-mindedness, I think of this 5K race I attended last November. A friend of mine, a like-minded woman from England who shares my passion for running, suggested we do a race in the country on the outskirts of town.

I agreed without hesitation: a morning doing something active and outdoors usually trumps any other plans I could muster. Plus, I had been in Ecuador for three months already and had yet to join in on any aspect of the running community. When I eagerly said yes, my friend warned me: we're probably going to be the only foreigners there.

Race day rolled around and as we got out of the car at the side of a dirt road, I could tell my friend was correct. This was quite a small race and most other runners were either from the city or this small rural community on its outskirts. We walked along the pebbly road towards the church which (unsurprisingly) marked the start line and I could see why my friend even bothered letting me know about this detail in the first place.

As we joined the crowd, many turned to stare quite obviously. The rest of the day included streams of curious questions (Where are you from? How long have you been here? Why are you in Ecuador? Do you have kids?) and more curious looks. 

Finally, when I finished in second place, I found myself on stage standing next to platters of cuy (guinea pig) while the race director shoved a microphone in my face asking to tell the crowd where I was from. I distinctly remember thinking to myself: "This country can be so weird."

At the same time, I think that these moments of being immersed in a totally different culture play a key role in allowing travelers to develop a more open mind . 

This is, without a doubt, one of the biggest benefits of traveling the world . 

People who travel will probably agree: experiences abroad change your mindset... for the better.

Here are a few examples as to how.

1. You recognize different priorities in other cultures

I hadn't been in Ecuador long before I was able to pick out notable differences between Ecuadorian culture and my own (Canadian). In seeing those key differences, you recognize that not only do people in other parts of the world do things differently, but often times they do it better . 

Regardless, when shown an alternative, people who travel at least question what they've always known and in doing so, they become open to other ways of doing things . In this way, travel is a pure form of education .

For example. I see that Ecuadorian people prioritize family time above all else. Back home in Toronto, I often see families and relationships coming second or third to things like career and financial success. Where I opt to do errands and shopping alone, Ecuadorians see those chores as extra time to bond and spend time together. I have to give it to them: that's probably the better option.

2. You become self-aware of your own impatience

" What does traveling do for a person? " and " How does travel change your life? "   are two of the most common questions I've heard regarding long-term travel . 

One of the lesser-heard answers is that you become aware of your own impatience towards others. Hopefully, the self-awareness also leads to change. I have to admit that at times, my impatient side comes out. People don't walk hastily in the streets as they do in Toronto. Cab drivers don't always know the streets by name. Processes are generally much, much slower. 

When I get annoyed by these tiny things in the moment, I have to realize that that reaction says a lot about me and the fact that I'm a product of my fast-paced, stressed out culture. I chose to leave that behind for a reason...

3. Travel forces you to try new things you may not have tried at home

Ask any travel person : spending time abroad will encourage you to get outside of your comfort zone and try things that you probably wouldn't have thought to at home .

I've tried more new types of food than I can count. Early on in my time in South America, I tried a hike along the steep, spiny ridges of a mountain range and I fell in love with the thrill that comes with hiking and running along really difficult peaks.  I go to bars I wouldn't have bothered with back home. 

Back in Canada, I would rarely bother to travel for more than a couple hours to a destination by myself. Here, an all-day bus journey alone across the country is not a big deal.

If you're yearning for some inspiration or simply wondering how to find your passion , travel might be your answer.

4. Staying in your established social circle isn't an option

I think many people get stuck in an established social circle at home and easily go years without meeting anyone new or making a great, new lifelong friend. That's a shame no matter how awesome your friends may be.  Those tight-knit friendships are great in many ways but oftentimes, when people settle into a comfortable social circle, they're not as open to meeting new people . 

That's not an option for people who travel. Learning the art of making new friends while traveling alone  is a must. My friends are all from different countries and range in age, their interests and their experiences. I've learned so much because of that. For example, I've seen wonderful people recover from broken marriages and relationships.  I've heard interesting perspectives on topics I had not given much thought to prior. I've learned about different travel styles. 

Best of all: the women who have been here longer than me have become role models for an alternative way of life that I hadn't been exposed to at home. In seeing them boldly live out there dreams, I've been inspired to do the same.

Keep reading: TOP 5 Reasons why you should volunteer abroad

5. In noticing where you're different, you learn something about your own culture

Earlier this week, I showed up to a women’s mountain running group for my first of many very vertical runs. I couldn't help but notice that the only other North American woman and I were the only two people holding steaming travel mugs filled with coffee at 7:30 a.m. 

When you stand out, even if it's just for something small like having a to-go cup of coffee, you realize something about your own culture. In that moment, I couldn't help but think about the fact that so many North Americans are reliant on that caffeine fix to kick-start their day.

That makes sense in a culture that is focused on making the most out of every single minute of the day and where morning time is your cue to hit the ground running. In a more laid-back country though, those other women didn't have that same need. They looked rested and happy and ready to hit the mountains trails... without the coffee buzz.

6. Traveling makes you better understand the plight of newcomers at home

The benefits of traveling the world  come home with you. I think when we talk about the pros of traveling, we often think about the period of time spent away from home. When we're talking about how travel makes you more open-minded , those positives apply to your return home. 

Canada is generally a very diverse and welcoming country but now that I've been spending time in countries that aren't my own and speaking a language different from my native one, I have such a better understanding of what the immigrant experience is really like. I've struggled while ordering meals, when being asked basic questions, when trying to give directions, etc. 

If I've been frustrated by those experiences, I can only sympathize with newcomers at home who maybe don't have the option of returning to their homes and who, along with language barriers, also have to adjust to a harsh climate, culture shock and high costs of living.

7. Travel gives you perspective into what relationships look like in other countries

In other parts of the world, people speak, eat, work and socialize differently. The way they interact with each other is also different. Yes, people who travel to different lands will find that their perspectives change and their minds become more open . 

One area where that's likely to happen: relationships. Visitors to a new country will observe the way people interact and socialize with each other in that country and will have their perspective challenged. In many cases, you may find yourself appreciating societal standards at home. 

For example, in a country where gender norms play a very significant role, I'm thankful that the playing field is closer to even at home. On the other hand, you also note the things that do work and can make an effort to bring those elements into your own relationships. 

Here in Ecuador, I admire how dedicated folks are to making Sundays a special time with their family. That element of showing up, setting aside work and being present with family and friends is something I will take with me.

8. Your idea of personal space will probably be redefined forever

You can forget all the ideas you have around your precious personal space because guess what? That personal bubble of yours is going to be burst . Changing ideas around personal space is a test on open-mindedness for many Europeans and North Americans. 

In places like Latin America, people won't stand for a stiff handshake as a greeting. They will hug you, touch you and kiss your face and you better get used to it. This goes for living spaces too. Where I'm thankful to finally be able to rent a space of my own, I'm not ignorant to the fact that many Ecuadorians think that's isolated, sad and awful. For them, living with both immediate and extended family is a happier setup.

Neither way is wrong. This perfectly illustrates how ideas around personal space can become redefined out of necessity while abroad. Being open-minded about that will make the process easier. 

Yes, sometimes I find the culture to be strange. But you know what? It's also pretty awesome. By living in South America, I've been able to see where the culture is different from my own. With that, I can cherry pick what I like of Ecuadorian values, leave what I don't like and challenge ideas that I blindly accepted before . 

That, in my opinion, is what it means to exercise open-mindedness and in turn, makes for a more well-rounded life. 

At that Sunday race back in November, I may have looked around and thought about the absurdness of aspects of the culture here. But there were other things I saw too: the way the neighbors cooked roasts on their front lawns and cheered on the runners; the way no one was in a rush to head home after crossing the finish line; the way strangers eagerly offered help and the way they managed to include a dance party and fireworks for the kids. 

These differences abroad count for a lot. When you're more open to them, you're more likely to realize the ways in which these locals may just have the right idea. 

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Sinead Mulhern

Sinead Mulhern is a Canadian travel and lifestyle writer who lives in Ecuador. In 2018, she quit her editorial job to pursue a career as a full-time freelance journalist. Over a year later, she spends her days running and hiking in the mountains, sampling local flavours, working on her Spanish and writing (duh!). Her work has appeared in various magazines in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. Follow her adventures at @SineadMulhern.

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Nov 15, 2022

Good day! Very interesting. Thank you for information

Apr 05, 2023

Hello, I am Mohamed from Egypt. Is there volunteer work with you?

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Best Travel Tips From 21 Years Traveling the World

Written By: The Planet D

Travel Tips

Updated On: June 7, 2023

It all started with a five-week trip to Thailand in 2000. We fell in love with travel, but we’ve had our fair share of mishaps over the years. From being airlifted from the Amazon to getting lost on Swiss Rail, we made a lot of travel mistakes. So we’ve compiled this comprehensive list of our best travel tips from the things we learned over the past 21 years of traveling the world.

We’ve done everything from cycling the continent of Africa to driving a car from England to Mongolia. By traveling both independently, with groups, on guided tours, and for business to 115 countries over the past two decades, we learned a lot.

Table of Contents

Best Travel Tips for 2022

So are you ready to make the most of your travels when we can all hit the road again? Let’s get started with these top travel tips for traveling the world in 2022!

Money Travel Tips

1. Don’t Go Into Debt

This is one of the most important tips for traveling we can give you. Don’t spend beyond your means when you decide to go traveling. You’ll regret every moment of your travels if you come back home from a trip of a lifetime only to face a mountain of debt.

If you can’t afford to travel internationally yet, do some adventures in your own backyard. When Dave and I were dreaming of traveling the world, we explored a lot of our home province of Ontario, Canada. Being in nature weekends got us out of our rut and inspired us to try new things. As you explore your backyard, home, you can save money and a plan to travel the world. For us, we put away a lot of money by doing adventures close to home and within a year we were on a trip around the world.

• Read how you can save money for travel here.

2. Always Get Travel Insurance

This is seriously one of the best travel tips we can offer. Get travel insurance before you leave home. A lot of people say, “ I only need travel insurance  if I am going off the beaten path ” but they are wrong. Accidents can happen anywhere. Dave and I were on a luxury cruise a few years ago and he slipped on a set of stairs and broke his back. If we didn’t have travel insurance, we would have been stuck paying nearly $100,000 dollars for the air ambulance and hospital bills. We can say with certainty to purchase travel insurance.

• Travel Insurance During Covid-19 What You Need to Know
• How We Choose Travel Insurance To Best Suit Our Needs
• Busting 5 Common Travel Insurance Myths
• Do I Really Need Travel Medical Insurance?

3. Hire Local Guides

One of our top travel tips is to hire a local guide. By hiring local guides, you are directly supporting the local economy. It cuts out the middle man and helps local families. Plus, hiring locals will help you save money. When you book tours overseas or online, you are paying the middle man, the tour operator, and the rent for an expensive office. When you book locally, the money is going directly into that person’s pocket. Plus, it’s a great way to make new friends and immerse in local culture. They have often invited us to their homes and given us a more meaningful travel experience.

• Read Toronto Tours by Locals – An InsiderS Guide To The City
• Organized TRavel vs Independent Travel

4. Apply for a Rewards Travel Credit Card

I know we said do not go into debt, but we still feel that credit cards are key to traveling in style and boosting your travel budget. Using a good rewards credit card will help you save money for travel. Rewards add up quickly and offer a lot of perks like free travel, free upgrades, and late checkout. Plus, a lot of travel credit cards offer huge signing bonuses that you can put towards your flight to help you travel the world. So when offering travel tips to save money, we say get a car, just make sure to pay it off.

But note – We always make sure to pay off our credit card monthly and never carry a high limit. To decide on the rewards credit card that works fo you, check out this list of all the best travel credit cards in one place.

• For more tips to travel the world check out: How to Travel Around the World – The Ultimate Travel Resource

5. Debit Card and Credit Cards

Before you travel, let your bank and credit card companies know of your travel plans. If they suddenly notice a purchase overseas, they may lock your credit cards. Plus, be sure to carry a few different cards. We’ve had our debit card blocked in Cuba, eaten at an ATM in Istanbul, and our blocked in Sudan even after informing our banks about our travel plans. In Sri Lanka, we tried 3 different bank and credit cards before we could finally get money out of the ATM. It’s good to have a few different cards from different banks on hand to be prepared for all the reasons above.

6. Cash in Small Bills

We’re Canadian, but we always have a couple of hundred US dollars in small bills for tipping when we arrive at our hotel or for the ride from the airport. Whether you are traveling in Africa, the Caribbean, South America, or Europe, US dollars work everywhere. Also, it’s good to have some cash on hand at all times in case of an emergency – USD is the most widely accepted around the world.

Travel Tips – Local Tours and Discounts

7. Take Advantage of Free Walking Tours

One of our favorite travel tips to tell people about is the free walking tours you can join around the world. Whenever we get to a new city, we join a free walking tour. It’s a great way to get your bearings around town. This is one of the best travel tips that we didn’t even know until we’d been traveling around the world for a few years. But these free walking tours are awesome! Usually, the free walking tours are better than the tours you book ahead of time online. They are led by locals and you only pay what you feel is comfortable at the end of the tour. We usually suggest $10 per person.

8. Get a City Pass

When visiting any city, we recommend getting a city pass. We use them to save money by bundling attractions . If you are spending a few days in a city and want to see all the major tourist attractions, we highly recommend getting a City Pass. It gives you access to public transit and it allows you to skip the lines at major tourist sites. Our Favourite City Pass Bundles are CityPass  for USA and Canada, and Leisure Pass for Europe.

9. Choose Tours Wisely

We made a lot of these mistakes in our early years of travel and that is why we really wanted to share this very important travel tip. When choosing tours, make sure you go with a responsible company. Ask questions and don’t be afraid to turn them down if you don’t feel comfortable.

Don’t swim with dolphins in captivity, don’t ride elephants, and don’t chase wildlife. In Chiang Mai we looked for elephant sanctuaries and everyone claimed that they were one. When we asked questions we found out that they let tourists ride elephants and they weren’t really a sanctuary at all.

If you do find yourself on a tour where your guide is being unethical or having a negative impact on the environment, wildlife or culture, speak up and tell them you are not happy. Guides often think they need to pick up the turtle or chase the dolphins to make the tourists happy or get a tip.

• Meaningful Travel Tips
• Responsible Tourism

10. Respect Local Culture

When visiting a new destination one of the best travel tips we can give is to learn about the culture and customs . Before you travel, do a bit of research to look into the way the culture dresses and what the accepted behavior is in public. You’ll feel more comfortable as you blend in and you save yourself some embarassement by doing something wrong.

• Read How to Make Your Travel Meaningful

11. Give Back

Be it through volunteering, raising money, or visiting a project. You can make a difference when traveling. It can be as simple as staying at a local family-run guest house, hiring a private local guide, or shopping locally. Our favorite travel tip is to tell people to get involved. It truly adds more meaning to your trips and makes you feel better about yourself. We once taught English for a day in Cambodia. It wasn’t planned, but a local teacher asked us if we wanted to visit their class so the kids could practice. We’ll never forget what an uplifting experience what was.

Insider Travel Tips from The Experts

12. take lots of photos of yourself.

Dave and I were always embarrassed to ask others to take photos of us. And now we have very few of us together. Ask other tourists to take photos of yourself in front of those iconic sites around the world. And make sure it is more than just a selfie! We started doing selfies and find that they all end up looking the same. Get those epic shots and start making memories. And then print some of them out. Don’t just leave them on your phone or computer, make prints to display when you get back home to remind you of those amazing travel memories.

13. Splurge Every Once in a While

Even if you are on the tightest of budgets, it’s important to splurge on the finer things in life when traveling the world. We’ve done a lot of backpacking on a very small budget, but every few weeks we take a break from cheap hotels. Sometimes when we arrive in a city after a grueling adventure, we book a luxury hotel to recharge and keep the fun, excitement and romance alive. In particular, if you are traveling in Southeast Asia, a luxury hotel can be quite cheap!

14. Step out of Your Comfort Zone

Travel is your time to do something spontaneous that you’d never dream of doing at home. Whenever we’ve stepped out of our comfort zone, new and exciting things happened in our lives too. It just takes a small step to make a great change. Travel that can inspire you to take on new hobbies and see your life through different eyes. So go for it! Read: How to Face Your Fears to get started.

15. Don’t Compete with Other Travellers

You know who they are. The travel snobs who have to brag about where they’ve been, what they’ve done, and who they did it with. Who cares? Travel is for you! Don’t let anyone pressure you into trying something you don’t want to, or making you feel bad about where you’ve been or what you’ve done. To those who try to one-up your experiences, forget about them. The great thing about traveling the world, is you don’t have to see them ever again if you don’t want to.

16. A Smile Goes a Long Way

A smile breaks the ice when you first meet people and it helps a lot in tough situations. Smiling can ease an uncomfortable moment and it breaks the tension with the people you meet along the way. When you get off off the beaten path, a smile is often the only thing you will have in common when communicating.

Even when negotiating at the market, we smile. We find we can get a better deal if we smile. We find that locals approach us more if we smile. We get better service if we smile, and we make new friends when we smile.

17. You Don’t have to Be Fluent in a Second Language

A lot of people ask us if we speak other languages. We really don’t! So don’t let the fact that you don’t speak thr language stop you from traveling the world. In today’s world with Google Translate and countless other language apps, you can get by with ease. But we do recommend learning a few keywords and phrases of the local language. If you can say “hello”, “thank you”, “how are you”, and other simple phrases, people will respect you for trying to learn their language and making the effort. A little bit goes a long way!

• Check out our favourite travel apps besides Google Translate: The Best Travel Apps That Travelers Should Download Today

18. Sunrise is Better than Sunset (Most of the Time) 

Getting out early for sunrise is a chore, I know. But most of our best photographs and memorable quiet travel moments have happened at sunrise. If there is one travel tip we can offer, it is to set the alarm and get up before dawn. When you go to an iconic view or landmark at sunset it is often overrun with tourists. But at sunrise, you usually have the place to yourself. In the morning, nobody is around. We love walking on the beach or through city streets while having it all to ourselves.

19. Make a Plan – But Don’t Over Plan

Travel costs a lot of money, so it’s good to have a plan before you fly. But don’t over plan. We usually make a plan for the first two or three nights of our travels and then play it by ear from there. We book a hotel for the first two nights which gives us time to decide if we like where we are or if we want to move on. We also make a point of joining a tour to see the top tourist attractions at our destination but after seeing the bucket list items our plans can go right out the window. Some of our most exciting travel moments have been when we got a hot tip and changed our plans.

20. Be Flexible

This brings us to, be open to changing plans. It’s good to plan your route around the world but it is also important to stay open to new possibilities. We’ve changed plans after travellers recommended we join them and fly to Borneo to  climb Mount Kinabalu . It was the best decision we ever made. Once while sitting on an island in Malaysia and met people heading to KL to see Thaipusam. We didn’t even know what Thaipusam was, but we went with them and experienced the most amazing and shocking festival on earth.

If we decided to stick to our plans and keep a rigid schedule, we never would have had those amazing moments that we have never forgotten.

21. Buy Souvenirs and Use the Post Office

We know a lot of people who say they don’t buy anything from anywhere when they travel because they don’t have space in their luggage. But we love going to local markets and buying souvenirs. We just send it home! We can still pack light and buy a lot. Plus going to post offices in other countries can be an adventure. I’ll never forget having to use the correct color of yarn when sending a package home from a post office in Malaysia. And now that we are home, we have memories. Every time I look at my drum from Bali or Digeridoo from Australia, I am reminded of my travels.

20. Don’t Be Afraid of Street Food

Don’t be afraid of eating street food. It is often the freshest and most authentic. Here’s a hot travel tip: If food is cooked over a flame, deep-fried or boiled, it is safe to eat. Just make sure the person behind the counter, doesn’t touch it with their bare hands after cooking. When looking for local food, we just walk around looking for vendors surrounded by locals. We avoid the overpriced tourist traps and instead join the regular patrons at their local hot spot.

Travel Tips for Safety

21. Follow Your Instincts

If that rickshaw or taxi ride seems so cheap that it is too good to be true, it probably is! An important travel tip to remember is to follow your gut. We have visited many local families during our travels. We’ve been invited to dinner and inside tea at many houses and almost always accept the invitations. Usually, people are wonderful and welcoming. Read more: Travel Safety Tips – How to Have a Safe Vacation

But we’ve turned down a lot of invitations too. The invitations that feel shady probably are. If we have second thoughts, we listen to that gut feeling. Whenever we have gone against our gut feelings, things have gone wrong.

22. Don’t Let Your Guard Down

When we have been scammed out of our money, experienced a dicey situation, or when we’ve been robbed, we can look back and see the mistakes we made by not following our instincts. A lot of travel mistakes happen when people let their guards down. You have to be as smart when traveling the world as you are at home. Don’t party until the wee hours of the morning and go home alone, don’t walk down dark deserted alleyways alone, and don’t get into cars with strangers.

23. Don’t Put Yourself at Risk – Be Smart

Dave and I have taken on a lot of epic adventures in our lives and more importantly, we hired professionals to help us out when we needed it. WE see a lot of people doing stupid things for the “gram” or to share on social. Don’t climb towers just to show off and don’t do adventures that your qualified to handle. We weren’t qualified to do a lot of our epic adventures independently. If we hiked the Arctic Watershed alone, we definitely would have died. But with expert guides, were learned new skills and accomplished life-changing challenges around the world in a safe and fun way.

24. Cover-Up and Wear Sunscreen

I’m not saying you have to slather yourself in sunscreen all day every day but I do suggest that you wear sunscreen. Skin cancer is a very real thing. However, I find that wearing lightweight long-sleeved clothing and a hat works really well. I cover up most of my body and then wear sunscreen on my nose, ears and neck. Trust me, your older self will thank me. Read more: Top 10 Tips for Healthy Travel

25. Vaccinations and Disease

Before leaving to travel the world, go to a travel doctor or travel clinic to learn what vaccinations you need for each specific destination. Do this at least 6 months in advance as some vaccinations require more than one shot. The doctor will also fill some travel-specific prescriptions like Malaria and antibiotics.

Mosquitoes carry many diseases like Malaria and Zika. So just like we said above about covering up, wearing breathable, long-sleeved clothing will protect you from insect bites. Insects hate light colours, so wear light coloured clothes. You can even buy insect repellent clothing to help reduce the risk of mosquito bites.

Travel tips for Packing

26. Pack Light

The best travel tip we can possibly give you is to pack light. We know what it’s like to overpack and it’s awful. We once carried dive gear through Central America and it ruined our travels. You don’t need a new outfit for every day of the week. You aren’t going to see the same people all the time and nobody is going to notice if you have the same T-shirt on as the other day. Pack lightweight clothing that is easy to wash.

• Check out our packing traveler tips:  the Ultimate Packing List

27. Choose the Right Backpack

So when packing for your travels around the world, buy a backpack that is easy to lug around. Don’t make the mistake we made up buying the biggest and best. If you choose a smaller backpack, you won’t be able to carry more than you need. Trust me, if you have the space, you will fill it. Read: Ultimate Pre-Travel Checklist

28. Carryon Care Package for the Plane

If you have to check a bag, it is important to have important items with you in case your luggage is lost. We check our bags because we carry computers and cameras in our carryon and don’t have a lot of space for clothing. But we do put in essentials for flying and to last a couple of days if we need it. We pack a change of clothes and underwear, plus carryon size toiletries and personal items. Our airplane care package includes

• Noise-canceling earbuds (Deb) headphones (Dave) – personal preference
• Eye mask and ear plugs
• Gravol, Advil Cold and Sinus (I get stuffy on the plane)
• Tiger balm – to mask bad odors, but not too overpowering for others around us
• Shawl or sweater
• Read: Air Travel Made Easy

29. Always Pack a Sarong

Make sure to always pack a sarong I never leave on my travels without one . A sarong can be used as a headscarf in the Middle East and used it to cover up when entering temples in Asia. It works as a beach blanket, a towel when snorkeling, and a sunshade on a boat ride and to keep warm on an overly air-conditioned bus ride or flight. I’ve even dressed up an outfit for dinner by wrapping a decorative sarong around my waist.

• Check out the many uses of the Simple Sarong

30. Pack a Water Bottle and a SteriPen

Save the world don’t buy bottled water! We have really cut down on buying bottled water over the years and instead carry a water bottle that we refill daily. When going to places where water isn’t potable, we use our SteriPen to purify it. We purify water anywhere in the world – we’ve even used it in the rivers of Kazakhstan! It purifies water using ultraviolet light in 30 seconds and it’s lightweight too! We also prefer to pack a collapsible water bottle for optimal space.

31. Carry Portable Chargers

Always pack a portable charger. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve been in the middle of a great day and our batteries went dead. There is no excuse anymore. Most of our Sony products charge by USB and our portable charger has 4 USB charges in it. Now we never miss a shot! The VPower 23000mAH power charger is a good choice.

• Check out more The Best Travel Gear – Unique Ideas for Smart Packing

32. Do an Idiot Check

Dave and I used the term “idiot check” whenever we leave our hotel room or restaurant. Even if we think we have everything packed up, we usually find something we left behind. That’s why before leaving a hotel, we always do a final sweep. And we call that an idiot check. We check the beds, outlets, under chairs, and behind doors.

33. Always Make the Bed

This may seem like a weird travel tip, especially under the subheading “packing tips” But before leaving a hotel, I always make the bed. It sounds ridiculous, but I cannot tell you how many items I have found in the covers. I never would have noticed had I not made the bed. It is amazing how many things slip under the sheets when we unpack in our hotel room. So before I leave any hotel room, I make the bed.

Travel Tips for Couples and Groups

34. a fight doesn’t mean the end of your relationship (or friendship).

Traveling with your best friend or the one you love can be a very intense experience. You are stuck with each other 24 hours a day. Emotions run high and you are definitely not in your usual comfortable environment. This situation causes stress on people. Dave and I have had some doozy arguments. I’m talking yelling matches with each other. But we understand that sometimes you just have to let off a little steam. Don’t be too proud to apologize and don’t hold a grudge. Arguments happen, but it doesn’ have to ruin a friendship.

35. Don’t Get Hangry

Some of our biggest arguments happen while trying to find a place to eat when we are “HANGRy”. (angry + hungry). We have talked to so many people who have travelled the world who agree, that Hanger is usually their biggest cause of fights. Start planning for lunch or dinner before you are hungry. Or carry some snacks with your for your day out sightseeing so you don’t get to the point of being Hangry.

36. Tell your Companion How Much You Appreciate Them

Travel can be all-consuming. It’s easy to forget about the person you are traveling with and become self-absorbed. Be it your spouse or friend, it’s important to let them know how much they mean to you. You chose to travel with them because you love them or enjoy their company. We never take that for granted and let each other know how much we appreciate their support. Even the little things.

37. Compromise

As a travel couple, this is our number one travel tip. Travel can’t be about one person dictating where to go and what to do. Dave and I like spending time together but we don’t necessarily like the same things. But we do compromise. We give a little, and we each try things that the other person likes. And you know what? We often find out that we like it! Everyone is different, so we try to respect each other’s opinions and boundaries. If you are a morning person and the person you are traveling isn’t, give them their space until they are ready to chat. Don’t expect everyone to conform to the way ou live your life.

Budget Travel Tips

38. skip hotels if on a budget.

We found the best way to save money was to rent an apartment with a kitchen. Even if it is a bit more money than a hotel, we save so much on food. Eating out is one of the biggest expenses of travel. So if you can eat a few meals at home, it’s worth it. What we like about staying in apartments as opposed to hotels is that we can cook at home and save on eating out. VRBO  is an excellent way to save on accommodation. It’s an alternative to hotels allowing you to save money and to experience your travels like a local. Trip Advisor  and  Booking.com  now offer apartment rental choices.

39. Don’t Eat Out Every Meal

When traveling, meals can add up quickly, so if you can eat breakfast and cook a few gourmet dinners in your apartment rental, you can save a lot of money. It’s also a lot of fun shopping at the local markets. We often have breakfast in our flat and then have a picnic for lunch. We then make a huge and cheap meal in our kitchen, complete with wine and appetizers. We can then go out at night for snacks and cocktails in a local restaurant or bar without breaking the bank.

• Check out  VRBO  for accommodation

40. Try the Local Food

Trying the local food is one of the greatest travel experiences when in a foreign country. We love eating with our hands in India and Morocco. We love spooning our food in Thailand and picking up rice with chopsticks in Asia. Plus when you eat local, you save money. Restaurant hotels and eateries in tourist zones are more expensive. When you go to a local eatery, you’ll save a lot of money on a more authentic meal.

Some of our best experiences have been trying local food like a Sichuan Hot Pot in China that made our tongues go numb, or a three-hour meal in Japan serving 20 courses of beautifully designed dishes. Look for places filled with locals and head inside. Don’t be afraid to ask for help for what is good on the menu.

41. Get off the Beaten Path

It is amazing to see the top sites like the Eiffel Tower of Paris or the Taj Mahal of India, but some of the most memorable experiences we’ve ever had are when we are in remote destinations. Plus when you travel off the beaten path, it is less expensive.

When you go away from the tourist traps, you not only leave the crowds behind, you also leave the tourist prices behind. Going to places like Kyrgystan or Mongolia is much cheaper than a popular tourist destination because they haven’t inflated their prices yet!

42. Feel Free to Wander

Make it a priority to immerse in the local culture. Don’t take a tour that simply drives through a neighborhood and keeps you behind the glass as you gawk at the people on the street. Get outside, go for a walk and get lost in the markets. Talk to people and ask them about their lives. We’ve made lasting friendships this way. 

The best travel tip I can give you is if you are visiting popular tourist destinations, let yourself wander and get lost in the back streets of Venice or wander through the streets of Paris at night. Even the most popular tourist destinations have quiet places to visit. But don’t get lost to the point of putting yourself in danger.

Airport Travel Tips

43. Get a Priority Pass

Most Travel Rewards Credit Cards come with lounge access at your home airport, but they don’t cover other airports. Priority Pass has been a savior for us. With Priority Pass, we have access to more than 600 lounges around the world and it makes flying so much more fun. Lounges have free food and drinks, free wifi and quiet places to relax. We can sleep during layovers and have a shower after a long flight. Sign up for Priority Pass here.

We use American Express Platinum and Priority Pass Comes with it, but if you don’t have a credit card with Priority Pass, you can also purchase it separately. Check out Priority Pass for details.

43. Get a Credit Card that Lets you Skip the Security Line

In our home airport of Toronto Pearson, anyone with a specific American Express Card can skip the security lines and go into priority boarding. Look into your local airport and see what they offer. We have been in airports around the world and see that certain cards like Visa, En Route or American Express get priority security access.

44. Look for Business travelers at the security line

When lining up at security, never get behind families, they are always slow. Instead, go to the line filled with business travelers. Even if it’s a bit longer, it will move faster because everyone knows what they are doing and get through quickly.

45. Pack Liquids in clear ziplock bags

Keep everything simple while in line and have all your liquids prepacked and easy to access in a ziplock bag. I put it at the top of my carryon and pull out my computer, and bag of liquids in one swoop. If you can start your travel off on the right foot, it sets the tone for a relaxing and fun vacation

46. How to Book Cheap Flights

There are many travel websites for booking flights and accommodation. We like Skyscanner for finding the best deals on cheap flights. It offers price comparison and you can maximize searches by having flexible flying dates. 

If you search a few days before and after your preferred flying dates, you may save hundreds of dollars. Having flexible dates is a great way to save money on flights.

• Read more tips on saving money on flights here: 10 Best Travel Hacks for Flying

For day tours and city tours we use  Get Your Guide  or  Viator . These companies offer affordable day tours and city guides around the world that can be easily canceled with 24 hours notice. They can also be booked last minute.

Final Thoughts – More of the Best Travel Tips

47. Put Down the Cell Phone

It may seem easy, but this is one of those travel tips that people need to be reminded of. A photo is nice to have, but it’s how you feel in the moment that you will remember forever. Today’s world is noisy. Travel gives you the opportunity to block out the noise, so put down your smartphone and be present instead. When Dave and I look back on the past 20 years, we don’t remember how many likes a photo got on Instagram or how many views on TikTok, we remember the experiences we had.

48. Have an Open Mind

Many people have preconceived notions about a place before they go. Especially when traveling internationally. The beauty of travel is that you learn and understand different cultures and religions. People are often the same as you and me. They laugh, they cry, they care about their families. You’ll find that you have more in common with people around the world than you thought.

49. Back up your Photos

We’ve seen more than one person lose all their photos on a trip by never downloading them onto a hard drive or into the cloud. One mistake, and all your memories are erased. Back photos up even while you are still traveling. Don’t just keep using the same memory card, YOu are taking a huge chance. You can  carry a portable hard drive , upload them to the cloud, or other online storage, put them on your computer or store them on  Smugmug .

50. Relax – Things Will Go Wrong

And finally, relax and take a breath. Things will inevitably go wrong but we’ve seen way too many people fly off the handle. We have seen people complain while on tours, argue at check-in, and grumble over meals for absolutely no reason. Instead, be in the moment and take it all in.

Travel can be frustrating and overwhelming, but we’ve learned (over time) to take a breath and step back for a moment.

51. Remember Travel is a Privilege

Travel is a privilege and oftentimes the people we end up complaining to or shouting at have very little authority. They also usually have very little at home. You are lucky to be able to travel. Not everyone in the world is so lucky. The people serving you on your travels are working hard to get by and feed their families. As they are being yelled at they are probably wondering, “Why on earth are we so upset about something so small?” As travelers, we are the lucky ones and the more we remember that, the easier our travels become.

And that ladies and gentlemen, is a list of our best travel tips from 21 years on the road. Nobody is perfect at traveling and the only way to get better is to keep doing it. After 21 years, we’re still learning new tricks!

We’d love to hear your words of wisdom too. Do you have some good tips on travel to share? Tell us below.

Read more Travel Tips

• How to Travel the World – The Ultimate Travel Resource
• 21 Ways to Get Paid to Travel
• 10 Proven Tips – How to Bargain While Traveling
• Thailand Travel Tips – Things to Know Before You Go
• Travel Resources

There are some affiliate programs in the post above, but these are all products we highly recommend. We make a commission should you click on any of the affiliate links at no extra cost to you.

Travel Planning Resources

Looking to book your next trip? Why not use these resources that are tried and tested by yours truly.

Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner

Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with these two providers. If you are located in Europe use Booking.com and if you are anywhere else use TripAdvisor

Find Apartment Rentals: You will find the cheapest prices on apartment rentals with VRBO . 

Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. Here is what we recommend:

• Allianz - Occasional Travelers.
• Medjet - Global air medical transport and travel security.

Need more help planning your trip? Make sure to check out our Resources Page where we highlight all the great companies that we trust when we are traveling.

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About The Planet D

Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil are the owners and founders of The Planet D. After traveling to 115 countries, on all 7 continents over the past 13 years they have become one of the foremost experts in travel. Being recognized as top travel bloggers and influencers by the likes of Forbes Magazine , the Society of American Travel Writers and USA Today has allowed them to become leaders in their field.

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180 thoughts on “Best Travel Tips From 21 Years Traveling the World”

Amazing travel advice from The Planet D’s 21 years of world travel! Lessons learned: Avoid debt, purchase travel insurance, work with local tour guides, and carry modest bills.

Thank you soo much for sharing such a wonderful article on travel tips and tricks.

Agree with everything, except your assertion that US dollars are fine everywhere. Not in the UK. Croatia was also a problem. They wouldn’t accept Euros or USD in 2019, although they’re now (2023) a Eurozone country. Norway wasn’t too keen on them this year (2023).

In general, for touristy activities they’re a maybe – tour guides (etc) collect enough for it to be worth their while to exchange them. Everyday places, shops, bars, restaurants? Not so much in many G20 countries I’ve visited.

Very helpful, thanks for the tips

Those are some helpful tips.

Fabulous information! Fabulous site!

Safe travels everyone! Keep up the fantastic BLOG D&D!

Great resource for travel tips! I especially love the emphasis on being prepared and planning ahead for a smooth trip. Thanks for sharing this informative post.

Awesome post! Thanks for sharing such a great stuff with full of knowledge and keep up the good work.

“Remember Travel Is A Privilege. You are definitely correct. I’ve been traveling with hesitation because of these tips I would love to travel more. Thank you!

I’m a freelance photographer and I do travel a lot to different countries..exploring new adventures, people and places is always fun. That is really nice content. Keep updating 🙂

Your article is very helpful. Thank you for sharing your travel tips.

Tips for any traveler that are really thorough. In my travels, Thanks for sharing.

You are such a natural storyteller. I just love your writing.

Why I Travel Alone!

Some people shy away from traveling alone, a few embrace it. This article looks at the decided advantages of going it alone. First, traveling solo is the ultimate freedom. The itinerary you set and all the decisions you make are your creations without concern or acquiescence to any other person or group. In other words, no compromises. No arguments, no second-guessing! Traveling alone is a confidence builder as well. When I was young, at the tender age of 16 I traveled alone to work in Biddeford-Saco, Maine. I was over a hundred miles from home and family for the first time in my life. I was just a snipe of a boy and yet I was never terrified. Only a bit lonely. In retrospect, I realize the great value of that small journey (though a big one at the time) for a new found confidence was born in me. This always happens with travel by oneself. You learn you can solve problems, get over the blues, and find hidden treasures all by yourself. Have you noticed that when you’re on your own as a Traveling Pauper, people are more willing to start a conversation with you? You may feel like taking the initiative as well. Up pops an invitation for a meal, a side trip, a stay at someone’s home. For some odd reason people keep a slight distance from couples and groups for they seem so self-contained in their association. Whereas the single Pauper looks ready about for a fellow human being that he might engage at any moment in pleasant conversation and simple exhanges about his travels. Thomas Jefferson once said: “One travels more usefully when alone because he reflects more.” It’s true: you have abundant time for contemplating, even vegetating, or anything you want. A day long visit to one museum? No problem. You don’t have to deal with someone else’s mood swings, —nor they with yours. Here are two more exciting reasons that solo travel appeals to me: I find you learn language faster when you don’t have someone else talking to you in your own all the time. It’s funny, but we interact, are FORCED to interact much more frequently when we travel alone in a country that doesn’t speak our native tongue. And finally, romance. I won’t get into specifics, (this is such a tender and private sort of thing) but when you’re on your own you’re free to meet someone who might turn out to be very important in your life. The most important factor to consider in your decision to make a trip alone is your own sense of independence. If you find that you have little tolerance for the idiosyncracies of others (and I confess this is my problem) you might be happier traveling alone. But what if you have an eager spouse, relative, or friend that would feel somehow diminisehd by your decision to take off by yourself? Not to sound indelicate but, that my friend, is your problem. You’ll simply have to open up these relationships in your life and solidly communicate the value of traveling alone. I pray your loved ones will be open and understanding enough to allow your wish to become reality. I have a whole section in my book: ‘Travel Cheap Travel Well!”- Confessions Of A Traveling Pauper on this issue of solo travel, as well as the many vagaries and benefits of traveling with a partner or a group. But in this article, I hope I’ve at least opened the door, shown you the great benefits of leaving everyone behind as you discover the world INSIDE and outside of yourself. Why not plan such a trip this year? Tell everyone of your decision or keep it to yourself and, with no explanation given, leave with great joy in your heart for the adventure to come. It’s your choice! As for this Pauper, I’ve done both and found each a liberating experience each time. In such action I’ve rediscovered that little boy that traipsed off to far away Maine on his own without permission asked or granted. I rebel still at conformity and the restriction of others upon me. So, I challenge you to answer your own inner traveling pauper, to pick up your courage and let your heart lead the way to a new adventure and landscape. Be it near or far—go it alone!

It’s impressively written about travel tips. and a nice picture collection, Thanks for the post it is helpful.

Such an impressive article! Thanks for sharing your 21 years of traveling experiences.

absolutely amazing, thanks for sharing this.

Wonderful travel tips, very practical and helpful to the travelers!

OMG!! I am starting a life as a freelance-globe-trotter and this article is a jewel! Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

An amazing post with great tips as always. Anyone will find your post useful. Keep up the good work.

Such a nice travel tips, Its very informative and practical. Thanks for sharing!

This article is probably the best travel advice I’ve ever read. You have mentioned all the necessary things comprehensively. This is so impressive. Keep it up, and thank you so much for sharing this informative article with us.

As have not travel yet, but ultimately is planning. The tips posted here is very informative. It help to no experience traveler to have an insight of what is to experience and the preparation as well as expectation in the travel world. To the contributor, continue the wisdom of writing and sharing your experiences in traveling. This is a legacy you can share with all us for us to make ourself be ready and prepare the journey.

Maraming Salamat means thank you very much from the philippines. .

wow nice site, and u guys been to 115 countries.. wow!! wish i had such an opportunity. anyways best of luck guys

Being new to travelling I found each and every tip to be very useful and, these guys shared some of the most genuine and helpful tips that should be kept in mind before planning any trip. Kudos, for the nice work guys.

Probably the best travel tips I’ve read since! Keep it up!

Impressive travel tips! Taken down notes from this article. Thanks!

Carrying a portable charger is such a goodie! The amount of times a portable charger has saved me at busy airports with no free charging ports is worth every penny. Great article

Hello, Thanks for providing such nice tips for traveling. I love traveling in hilly areas. Mostly, there can be unexpected situations during travel, so, these tips are very useful and I endorse them. Everyone who is planning to travel should read these tips. Thanks again 🙂

I love Travel all over the world. I find your blog is very resourceful for me. Thanks!

Congrats Dave and Debra! Lucky you guys got an opportunity to travel to 115 Countries. Wow! that’s amazing I am feeling so jealous of you guys. This is my dream and I am just waiting for that time to come when I can do the same as you guys are doing 🙂 I really loved and enjoyed going through your article. Thanks for the great article with your audience

this is the site I was looking for. It helps me to find the best travel tips. For a beginner who wants to travel but don’t have the knowledge, for them this is the best site ever.

Hey! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the great work!

Useful travel tips. Really great to know that you have more then 4/5 years traveling experience. I learned so much from your article. Thanks for sharing 🙂

I want to visit the whole world with friends…and want to do lot of adventure activities there. Thanks for your tips it’s motivate me .

The best tip that I could relate to was that if it doesn’t feel okay it isn’t. Gut instinct plays a very important role especially when you are traveling solo. I personally have experienced it when I tried to give somebody the benefit of the doubt and it didn’t work out well. The first instinct is always always right. The other thing I’m learning is to not do an activity too many in a very short span of time. Because of this fear of missing out, I tend to go from one thing to another with such accuracy that it scares me sometimes. But then it also feels good to have seen many things. Still fighting that urge and learning to just relax in a place.

I find it so interesting that you guys have been able to travel the world for over 20 years now. Some of these tips are useful and my boyfriend and I will be using them.

We are set to start traveling full-time June 5th.

Amazing tips !! I love traveling and I travel thrice a year. This blog post is really helpful for travelers like me. Traveling is the best way to explore yourself. I have added this post to my bookmark list as it is quite impressive. Thank you for sharing such an incredible & informative post.

Hi, Dave and Deb when I am thinking about traveling the world relented tips at the 1st I was thing about your blog. This blog is so informative and helpful for us. Once again thanks for the great tips.

What a great list and tips! Thanks a lot! You guys are definitely a big inspiration for us! Will make sure to re-read this article again and again!

Really comprehensive tips for any traveler. I’ve made use of some of them in my travels too. Thanks!

Hey Dave, it’s really nice travel tips, thanks for sharing.

Love how it was simple to understand, and comprehend I was looking for travelling options I found this website that offers great services, maybe you can see them and tell me what’s the best option.

Great tips! I absolutely enjoyed reading! Thanks for the article

this is real tips from the expert. different from other travelers.

thank you for sharing the tip and i gain a lot info from this anticle

Such a comprehensive list of tips. Great work. Love your article.

Some remarkable photos. Incredible colours.

Thank you for all the wonderful information, this may be the most information for us novice travel bloggers that I’ve come across to in one place!

Very good blog! Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you propose starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m totally overwhelmed .. Any recommendations? Thanks!

‘Do An Idiot Check’ this is the most useful tips for any traveler. Even a single minor thing has a huge importance while you travel in wild. I always prepare the list of things I need to pack and mark them while I put them in bag.

Wow, Great tips on travel. It helps every traveler on planning their trips.

Thanks. This is kind of article which I was expecting from a travel website. Backup your photo should be top on the list 🙂 🙂

Aw, this was an incredibly nice post. Taking the time and actual effort to make a top notch article… but what can I say… I hesitate a lot and never manage to get anything done.

Thanks for sharing these amazing tips. This is very useful for planning a trip.

I want to become a travel blogger but how could i earn money in it

Nice Information, I really love to travel. I want to start my career as a travel blogger

Wonderful Article tips… Really helpful for traveler like us.. keep coming.. 🙂

I love traveling especially with my family and I would like to say thank you for giving such a piece of incredible information.

It really nice to me to get experience before to start the trip. Thank you very much! Have a nice day!

Dave, Deb this is amazing. Backing up photos is crucial!

I am a big fan of traveling. Trekking, hiking, and reading books about traveling really give me a great time. I am especially interested in cultures and customs of ethnic minority groups in China.

I love taking photos while embarking on adventurous journeys so this is why you should backup your photos. I used to be backpacker and explorer of the world and loosing precious pictures before writing a blog about where you have been was very bad. Its like you have never been there.

Now i currently work as a Travel Adviser.

Keep up with the good work!

Dave and Deb, my girlfriend and i we love your life style. You guys really inspire us. Thanks to you we have been traveling asia for 6 months. To be honest i was thinking its really bad idea to travel with your GF but after all experiences, this is the best way for traveling. Thanks for the whole site and this valuable tips.

All these tips are great, but I truly appreciate the perspective blog thanks for share this post…….

A brilliant list of very useful travel tips, thank you for sharing guys they’ll definitely come in handy!

Wow thanks for the share. All of the tips derive to make it about the trip, don’t get destructed or even lose focus, just enjoy any time.However, if you really need to enjoy your trip, to me ensure you prepare right and ensure there’s nothing left behind such that you don’t get disorganized.

Nice tips when we travelling !

Thanks for writing such a useful list!

I love love love this! I have been traveling for 4 years and am now trying to turn travel into a business. I fully agree that people need first to enjoy traveling for the experience versus trying to become the next influencer. Your first bullet point about putting down your phone is spot on. I have lost my phone twice while traveling, and I appreciate these times. Instead of being reliant on Google Maps I have to walk up to strangers and ask for directions. Instead of being busy trying to take a photo, I’m fully living in the moment. I also love your point about smiling! Good vibes and energy go a long way.

Great post, keep up the good work.

Hi There! Appreciate it. Thank you for sharing fabulous information which seems to be to incredible post.

Great tips! I especially like tips 5 and 6. We often do the mistake of travel insurance and a local guide is very important while traveling a new country. I hope all traveler like us should follow these amazing tips while traveling a new country.

You are one of the best travel blogger I’ve ever seen your writing style is too good thanks for the sharing.

I look forward to being in Florida and Santa Barbara, California in the near future when I start traveling again. The “side hustle millionaire” mindset has me so focused right now that I can’t do any traveling for the moment. One thing I do love about traveling to different places is expanding my mind and seeing the beauty of unfamiliar environments. 🙂

I love travelling and I make 2 family overseas trips a year. I thank you for giving incredible advise on every single details of travelling. Despite my own travel experience I have learned so much from your article. The most useful is first one (to make travelling top priority ) . I have 2 kids, and my next trip will be very much different with your great tips.

Thanks for your tips, I just love your story about how down to earth you are.

Thank you for sharing your experiences, my point of view leaving our comfort zone can bring us an amazing trip without a doubt.

These are really awesome and pics are also helpful for me. Even there are many things which are missed by me and other i think. Many tips are helpful for me and honestly I like your ways.

Thanks & Regards Ritika Kumari

This is all such great advice — thanks for sharing! My partner and I have been traveling full time for the past couple years, and we’ve found ourselves falling into these mistakes every now and again. We always take the time to reflect on each trip to pick out ways we can make our experience better (and the experience of people around us). You’re right about traveling with someone requiring compromise, and your advice to just relax every now and then couldn’t be better! Always being “on” can so easily prevent you from truly experiencing something. Thanks for this great post!

All your tips are great! I would add to the “battery discharging” tips – Buy a solar power bank charger. It recharges itself by daylight. I found it VERY helpful on several occasions. Thanks for sharing with us.

Article with sensational travel tips. That’s why I follow your blog and recommend it to several friends, congratulations.

Cheers, Dave and Deb. You got really lucky in traveling for years. I really like your tips as I love traveling and exploring new destinations. I am aiming to travel a lot more and share also my experience in my blog. Take care the both of you.

Helpful travel tips. Really excellent to know that you have more then 16 years traveling experience. I learned so much from your article. Thanks for sharing 🙂

At this time it looks like BlogEngine is the best blogging platform available right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using on your blog?

We use WordPress.

Great travel tips. Good job! This is worth to read. Thanks!

Amzing tips it’s use for us…. thanks for this post

This is my first time visit at here and i am in fact happy to read everthing at single place.

I love traveling with my friends and while traveling I always take care of health and take an travel insurance policy with me so that if in future something could happen with me there is no loss to my saving as treatment expenses are lot as they will lose your all savings too.

Hmm it seems like your site ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I wrote and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any points for newbie blog writers? I’d genuinely appreciate it.

Many thanks to you! A very great article and so much to learn from these travel tips. Thanks, once again.

These tips are accurately significant to enjoy the travel trip. I’ll take note of this. Thanks!

Great post! I’ve learned a lot from you sharing this information with us.

It’s such a timely article. I’m planning to have my very first travel and this helped me a lot.

I love to travel alone and my family always worries about me and in order not to make them worry in every time I travel to somewhere I let them know and track me using a GPS Tracking device so that they will know that I’m always safe.

Congratulations on the super simple tips that are most useful.

Great post. Thanks for the awesome inspiration!

Thanx for this post, May be soon me and my friends planning for this trip.

If this is your first time Traveling abroad, Look up the monetary conversion before you go, pack your bag, Bring a charger, Check-in with your doctor and many more things you need to take care before going on travel.

Awesome article. This post is really helpful. Thanks for sharing these travel tips.

I am going on vacation next month and after reading your tips, I have got information a lot, Thank You

Such a great blog about travel, i learned a lot from this is very helpful!

Wonderful and interesting resource. Thank you so much for all your effort on this blog. I really appreciate it. While searching on travel I found your site.

Congratulation for both of you for bring succesful traveler blogger and having chance to see the world.

nice article

All these tips are great, but I truly appreciate the perspective about Sunrise is better than Sunset. I know I am probably in the minority here, but the freshness of morning is a rebirth for me. And a dazzling sunrise does more for lifting my spirits than almost anything else. Whatever problems I had yesterday, now, with this new sunrise, I have a chance at a fresh start. (Don’t get me wrong…I love a romantic sunset too!)

Very useful information for travellers 🙂

I am a frequent traveler and hence after trying and testing various hacks to make my travel easier, I have consolidated a list of travel tips that have always come handy!

What a fantastic experience! 4 years traveling with family. Congratulations on sharing this story with everyone! I loved the site. Thank you

The first tip is a great tip and invaluable not just for traveling but for life in general. We spend more time on devices than enjoying and making memories. Well made post!

Thank youposting the useful information about 27 Best Travel Tips after 7 Years Traveling the World, happy bogging.

If we spent some time on internet before traveling then we could save our time and money while traveling. for example, if we know the right place to say then it might save money and if we know some airline tips which can save both our time and money. These tips can help a lot while traveling. Few good examples are given below

Using offline dictionary (Google Translator) Doing Web Check-in (online) Pre-Booked hotels (Advance booking saves money)

These are just few examples we can do a lot. So I prefer to invest some time on internet 🙂

Really Great I Loved It

Great post guys, it was my bed time story last night 😀 Really sums up travelling at its best!

We’ve done some travelling separately before the blog and a couple of trips together to Cuba and Hawaii and it’s so nice to remember those times when we didn’t have to worry about updating our social media or getting together a guide 🙂 Which we did do eventually ha ha…

Splurging once in a while is so important, otherwise what’s the point in visiting amazing places if you don’t treat yourself!

the very good tip, thanks.

Hits the nail on the head on so many points. This brings back many memories of our travels, like when we packed too much and wanted to kill each other since we were both so miserable with our heavy bags. And the time we had to give up on the hostel in Morocco and paid for a pool day pass at the Sofitel. We felt like we were cheating, but in the end, we needed the rejuvenation. Always love your posts, thanks for the inspiration and congrats on all the years of traveling together!

I totally know that feeling. Having too much luggage just makes me miserable. When I go lighter, I enjoy myself more. And no you weren’t cheating, we all need a break from the road and that day at Sofitel must have made you feel amazing and ready to get back on the road again. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Dave and Deb – Beautiful post! My husband and I are so inspired by the two of you! We are starting our travel lifestyle tomorrow (eek!) so this post really hits home. There is so much mentoring in this post 🙂 Congrats on 16 years! What an accomplishment!

Such great advice – I really appreciate all the tips that you have to share. Beautiful photos as well, it is clear you both love what you do and that’s what it really comes down to! – Elizabeth elizabethnubel.com

First of all I want to say terrific blog! I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was curious to know how you center yourself and clear your head before writing. I’ve had difficulty clearing my thoughts in getting my ideas out there. I truly do take pleasure in writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally wasted simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any suggestions or tips? Many thanks!

Very good article, my dream is to travel the whole world, for now I only know 3 countries. I want to know Europe, Asia and the Middle East is fantastic! Thank you for the content!

Belo Post was what I was looking for, I’ve been following some posts from this site and I’m really enjoying reading them.

Amazing article and tips guys. I’ve read it with such a big pleasure and I felt it each of them. I’ve traveled also a bit, just 14 countries till now but I can say you have an amazing list of tips. keep up with the good work

If you are going to be in a country for 10 days or more, it may be worth purchasing a SIM card. This can be a lot cheaper than paying for an international plan on your own local network. BTW, nice tips here. Very informative indeed!

Beautiful photos, I loved it!

I enjoyed all types, but the best is relax

Wow! Amazing tips, thank you for sharin your experience

Just you agree, for me you are an eternal god

For me god always exists

Wonderful blog and you use amazing photos on your website i like it….!!!

Amazing best travel tips ever !!!. You should publish your own book for the benefit of all travelers in the world.

I loved this article … As Natalie said, it greatly reduces our learning curve

Best out of best, thanks for sharing your view on travelling. Well tips revealed before planning for international trips, especially pertaining the security i.e. Travel Insurance.

That is great experience to visit here you have really provide a detail tips, this will help us to plan us next trip.

Awesome blog! Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers?

I’m planning to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Hi Shane, here’s a link to our travel blogging tips. It gives a step by step guide on how to start a travel blog. https://theplanetd.com/how-to-start-a-travel-blog/

So positive, thank you for the amazing tips. We’re just starting out and ‘packing light’ really helped us stay away from those heavy airline baggage charges!

Thanks for sharing, many great nuggets of advice in there!

27 Best Travel Tips after 7 Years Traveling the World Many thanks any way! Wonderful Tips!

WOW !! Excellent article post with perfect photography no words for this great journey. I love this article thank you so much for sharing with us.

Thank you so much for sharing these tips.

I was looking for one tip that I would try on my next trip, but I could not find one as they all are great tips! Thanks for the inspiration!

Aw, thanks! Have a great trip!

Wonderful Tips!!!

Every tip is worth to note down. Thank you so much. Do keep writing such posts.

Nice post, Lovely to read about your trip, thanks for sharing.

What great tips! I’ve been traveling for years and there is a learning curve for sure. I had a sharp learning curve when the kids arrived because boy are traveling things different when you take the littles! One tip that never changes no matter the group or your changing situation is your #25 “Tell your traveling partner how much you appreciate them. That is SO true. Being appreciative of your family makes all things better – good times, bad times and everything in between.

We always travel with the kids and what an education they get! Not only the obvious like new cultures and experiences, but the day to day interactions between valued family members – most especially when you express that appreciation as you suggest! Travel helps you raise global children. 🙂

Bringing a sarong is small but smart thing to do. I also carry a small umbrella with me to keep the sun off during the mid-day tropical heat. Great tips!

Thank you for sharing the useful information about 27 Best Travel Tips after 7 Years Traveling the World, happy bogging.

That’s great post. Pictures are stunning and beautiful.

What a great tips! Thank you for sharing such great information. Very inspirational!

Yes, Before I had a habit was to mostly focus on camera to capture the nice photos and expected “likes” at social media while traveling instead of watching what was in front of me. Now I change, and one of my keys to get a successful trip is not to hesitate to ask and talk to locals. They will give you some good tips

Excellent advice about talking to locals. When you get to know the people who live there, it really makes for a wonderful experience. And you are so right, they have the best insider tips! We’re guilty of focusing only on photos at one point as well. When we started blogging as a career, we nearly lost ourselves in the work. We now always have to remind ourselves to have balance. It’s amazing to be able to capture a moment at our fingertips, but we feel it’s just as important to stop and take it all in. It’s easy to miss the moment when you’re looking through the lens. Thanks for sharing!

As I was reading your 27 Best Travel Tips For Travel it occurred to me that your article could just as easily be titled 27 Best Travel Tips For Life.

Thanks Carl. You hit the nail on the head. I think that travel has helped us learn so much about life.

It is a great truth, to travel we have to be with a certain amount of time in the budget to be able to make the most of all the wonders. Congratulations!!!

Agree with some of these, especially the bit about not waiting to travel if you don’t know the language. Don’t agree about the cell phones-technology has changed how people actually process information. It’s not just that they’re phone is a distraction, it’s also that it’s part of how they experience the world.

Pretty pictures! Was lucky to have visited 5 towns in Alsace (including Riquewihr, Colmar and Strasbourg) 2 years ago!

Article with sensational travel tips. That’s why I follow your blog and recommend it to several friends, congratulations.

This is another great post. I always love to read your blog post dear. keep sharing post like this.

Such a great post, such great wisdom not just on travel but on life in general. Thanks for sharing with us. I love to think You can create a life you dont need a vacation from, and you guys seem to have done just that. 🙂 As newbie blogger son our Travels, f which we have done some, I hope I will be as inspiring years from now!

Great list of travel tips Dave and Deb. I would like to recommend to fellow travelers to book in very last minute, ideally on the day when you travel, to get the best rates. Most hotels and hostels are willing to give you half rate or even better price just to not have a free room (which does bring them exactly 0). I booked couple of rooms for just $1 with this method on my trip to Japan!

Really awesome photos as always. Dave and Deb, my girlfriend and i we love your life style. You guys really inspire us. Thanks to you we have been traveling asia for 6 months. To be honest i was thinking its really bad idea to travel with your GF but after all experiences, this is the best way for traveling. Thanks for the whole site and this valuable tips. Cheers, Enes % Emma

I am so happy to hear that you are loving travel with your girlfriend. I couldn’t imagine traveling another way. It’s wonderful to be able to share experiences with the one you love.

Thanks for the great tips. People indeed forget a lot of simple things during travel. Simple Reminders are really helpful.

Thanks a lot for a great information sharing and tips !!!I wish to be there in 2017

Amazing Post! thanks for the sharing.

Good tips dear! There are many of them that we observe already and I hope all traveler like us should follow this amazing tips while travel a new country.

aww!!!!! I loved the part “Tell your Partner/Husband/Friend How Much You Appreciate them”. This is an awesome article i have seen ever. The person who loves you heartily will appreciate your company. 🙂

That must been an awesome experience to the kids to go to Everest

Great advise and Guide. I have started traveling as a couple and its been 6 months now. Your above tips will surely help us complete our goals in long term.

Thanks for the tips, I just found your blog yesterday and have been working my way through a few of your posts – love how down to earth you are. The airlifted out of the Amazon post made me renew my travel insurance immediately, yikes!! Hope you’ve made a full recovery.

Thanks Helen and welcome to our blog! I am so happy that you stopped by and stuck around for a bit. I’m also doubly happy that you renewed your travel insurance. It is so important.

Really comprehensive tips for any traveler. I’ve made use of some of them in my travels too. Thanks!

Thanks Dave ! As a traveler and photographer amateur, I find your recommendations very useful. Many of them I try to put into practice always (but not always is possible) Cheers!

Hi. We are just entering our 4th year on the road and I think I agree with just about everything above. It’s always changing, we find new, better ways, or what we want from this lifestyle changes, so for a few months we’ll be regular backpackers, then we’ll chill and rest for a while in a city apartment rental. Whatever, we love this life. Your picture of that little stove on the Everest trail brought back happy memories, we took the kids up there a few months ago, great times. Cheers!

Hi Alyson, congratulations on four years on the road. That must have been an amazing experience for your kids to go to Everest. You are giving them the best education. Good luck with the rest of your travels! Cheers

Valued Travel

How Travel Can Improve Our Lives

How Can Travel Broaden Our Perspective on the World?

Travel has the incredible power to broaden our perspective on the world in ways that few other experiences can. Stepping outside of our familiar surroundings and immersing ourselves in new cultures, landscapes, and ways of life opens our minds and expands our understanding of the world and its complexities. In this article, we will explore how travel can broaden our perspective and help us develop a more global outlook.

Experiencing Cultural Diversity One of the most significant ways travel broadens our perspective is by exposing us to diverse cultures. Through firsthand experiences, we encounter different customs, traditions, languages, and belief systems. We learn to appreciate and respect the unique qualities of each culture, breaking down stereotypes and preconceived notions. This exposure fosters empathy, understanding, and a deeper appreciation for the richness of human diversity.

Challenging Stereotypes and Biases Traveling allows us to challenge the stereotypes and biases we may hold. By interacting with people from different backgrounds, we realize that our assumptions and generalizations are often inaccurate. We come face-to-face with the reality that there is much more to a culture, a country, or a group of people than what we may have previously believed. This process of unlearning and reevaluating our preconceptions helps us become more open-minded and compassionate individuals.

Gaining Historical and Geographical Knowledge Exploring new destinations exposes us to the historical and geographical aspects of the world. We visit ancient ruins, historical landmarks, and museums that provide valuable insights into different civilizations, events, and historical contexts. Learning about the histories and struggles of various regions deepens our understanding of the world’s complexity and helps us appreciate the interconnectedness of past and present.

Witnessing Social and Economic Inequalities Traveling allows us to witness social and economic inequalities firsthand. We may encounter poverty, unequal access to education, healthcare, and basic necessities. These experiences provide a stark reminder of the disparities that exist in the world. It compels us to reflect on our own privilege and motivates us to advocate for positive change. Through this awareness, we develop a greater sense of social responsibility and become more engaged global citizens.

Appreciating Natural Beauty and Environmental Concerns Traveling exposes us to the incredible natural beauty of our planet. From majestic mountains and serene beaches to lush rainforests and vibrant coral reefs, these experiences instill in us a sense of awe and reverence for the Earth’s natural wonders. Witnessing the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation in different regions also deepens our understanding of the urgent need for environmental conservation and sustainability.

Learning from Different Perspectives Engaging in conversations with locals and fellow travelers provides valuable opportunities to learn from different perspectives. We gain insights into local issues, cultural norms, and societal challenges. These exchanges broaden our understanding of complex global issues such as politics, social justice, and human rights. By actively listening and engaging in meaningful dialogue, we expand our worldview and become more informed global citizens.

Developing Adaptability and Flexibility Traveling often requires us to adapt to new environments, navigate unfamiliar transportation systems, and overcome unexpected challenges. These experiences cultivate adaptability, resilience, and problem-solving skills. We learn to embrace uncertainty and become more flexible in our thinking and approach to life. This adaptability extends beyond travel and allows us to navigate various situations with an open mind and a positive attitude.

Fostering a Sense of Connection and Unity Traveling connects us with people from different cultures and backgrounds, fostering a sense of connection and unity. We realize that despite our differences, there are common threads that bind us together as human beings. We discover shared values, aspirations, and emotions. This sense of connection helps break down barriers and promotes a more inclusive and compassionate worldview.

Encouraging Personal Growth and Self-Reflection Traveling provides ample opportunities for personal growth and self-reflection. Stepping outside of our comfort zones and encountering new experiences pushes us to confront our fears, embrace change, and discover our true capabilities. We gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. Traveling challenges us to question our beliefs, values, and priorities, leading to personal transformation and growth.

Inspiring a Lifelong Love for Exploration and Discovery Perhaps one of the most enduring ways travel broadens our perspective is by instilling in us a lifelong love for exploration and discovery. Once we experience the transformative power of travel, we develop a thirst for knowledge and a curiosity about the world. This passion for exploration extends beyond the boundaries of travel and influences our everyday lives. We become lifelong learners, constantly seeking new experiences and opportunities for growth.

Travel is a catalyst for broadening our perspective on the world. By exposing us to diverse cultures, challenging stereotypes, and providing opportunities for learning, reflection, and personal growth, travel helps us develop a more global outlook. It fosters empathy, understanding, and a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of our world. So, let us embark on our journeys with open hearts and open minds, ready to embrace the transformative power of travel and the profound impact it has on our perspective of the world.

Related Posts

7 reasons why travel boost our sense of adventure and curiosity, what are the psychological benefits of traveling, what role does travel play in strengthening family bonds.

19 Inspiring Travel Experience Stories About Life-Changing Trips

Love inspiring travel experience stories ?

Then you’re in the right place!

Grab a snack and your favorite beverage and get ready to settle in, as you’re about to read some truly inspiring travel stories about life-changing trips.

In this roundup, some of my favorite bloggers share their best travel stories.

You’ll hear about travelers embarking on sacred pilgrimages, growing after a first solo female travel trip, deeply connecting with locals on the road, and getting out of their comfort zones in ways that completely alter the course of their life.

And if you’re looking for a unique travel experience, you’ll likely find it in the short stories about travel below.

Table of Contents

Free Travel Resources

But first…

Make sure to grab free access to my #BeyondTheGuidebook Travel Resource Library:

Want to take the hassle out of trip planning?

Enter your name + email below to subscribe and snag access to my FREE Ultimate Travel Planning Resource Library, full of trip planners, cheat sheets, packing lists, Google Map itineraries + more! //  Privacy Policy . 

Woohoo! You’re officially a member of the Jessie on a Journey community. 

Make sure to also connect with me  on Instagram ,  on YouTube , and  on Facebook  to start traveling #BeyondTheGuidebook.

I regularly share about solo female travel, New York City, lesser-known destinations, unique experiences, active adventures, and how to turn your passion for exploring the world into a profitable business through travel blogging.

Click here to head back to the travel blog .

There is so much included!

Plus, I’m constantly adding new resources, guides, and personality quizzes to help you travel beyond the guidebook!

On that note, let’s dive into the inspiring travel stories .

1. Travel Experience Stories In South America

My travel story takes place in South America, back when I used to travel solo for months at a time.

I was in my mid-20s, and even though I’d backpacked Europe, Southeast Asia, and China and had studied abroad in Australia, the mix of intense excitement and nerves I had leading up to my South America backpacking trip was different.

And despite family and friends warning me that South America wasn’t a place for a solo female traveler , it ended up being my best trip ever.

There are so many interesting short travel stories and unforgettable travel experiences woven into this trip, like:

• Getting invited to have dinner with my Brazilian plane seatmate and her grandma
• Having a group of complete strangers on Couchsurfing take me out for dinner and dancing on my birthday in Mendoza
• Attending a small house party in Argentina and learning about the tradition of mate
• Getting stuck on a broken-down bus and having an impromptu language exchange with an elderly woman in Peru
• Having a love interest back home break up with me via text, and then experiencing the kindness of strangers as a woman in my hostel who I barely knew treated me to ice cream to cheer me up
• Having a romance with a hostel mate in Ecuador and then traveling through the country together
• Living in a giant treehouse with a group of strangers during a solo trip in Brazil and spending our days exploring hiking trails and swimming and our nights drinking and exchanging stories about traveling
• Taking a 4×4 from Chile to Bolivia across the Siloli Desert to see otherwordly sites like rainbow lagoons and train graveyards in the middle of nowhere
• Experiencing some of the world’s most incredible natural wonders, like Iguazu Falls, Torres del Paine, the Amazon River, Uyuni Salt Flats, and Perito Moreno Glacier

At times the trip was also challenging, from dealing with long bus rides and car sickness to flipping over my bicycle handlebars in Peru and getting my body (and ego) badly bruised.

But, I was okay.

In fact, I was more than okay, as the trip showed me how independent I could be and what I was truly capable of. It also showed me the beauty of immersing yourself in cultures different than your own and connecting with locals who want to share them with you.

Years later, when people ask what my best travel experience has been this is the trip that comes to mind.

-Jessie from Jessie on a Journey

2. Traveling With An Open Mind

Many people think of travel as an experience and rightly so. Sometimes, however, you cannot choose the places you travel to.

This happened to me in 2019.

My husband found himself posted in Brunei for work.

Three months pregnant meant that I had a choice:

Either stay with him in Brunei for three months before returning back to India or remain in India, alone.

I chose the former. Not because of my love for the country but because I wanted to be close to him.

Brunei had never held any appeal to me. Whatever research that I pulled off the Internet showed me nothing other than one beautiful mosque.

The flights in and out of the country were expensive so traveling frequently out was not an option either.

I was engulfed by a sense of being trapped in a remote place.

Needless to say, I reached Brunei in a pretty foul mood. I think one of the things that struck me the most even in the midst of that bad mood was the large swaths of greenery that surrounded us.

Mind you, we were not staying in the big city but as far away on the outskirts as you could imagine. I’m not a city girl by any stretch and the greenery eventually soothed my nerves.

It took a week, but I soon found myself interacting with people around me. Fellow expats and locals all went out of their way to make me feel comfortable.

The more comfortable I felt, the more we explored. We trekked (yes, while pregnant!), we joined the board game community, and we enjoyed the local cuisine.

Three months later when it was time to leave, I found myself reluctant to say goodbye to the warmth of the country I had called home for a short while.

I think that my time in Brunei taught me a valuable lesson:

Don’t judge a place by what others say or a lack of information.

Sure, you may not always like what you see, but there will always be something that you will like. You just need to look hard enough to find it!

-Penny from GlobeTrove

3. From Half-Day Hiker To Walking Holiday Enthusiast

I’ve always enjoyed walking but never in a million years did I imagine I’d end up walking over 200 kilometers (~124 miles) in 10 days, become a fan of walking holidays, and end up developing self-guided hiking routes in Portugal with a local tour operator as part of my business.

The shift from being someone who was content with an easy three-hour walk to an experienced multi-day hiker began with a brief taste of the Portuguese Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrim trail through Portugal to Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Spain.

Back in 2013 I did a guided one-day hike along one of the most beautiful stretches of the Camino, north of Ponte de Lima. It’s also one of the most challenging sections so it was hard work, but the views from the top of Labruja Mountain made the climb worthwhile.

My guides were so enthusiastic about the thrill of arriving at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral after the challenges of day after day on the Camino that I began to think I might want to give it a go, despite not being religious.

Fast forward a few years and I set off from Barcelos with a friend of mine to follow the Portuguese Camino de Santiago.

Apart from suffering from chronic back pain, I thought I was quite fit but nothing had prepared me for how utterly exhausted I would feel at the end of each walking day.

This was truly a slow travel experience, as we were averaging about 20 kilometers (~12 miles) per day and by the time we reached our hotel, I would barely have enough energy to get cleaned up and find food before collapsing. I had envisioned plenty of sightseeing but that ended up being minimal.

Quickly, I realized the moral of this unique travel experience:

The Camino was all about making the most of the journey rather than the destination.

For me, that was quite a shift in thinking as I am usually all about getting to where I want to be as soon as possible so that I can start exploring. It was, perhaps, also my first step on the path towards mindfulness.

I will never forget the sense of achievement and progress at the end of each walking day, and the relief and pride I felt when we finally made it to Santiago de Compostela.

We met people who had walked the Camino several times and I can totally understand how it can become addictive. 

-Julie from Julie Dawn Fox in Portugal

4. A Story About Traveling & Its Ripple Effect

Tucked away in far eastern Indonesia is a tiny archipelago of islands called the Banda Islands.

Apart from world-class snorkeling and some crumbling colonial buildings, the Banda Islands are mostly forgotten and would be described as a backwater by all accounts.

However, the Banda Islands are possibly the main reason that I am who I am today. 

Well, the Bandas are the original Spice Islands.

Nutmeg used to grow on this tiny group of islands alone and nowhere else. The Dutch colonized Indonesia and promptly became the owners of islands where money grew on trees.

The only problem was that Indonesia was so far away that they needed a halfway stop to and from Indonesia.

That’s where my travel experience story comes in.

The same Dutch East India Company that traded in spice set up a halfway station at the foot of Table Mountain to break up their long journey. As a result, my Dutch ancestors arrived in the southernmost point in Africa , and generations later we are still there.

When I visited the Banda Islands, it dawned on me how something happening on the other side of the world can ripple out and affect people on the other side of the planet.

And I’m not the only one!

The spice trade was so important to the Dutch that they even traded a tiny island in the Banda archipelago for a much bigger island…Manhattan.

Yes. That Manhattan.

Before visiting the Banda Islands I never really knew about this part of my history.

Along with the spice that the ships carried back to Amsterdam, it also carried slaves. These slaves, more often than not, ended up in Cape Town.

Just like my European ancestors, they too became a part of Africa and added another shade to our beautiful Rainbow Nation.

It was in the Banda Islands that I realized how much of my culture, food, stories and even words in my mother tongue, Afrikaans, actually originated in Indonesia.

Because of these tiny islands, I am a true mix of Europe, Africa, and Asia. While I always thought I knew how all things in life are somehow connected, I didn’t really grasp it until my visit to Indonesia.

This could have been a resort travel experience story, as I went to Indonesia to swim and snorkel and relax on the world’s best beaches. And while I did get to do that, I also learned a lot about who I am as a person, my people, and my country…on another continent. 

My visit to the Bandas has sparked a fascination with Indonesia, which I have visited seven times since. I’m already planning another trip to this spectacular country!

-De Wet from Museum of Wander

5. Awakening My Spirit In A Costa Rican Cloud Forest

In February 2017, I was just coming out of a decade of mysterious chronic illness that had shrunk my world.

And one of the things that finally helped me to resurface during the previous year was an online Qi Gong course I stumbled upon: 

Flowing Zen .

To the casual observer, Qi Gong looks a lot like its better-known cousin, Tai Chi — the ancient art of moving meditation — but it’s actually energy medicine for healing.

In fact, it’s commonly used in Chinese hospitals.

My daily practice that year made such a difference for me that I dangled a reward for myself:

If I stuck with it all year, then I’d head to Sifu Anthony’s annual retreat in a cloud forest in Costa Rica the following February.

And I did! It was my first trip out of the country for more than a decade.

Just like that, I booked a solo trip — something I hadn’t done since I was an exchange student to Europe 30 years earlier — to San Jose where I met up with a dozen strangers and Sifu Anthony, our Qi Gong master.

We boarded a tiny bus and rode up, up, up around carsick-inducing curvy mountain roads into a magical cloud forest jungle where we finally arrived at The Blue Mountain (“La Montana Azul”) for a weeklong Qi Gong retreat. 

There were no Internet or distractions here — just delicious organic vegetarian meals made with love and shared with the community under a gorgeous open-air palapa.

There were also colorful tropical birds singing in the jungle, as well as the largest arachnid I’ve ever seen in my gorgeous (but also roofless) room for a little extra adventure.

I’d felt a little energy movement during my year of online practice, but during that week on The Blue Mountain, my body began to really buzz with Qi — life force energy — as I Lifted the Sky, stood in Wuji Stance, and practiced Shooting Arrows.

I felt electrified and joyful. 

And that was when everything changed for me.

At home, I had a successful career as a freelance writer, but I decided during my week in the cloud forest that I wanted more from life.

I wanted to explore the beauty, diversity, nature, and culture in every corner of the world.

And I wanted to share this intoxicating joyful feeling of life-giving freedom and adventure with anyone who wanted to come along for the ride.

Shortly after that, at age 53, I launched my travel blog.

Dreams really do come true. They are just waiting for you to claim them.

-Chris from Explore Now or Never

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6. From Rome With Love

This wasn’t the way I wanted to see Rome. 

Sure, I was happy to spend Christmas in Rome and stand in awe of the city’s many iconic attractions. But, life wasn’t meant to turn out like this.

I was supposed to go to Rome with my mom back in 2012; however, life had different plans, because a week before our trip, I got a double kidney infection. A condition that required a week of hospitalization.

Although I was annoyed I had missed my trip, it wasn’t the end of the world since I was fine and everything seemed okay…until my mom developed a cough.

A cough that later became a heartbreaking diagnosis of stage four ovarian cancer. 

My mom spent the final months of her life in chemo, desperately trying to fight a horrific disease so that she wouldn’t let her family down.

And she didn’t.

Instead, she showed us how to never give up on life, even if it was a losing battle. 

So, when she eventually passed away, I booked a trip to Rome. 

Sure, it wasn’t the trip I had hoped for. But, I knew that as her daughter, it was my job to live enough for the both of us. 

And that’s exactly what I did.

Was I an anxious, sad, angry mess of a person?

Absolutely. I was still getting used to a world that my mother wasn’t a part of. 

And honestly, you never get used to that world. You just deal with it because you don’t really have a choice.

But I also knew that I wanted my mom to live on through me and that I didn’t want to live a life where the haunting phrases “should of,” “could of,” and “would have” swirled through my head and ate away at my happiness.

So, I went. I packed a boatload of tissues, sobbed my heart out, and attended Christmas mass at the Vatican. 

I also threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, walked through the Colosseum, chowed down on gelato, and spent two weeks doing all the things my mom and I had wanted to do. 

And that’s when it hit me. I had never gone to Rome alone because my mom had always been there with me. Maybe she wasn’t physically there, but I thought of her and felt her presence every minute of every day. 

Her presence also reminded me that life isn’t about the things we buy or the money that we have.

It’s about making memories with the people we love; people that never really leave us since they are constantly influencing our lives in countless ways.

And after my trip to Rome, I finally knew that my mom would always be there because she had forever changed my life in the best possible way. 

-Kelly from Girl with the Passport

7. Studying In Finland

One of my major life-turning points happened during my exchange studies in Finland.

Until then, I was studying at a university in Prague, had a part-time job at a renowned management-consulting firm, and thought I was on the right path in life.

At the University of Economics where I studied it was notoriously difficult to get on an Erasmus exchange trip abroad since the demand was huge. Everyone wanted to go!

Regardless, I decided to sign up early for my last semester, just to see what the process was like to be better prepared for applying again in a year.

I did make it through all the three rounds and surprisingly got a spot at a University in Turku, Finland! I was ecstatic. The success brought its own challenges, but once you set your eyes on the goal, nothing can stop you.

And I had the time of my life in Finland.

I met the most amazing people, traveled a ton, partied a lot, and bonded with friends from all over the world.

Given I was one of the few people there who really needed to pass all her courses and additionally write her thesis, I managed to run on an impossible sleep schedule of four hours per night. But I made it!

My studies in Finland opened up my horizons, too.

The summer after, I wrapped up my life in Prague and went on to study in Germany and China . The whole time I traveled as much as possible, often going on solo adventures. It was only a matter of time when I’d start my own travel blog.

My Finland adventure led me to a life of freedom made up of remote work, travel blogging , and plenty of traveling. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. And it gave me one of my favorite true adventure stories that I can now share with others.

-Veronika from Travel Geekery

8. How Cuba Changed My Life

One of my favorite inspiring stories about travel takes place in Cuba.

I visited Cuba in February 2013 and it changed my life — and I like to think it did so for the better.

Interestingly, I expected a completely different country and was compelled to write about it when I got back home.

But let me tell you more.

I read copious amounts of blogs and travel diaries to prepare myself for the trip to Cuba so I thought I’d go in with a fairly good idea of what to expect. Each and every post I read spoke of marvelous landscapes, pristine beaches, crumbling but charming cities, and welcoming locals.

All of it was true, in my experience — except for the locals.

I didn’t find them so welcoming. At least, not genuinely so. They only seemed to welcome me as far as they could get something in exchange: money, clothes, pens, soap, you name it. 

Each and every day in Cuba was a challenge to avoid the scams, to avoid being ripped off, to fight off each and every attempt of people trying to take advantage of me. I usually managed, but it was exhausting and it left a sour taste in my mouth.

Once I got back home I felt the urge to write about my experience — not for other sites or papers as I’d often do. This time I was afraid I’d be censored.

So I opened my own blog. With zero tech knowledge, zero understanding of online content creation and SEO, I started writing and telling people what they should really expect during a trip to Cuba.

I’d put up the occasional post, but continued with my usual job.

At the end of the year, my contract as a researcher in international human rights law at the local university ended, and I decided to stop pursuing that career for a while.

I packed my bags and left for a long-term trip to Central and South America . I started writing on the blog more consistently and learning, and eventually took my blog full-time , turning it into a career.

As of today, I have never looked back and have no regrets.

The one thing I’ll do, as soon as I can, is travel to Cuba to say thank you — because it changed my life in a way nothing else has ever done. 

-Claudia from Strictly Sardinia

9. A Short Travel Story About Finding Inner Peace In Patagonia

Life in London is hard.

Life in London as a gay single brown refugee is harder.

Juggling between work, my passion for traveling, and the prejudices that I dealt with on a daily basis eventually took their toll on me and I reached a breaking point.

The fact that I couldn’t return home to see my family and being away for them for almost nine years was enough to hammer in the final nail in the coffin.

I almost had a nervous breakdown and in that moment of desperation, which I knew would define the rest of my life, I took a month off and headed to Patagonia.

It was probably the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. The 36 hours it took me to get to El Chalten from London were tiring but Patagonia blew me away.

On my first day there I did a 28-kilometer (17-mile) hike which included a steep mountain climb. It was incredible how moving through the forest helped me clear my mind. And as I stood in front of Laguna de Los Tres, the rain and clouds gave way to sunshine and a rainbow.

I felt at peace.

The countless hikes, great food, and the warmth of locals in Chile and Argentina helped me get back in my skin and find the peace I was missing in my heart.

Nature is indeed the best medicine when it comes to stress relief and I won’t be coy about hugging trees to speed up the process (it did).

Patagonia was life-changing for me.

The beauty of nature struck me at each point and every time I thought it wasn’t possible to beat the view, the next one did just that.

I came back a changed, resilient, and most importantly, a happy person.

-Ucman from BrownBoyTravels

10. Looking Inwards & Making Connections With Strangers

It was decades before I traveled solo for the first time in my life.

This trip — a six-day escape to Colorado — was the first trip that was not for business or family reasons but just to travel and discover.

As I prepared for it, I had a strange feeling of excitement and nerves at the same time. I had all sorts of thoughts and doubts:

Would it be fun?

Would I be bored?

Would I stay in bed all day or would I bounce with excitement to do the next thing?

I wasn’t sure. Little did I know that it was going to be a memorable journey of self-discovery. 

As a good wife and mom, for me travel is always about the family; always thinking of who would enjoy what. It’s about family time and bonding. It’s about creating memories and travel stories together. It’s all so wonderful.

But on a solo trip who would I connect with? What would I say?

Well, I found that I got to do anything I wanted!

Usually when I travel with my family, if I feel like going on a drive that’s not on the itinerary or getting a snack no one else is interested in, we simply don’t do that.

So it was weird to just go do it. Really, that’s a thing?

As for making connections, it was so easy to meet locals while traveling and also to connect with other travelers. Honestly, I had conversations everywhere — on planes, while hiking, in restaurants, in the hotel lobby.

It was quite an eye-opening experience to meet a mom of 18 kids and hundreds of foster kids, a cookie baker, a professional photographer, a family of Fourteener hikers, and an internationally ranked marathon runner.

The inspiring stories I discovered were amazing and nothing like my wonderful safe life at home. 

In terms of travel safety , I got to go rock climbing, solo hiking, driving up a Fourteener, eating alone.

And it was all fine. Actually, it felt surprisingly normal.

It was was just me, my SUV, and my backpack for a week. Most of all, it was a breath of fresh air that I didn’t know existed. 

It’s wonderful to be back home and know that possibilities are endless and there is so much more out there to explore and be wowed by!

-Jyoti from Story At Every Corner

11. A Solo Hike To Find Connection

I have traveled solo many times, but I admit I was a bit uneasy booking my trip to Colombia . In part, due to the country’s dark past. But also because I desperately wanted to do the Cocora Valley hike, and if I’m honest, I was terrified.

This hike is located in the Coffee Triangle, an area recognized for its beauty as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It features both rainforest and a stunning green valley speckled with cartoonishly-tall wax palms rising 200 feet or more.

It’s incredibly beautiful.

It’s also a long hike and quite challenging — it generally takes between six and eight hours and there is a steep area with over 3,000 feet of elevation within a quarter of a mile.

I wasn’t in hiking shape, so I was a little concerned. But, worst of all for me were the seven dodgy-looking suspension bridges. 

I’m terrified of heights.

And, I’d be going alone.

I decided to go anyway and I met an incredible woman on the bus to Salento, the town near Cocora. She was also traveling solo and we agreed to hike together.

The town is a backpacker enclave and we met up with a small group of people all traveling solo. As the days passed, our group got larger and it was such a magical experience.

As much as I love city travel, this small town won my heart.

My new friend and I set off on the hike and met two other women who were nervous to do the hike. We all went together.

When we got to the first suspension bridge, I paused. I was embarrassed to admit my fear, but the bridge swayed widely and there was nowhere to hold onto.

When they realized how out of my comfort zone I was and how scared I felt, everything changed. Instead of me dealing with it alone, they were all there to encourage me.

One crossed the bridge to encourage me from the other side and they stayed off of it to limit the sway. Crazy enough, I not only crossed the seven suspension bridges, but I also crossed one an extra time when we went the wrong way on the trail.

I did it! 

I was prepared to be blown away by Cocora Valley’s beauty, but what I wasn’t expecting was what a life-changing travel experience my time there would be.

 -Sam from My Flying Leap

12. How A Pet Sitting Travel Experience Led To A Passionate Career

We wanted to go to the Caribbean but didn’t know much about the islands or how we were going to afford it.

By chance, a friend of ours in Australia mentioned “pet sitting” and that it is something you can do all over the world.

We quickly created an account on a pet sitting website and began searching for options. There were only a couple of sits available in that part of the world, but we tried our luck, sent a request, and to our surprise landed a three-month gig in a beautiful house in the US Virgin Islands — with an infinity pool overlooking the British Virgin Islands.

A month into our sit, we had explored the destination pretty well and so had a lot of time on our hands. We managed to secure another sit in Grenada, so our year was going to be taken up with Caribbean pet sits.

Inspired by a Canadian couple that had previously stayed at our Grenada housesit, we decided to start our own travel blog. We began by writing about The Virgin Islands, highlighting the beautiful beaches and funky bars.

But for every photo of a beautiful beach there were 10 photos of trash.     

It was hard to ignore the plastic pollution issue, especially on such pristine and remote beaches.  So, we began to share photos of the trash we saw and how much we could pick up on our daily dog walks.

The more we looked into plastic pollution, the more we realized the severity of the global plastic pandemic. From that point, we used our platform to create awareness and highlight ways to say no to plastic and travel plastic-free .

We changed our daily routines, our way of living, and even our diets to accommodate more organic foods and little to no plastic packaging.

It’s been over three years now and we continue to do what we can. This journey has led us to some amazing places, working with great conscious brands and even organizing a country-wide beach clean-up campaign in Grenada.

Our aim now is to keep on going.

We love connecting with like-minded people and love the shift over the last few years that brands have made towards creating more sustainable products and services.

It’s been an amazing few years that was sparked by a conversation about pet sitting. Who would have guessed?

-Aaron & Vivien from The Dharma Trails

13. Learning To Slow Down The Hard Way

On Christmas of 2017, I was born again.

We like to spend our Christmas holidays somewhere warm abroad, and that year we chose Uganda.

Nature, wildlife, and sunny days were a blessing when it was so cold and dark in Europe. Life was beautiful, and we had a rental car and a busy schedule ahead to explore the country.

This is where this short travel story turns into one of my more scary travel experiences :

At Murchinson Falls National Park, we had a car accident.

I lost control of the car, and it rolled over, destroying windows, chassis, and engine.

But we were alive! My right arm was severely injured, but we managed to walk to our lodge, not far inside the park.

In the lodge, I was happy to learn that there was a pretty decent American hospital in Masindi that was just a one-hour drive from the lodge. Moreover, one of the lodge’s guests was a nurse who cleaned the wound while we were waiting for the taxi from/to Masindi.

The hospital took care of us, and after a couple of injections and stitches, I was ready to head to our new hotel in Masindi; however, my wound required daily dressing and more injections, so we were asked to stay in town for a few days.   

Masindi is the kind of place where you may want to stop to buy some food or water, but that’s it.

The town’s highlights were the market and our daily visit to the hospital, so we ended up looking for the small things, chatting with the medical staff, the hotel staff, the people in the market, and learning more about their customs.

We learned to slow down the hard way.

When we were allowed to leave, we took a road trip south through the country to see something else. We did not care about our travel bucket list anymore — we were alive, and we wanted to enjoy Uganda’s unique nature and its people. 

In the end, our Uganda trip was not about the places that we saw, but the people that we met. It was travel for experience vs sightseeing.

I hope to revisit Uganda one day, with a stop at Masindi for some food, water, and maybe something else.

-Elisa from World in Paris

14. A Cycling Trip To Remember

During the summer of 2019, I cycled solo from London to Istanbul. This huge bicycle tour took me 89 days and through 11 countries.

As you might expect, it was a challenging yet incredible journey, which saw me pedal along some of Europe’s greatest rivers, pass through some of its best cities, and witness some of its most beautiful scenery.

It’s becoming more and more important for us to think about the impact that travel can have on our environment. This was the inspiration for my bicycle tour; I wanted to find more responsible ways to explore the world and avoid flights where possible.

I discovered that bicycle touring is one of the most eco-friendly ways to travel, as using nothing but a bicycle and your own pedal power you can carry everything you need while covering surprising distances each day.

The simplicity of life and the sheer amount of time I spent cycling alone gave me a lot of time to just think . This really helped me to come to terms with some personal problems rooted in my past and, as a result, I arrived solo in Istanbul with newly found confidence, independence, and liberation. 

Cycling across the entire European continent may seem like an impossibly daunting task, but I assure you, it will make you feel like a new person, just like it did for me.

-Lauren from The Planet Edit

15. How The Caribbean Shaped Me Into A Fully Sustainable Traveler

One of my first international trips as an adult was traveling around the Caribbean .

I checked into my hotel in Jamaica and asked for a recommendation for a local place to eat. The receptionist told me that under no circumstances should I should go into the town because it was really dangerous, but that — to my luck — the hotel’s restaurant offered wonderful Caribbean food.

I pondered my options:

Did I really want to spend all my time on the beach without getting to know a single local?

I was a very inexperienced traveler and very young, but there was only one answer to my question:

Absolutely not. I was not going to be visiting a new place and staying hostage in a hotel chain. So out I went.

The poverty hit me in the face. After only seeing fancy resorts, the reality was hard to swallow.

A few locals approached me and were super curious as to what I was doing there alone, since most tourists didn’t go there.

I told them I was interested in meeting them and experiencing their culture. And just like that, I was embraced.

We met more people, had some food, and then we danced the night away. They had so little, yet they wanted to share it with me. They wanted to make me feel welcome.

And they undeniably did.

The next morning all I could think about was how all the money most tourists spend goes to big corporations. The locals have to be thankful if they get a job that pays minimum wage, while foreign businesses earn millions.

I have always been environmentally conscious, but this trip made it clear that sustainability goes well beyond nature and wildlife.

It’s also about communities.

From then on I always look for locally owned accommodation, eateries, guides, and souvenirs.

Sustainability, with everything it entails, became a motto for me and changed the very essence of the way I travel.

-Coni from  Experiencing the Globe

16. Lessons From My Students In Peru

One of the most life-changing trips I’ve ever been on was a volunteering experience in the stunning city of Cuzco in Peru.

I spent a month there teaching English and Italian to a group of local adults. And even though my time there was short, the travel experience was so humbling that it changed my outlook on life.

My lessons took the form of active conversations, which essentially turned into a massive multilingual cultural exchange between me and my students. Hearing my students talk about their lives — and realizing just how different they were from mine — made me look at my own life with a fresh new perspective.

One person spoke about the three years he spent living in a jungle with his dad, where they fed off of animals they hunted in order to survive.

Another student told me about her ultimate dream of mastering English so that she could become a tour guide and have a more stable future.

For me, these stories were a reminder of just how small I am in this world and how much we can get consumed by the small bubbles we live in. 

Most of all, my students showed a passion and appreciation for life that I’d never witnessed before.

This is true for the locals I met in Cuzco in general. The quality of life in Cuzco is very modest; hot water is scarce and you learn to live with little.

But the locals there do way more than just that — they spontaneously parade the streets with trumpets and drums just because they’re feeling happy, and their energy for the simple things in life is incredibly contagious.

It was impossible to not feel inspired in Cuzco because my students always had the biggest smiles on their faces, and the locals showed me again and again that simply being alive is a blessing.

I went to Peru to teach, but ended up learning more from my students and the locals there than they did from me.

Ever since I got back from that trip, I made it a goal to slow down and not take the simple things in life for granted.

Every time I get upset about something, I think about the Peruvians in Cuzco parading their streets in song and pure joy, and I tell myself to stop complaining.

-Jiayi from  The Diary of a Nomad

17. Braving Travel With Chronic Pain

Santiago de Compostela is a beautiful city with a prominent cathedral positioned centrally within the city.

While the historical cathedral attracts numerous visitors, even more well-known is the route to Santiago de Compostela, Camino de Santiago –- the world-famous pilgrimage route that has a plethora of trailheads and ends in Santiago. 

Home to locals, students, English teachers, and those on a spiritual pilgrimage, personal conquest, or a great outdoor hiking excursion, Santiago is a magical city.

My introduction to Santiago de Compostela doesn’t begin on the pilgrimage route, yet ends with a spiritual awakening analogous with those other unique pilgrimage stories.

It was my first solo trip abroad teaching English in Spain, a country that’s always been on my travel bucket list. A small town outside of Santiago was selected as the school I’d be teaching at for the year.

Unknowingly, this teach abroad program chose the perfect city for me to live in. 

A year prior, I suffered a traumatic brain injury that left me unable to function normally and complete average tasks. Migraines, headaches, and dizziness became my body’s normal temperament, a hidden disability invisible to the naked eye. 

Braving travel with chronic pain was the first lesson I learned during the trip.

The vast green outdoors and fresh dew from the morning rain enlivened me daily and reminded me about the importance of slowing down so I could enjoy traveling with my hidden disability. 

I also learned to stop often for daily tea breaks and to embrace the long lunch hour,  siestas , with good food, company, and a nap to rest.

Meeting locals , indulging in local food, and learning Spanish allowed me to connect deeply with the beautiful culture of Santiago. After all, my dream was to travel to Spain, and I more than accomplished that dream.

Difficult or not, I learned to own my dream and I was more than surprised with the results.

Who knew that a year after my injury I’d be traveling the world with chronic pain, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.

-Ciara from Wellness Travel Diaries

18. A Blessing In Disguise

2020 has been a wild year for all of us and foreign students in China are no exception. As soon as the malevolent virus began to make its rounds in China, our university sent us home for “two weeks.”

However, within a short time, countries began to shut their borders and these “two weeks” turned into months, a full year even.

Crushed by the burden of online lectures and virtual labs, my boyfriend and I packed our bags and caught one of the first flights to his home country of Pakistan.

I had always been an over-ambitious traveler. I believed numbers were everything — the number of countries I visited, the number of hours I spent on a plane, the number of international trips I took in a year. These numbers were what defined me.

My feet were constantly itching and I never liked to spend more than a few days in a place before heading to the next country. Revisiting a place felt superfluous to me.

That’s why I was hoping to spend a month or two in Pakistan and then continue to check new countries off the list — after all, my online classes finally granted me the freedom to “work on my numbers.”

But as is usually the case in 2020, things turned out quite different from what I had expected. Borders remained closed and worldwide infections stayed rampant. At this point, I have already spent nearly half a year in Pakistan.

During this peculiar time, however, an amazing thing happened:

My mindset about travel started to change and I began to look at my long stay in Pakistan as perhaps my most valuable travel experience ever.

I may not have visited dozens of countries like in previous years but my experiences were deeper than ever before.

From trekking to one of the world’s tallest mountains to sharing tea with heavily armed officers at nearly 5,000 meters altitude to exploring hidden beaches in the most secluded regions to spontaneously being invited to village homes, my adventures in Pakistan couldn’t have been more incredible. They opened my eyes to the sheer diversity of many countries and completely transformed my idea about traveling. 

It took me nearly a full year of heavy restrictions on international travel and a few months in one of the world’s most fascinating countries to give up on my superficial ideals and become a more mature traveler.

This time will always have a special place in my heart.

-Arabela from The Spicy Travel Girl

19. What The River Taught Me

My travel story takes place in the summer of 2017 — the final summer before I graduated university — as it continues to play a significant role in the person I’ve become.

When I say that, people ask me if it was the portion of the summer I spent solo backpacking in Europe . And to their surprise, it wasn’t. It was actually the latter portion of the summer where I stayed closer to home.

For July and August I worked as a canoe guide leading whitewater canoe trips on remote rivers in Canada. It was here that I got to canoe the powerful and iconic Missinaibi River, a river that continues to influence me all these years later.

The Missinaibi River flows from the powerful Lake Superior to the even more powerful salty waters of James Bay. Here, I led a group of eight teenagers through dozens of whitewater rapids over 500 kilometers (~311 miles).

With no cell service for 25 days, we were forced to disconnect from anything other than the river.

During this trip I learned two important lessons:

First, I learned to be confident in my own abilities as a leader and problem solver.

There were a few rapids where my campers’ boats flipped and I had to rescue the campers and the canoes. One rescue saw two boats flip on a mile-long rapid. It took six hours to make it down the rapid, and during this time I managed stuck canoes and crying campers.

And while this was one of the most difficult rescues I’ve done, I was amazed at how calm I was throughout it. I gave clear directions, prioritized effectively, and kept my campers safe throughout the entire experience. Following the rescue, I had a newfound sense of confidence in my abilities.

The second lesson I learned on the Missinaibi was the power of disconnecting from society and connecting with the people around you.

A wild river commands all of your attention. Each day, you and your group must take down camp, load canoes, paddle up to eight hours while navigating both rapids and portages, get to a new campsite, set up camp, cook dinner, and go to bed.

And without the distraction of technology, your attention has nowhere else to be. You focus on the river and your teammates.

As someone who had wrestled with anxiety and depression prior to this summer, I felt at total ease on the trip. Now I seek societal disconnection and human connection as much as I can. 

Sometimes the most profound, life-altering trips are the least expected trips closer to home.

-Mikaela of  Voyageur Tripper

More Short Travel Experience Stories

25 Crazy Travel Stories You Need To Read To Believe

23 Inspiring Travel Stories Sharing The Kindness Of Strangers

17 True Short Adventure Travel Stories To Inspire Your Next Trip

38 Inspiring Travel Love Stories From The Road

16 Short Funny Travel Stories That Will Make You Laugh

20 Embarrassing Travel Stories That Will Make You Laugh & Blush

21 Travel Horror Stories About Scary Travel Experiences

Do you have any inspiring travel experience stories about life-changing trips to share?

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These stories are so much fun to read! Thanks so much for putting a post like this together. It’s great to be able to check out other people’s blogs and read about other people’s experiences!

Always great to read about travel experiences of others. Some great stories to read over coffee. I’ve Pinned your post for future reference and to share with others. Will check out each story author’s blog as well. Great Job! 🙂

Amazing story for new traveler like me thanks for your contribution

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People Who Travel Frequently Are Open-Minded, Creative And Worldly

The United States Travel Association says roughly one out of five Americans thinks  traveling is a birth-right . I am one of those people.

In fact, I think everyone should travel at least 50 days a year.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not totally crazy: I know most of us have bosses who would scoff at the thought of us taking more than two weeks (if you're even that lucky).

But when you think about it, there are 52 weekends in a year, which means there are just over 100 days the normal American has off from the work grind.

We can easily spend at least half of that time traveling  somewhere , whether it's to a new city, state, country or even the other side of town. There is so much out there to discover.

Not only will traveling often open your mind and perspective to new ideologies, cultures and customs, but it will make you smarter and even more successful.

Studies indicate those of us who hit the open road instead of sleeping in on our days off are not just getting ahead of traffic, but in the work force, too.

People who experience varieties of culture are able to assimilate into their work environments better and move ahead of the competition.

At the end of the day, it's all about personality. And that's not something they can teach you in school, kids. You've got to seek that out yourself. And what better time to do it than on your days off?

Traveling makes us happier in all areas of life.

The United States Travel Association reports taking trips outside of your normal daily routine makes you happier in many aspects of your life that people tend to lose sight of over time.

Apparently, a short trip is not only good for your peace of mind, but quality of life as well. The association reports things like blood pressure, heart rate and levels of epinephrine (a stress hormone) rapidly decline after just one to two days on vacation.

Happy body, happy life. But, the benefits from traveling as much as possible don't just stop there.

Surveys from the USTA say four out of 10 people feel more romantic traveling, and nearly one-third of participants admit to having more sex on holiday.

Over half of the Americans surveyed agreed they feel closer and more connected to their families after traveling with them.

Fifty-two percent of people say they feel more rested and relaxed after coming back from their trips (I'm not sure how that number isn't actually 100 percent), and that even the anticipation of travel creates an increase in positive feelings about one's life as a whole, family, economic situation and health.

The most interesting finding from the entire study? Those who travel report a higher level of satisfaction with life while traveling, and those effects continue long after returning home.

Traveling abroad makes you smarter and more creative.

The Atlantic reports on a study that investigated the effects of traveling abroad on creativity and problem solving in the brain.

Researchers found travelers who managed to visit and explore three or more different countries had higher levels of creativity than those who hadn't traveled as often.

One researcher, Mary Helen Immordino-Yang from the University of Southern California, thinks this mostly has to do with changing one's perspective by traveling often.

She tells The Atlantic,

What a lot of psychological research has shown now is that the ability to engage with people from different backgrounds than yourself, and the ability to get out of your own social comfort zone, is helping you to build a strong and acculturated sense of your own self, our ability to differentiate our own beliefs and values… is tied up in the richness of the cultural experiences that we have had.

When we travel the world, we get to enrich our minds with the openness and unique perspectives one can only find by exploring.

In life, our daily comfort zones often lack the creativity and general heightened sense of adrenaline and adventure humans crave so deeply.

However, by fulfilling wanderlust, we manage to unlock the vaults to our imaginations and explore our own minds while trekking the world.

One who travels the world, becomes one with the world.

By leaving behind things that comfort you and engaging in a new experience or trip, you begin to lose association to the small nook or community from which you came and, instead, enter a new realm.

You are no longer a daily commuter rushing to work on the L train -- you are a traveler, exploring the sights around you, soaking in every moment like a sponge.

You are a world citizen, discovering your backyard for the first time.

D. H. Lawrence once wrote,

When we get out of the glass bottle of our ego and when we escape like the squirrels in the cage of our personality and get into the forest again, we shall shiver with cold and fright. But things will happen to us so that we don't know ourselves. Cool, unlying life will rush in.

Maybe this newfound sense of wonder, amazement and relief comes from the much needed insight into different lifestyles, cultures and people this world is made up of.

Currently, Americans get the least amount of vacation time among countries in the industrialized world an average of 8.1 days after a year on the job and 10.2 days after three years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But if we can find time on our weekends, days off and even a few "sick days" from work (don't worry, I promise not to tell), we can get in the vacation time we so deserve.

It's not just a matter of getting out of town. It's about quality of life.

Citations: The Benefits Are Everywhere (U.S Travel Association) , For a More Creative Brain, Travel (The Atlantic)

4 travel tips to put your mind at ease during your next trip

The season of summer holiday travel is just around the corner. 

You might find yourself heading to one of the U.S.’s many national parks, exploring a historic European city or jetting off somewhere tropical, like the Maldives.  

That all sounds like fun, but unfortunately, travel mishaps may also happen. Luggage gets lost, passports get misplaced and phones may not work at international destinations when they aren't connected to Wi-Fi.  

To avoid the headaches and prepare for whatever may come your way (or what accidentally gets left behind), follow these simple tips.  

Watch this video to see the four things you should do before your next trip.

Learn more: Best credit cards of 2023

Pre-Travel Tips 

All you need to get travel-ready is your smartphone.

• Take pictures. 

Take pictures and screenshots of the important items and documents before you leave for your trip. 

This would include: 

• Your luggage
• The photo page of your passport
• Your ID cards
• Any travel-related confirmations
• Location and contact details for the places you’re staying

Creating an album on your phone or marking the images as favorites will make it easier to find them should you need them. 

It couldn’t hurt to also share these pictures with a trusted loved one, like a significant other or close friend.

• Turn on Notify When Left Behind

Turn on Notify When Left Behind if you use Apple products.  

The feature, available on some iPhones, iPads, Macs, and AirPods, will notify you if you are separated from your items, like if you forget your AirPods in your hotel room. 

To turn Notify When Left Behind on or off, open the “Find My” app, select the device and then toggle the setting on or off.  

• Tell your credit card company about your plans

Have you ever had your card payment declined when paying for something on a trip? That’s probably because your credit card company is picking up unusual activity and flagging it as suspicious. 

Prevent that from happening by informing your credit card company of any upcoming domestic or international travel by setting a travel notification. 

Many credit card companies allow you to set the notification online or via the app, though some companies may not require one at all. 

• Check international phone plans

If you want to use your phone when you're not connected to Wi-Fi while traveling, see what international phone plans your mobile carrier offers that fit your budget. An international plan will allow you to do things like make and receive phone calls, access social media and find directions as long as you have cell service. Without a plan, those functions will only be available when the device is connected to Wi-Fi.

Bonus tip, you can download maps to use offline and easily navigate a new place!

Reviewed-approved travel recommendations  

Purchases you make through our links may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.    

Reviewed helps you find the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of experts test everything from sleep masks and travel pillows to luggage and packing cubes to help you shop for the best of the best.  

• Tracking game-changer: Apple AirTags  
• Our favorite sleep mask: Mzoo Sleep Eye Mask  
• A top wireless charger: Yootech Wireless Charger   
• Must-have luggage: Travelpro Platinum Elite Softside Expandable Luggage  
• Organization hack: Amazon Basics 4-Piece Packing Cubes Set  
• The best portable battery pack: Mophie Powerstation Plus   
• Our favorite travel pillow: Cabeau Evolution Classic Travel Neck Pillow  
• Top-rated adult coloring book: Cindy Elsharouni Stress Relieving Adult Coloring Book  

Postcards from the Mullallys: Getting us out…

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Postcards from the mullallys: getting us out the door.

Life has a way of giving you reality checks and not always in subtle ways. My husband David ‘s and mine came when our 9-year-old Siberian husky was unexpectedly ripped out of our life because of an inoperable stomach tumor. Our hearts were broken and life lost some of its luster. Somewhere along the road of grief, I told an acquaintance that the travels abroad we had contemplated in the distant future, after Gem crossed over Rainbow Bridge from the natural course of aging, seemed meaningless now.  She surprised me by saying,  “think of this window of travel time as a gift from Gem since you’re not getting any younger.” As she said that, It dawned on me that, although intellectually I knew life didn’t come with guarantees, I had fooled myself into assuming that Gem would live healthily to a very old age.  I was now at risk of ignoring the diminishing odds regarding travel fitness for seniors.

And so, with that reality check, we began planning for vagabonding abroad with planes, trains, automobiles, bicycles, ships, ferries and camper vans.

The journey begins with a dose of American history in Philadelphia and Washington D.C., the jumping off point for Euro wanderings in Portugal, Spain, Morocco, France, England, Denmark, Iceland and Greenland before docking in New York City and detouring home through Canada.

We left last week with a backpack, an ambitious itinerary, an open mind, Gem in our hearts and a five-month supply of multi-vitamins. David joked that when the Mullallys had written their last weekly postcard, we would be ready to come home, settle down and start a family — a four-legged one that is.

Linda B. Mullally and husband David share their passion for travel, outdoor recreation and dogs through articles, hiking books and photography at Falcon.com and Facebook. They have been longtime contributors to the Herald with their column Travels with the Mullallys. They’ll be filing short reports and photos to the Herald of their adventures during their more than four-month journey. 

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Five mind-blowing facts - New York Central passenger trains

Mind-blowing facts - new york central passenger trains.

We are 50-plus years into the Amtrak era, which began on May 1, 1971. A few Amtrak trains still carry the identity of the conveyances they imitate - California Zephyr, Empire Builder, and Crescent - to mention a few. What lives on today is a contemporary train - traveling a route similar to the original, but not quite - that is a shadow of their forebears. When it comes to American passenger trains, names like the Super Chief, City of New Orleans, or Capitol Limited evoke a hushed reverence and the legend of exceptional service, comfortable accommodations, fine food, and a schedule well maintained.

If these few name trains are the stuff of legend, then the New York Central, its Great Steel Fleet, and trains like the 20th Century Limited are the stuff legends are made of. Many have argued that the 20th Century Limited was the finest passenger train on American rails. Argue how you like and long for the days of yore, but either way come along now for a glimpse behind the legendary standard passenger trains of the New York Central. There is more to the story than meets the eye across all the years. These are five-mind blowing facts about the passenger trains of the New York Central.

No. 1 - The Century by the numbers

The New York Central's top passenger train was the 20th Century Limited . It was an all-Pullman, extra-fare, luxury liner running between New York and Chicago on a 15-hour schedule in 1948. An early-1930 advertisement by the NYC stated that: "The 20th Century Limited long since ceased to be a ‘train.' It is a daily fleet of trains." In the 12 months prior to the ad's appearance, the NYC had dispatched 2,153 trains carrying the  20th Century Limited name. That works out to almost six sections of the train daily. The record day came in January 1929 when seven Century sections traveled eastbound from Chicago to New York carrying 822 passenger.

Each Century section required a crew of nearly 70, which is a ratio of one crew member for every 1.75 passengers. Included among the staff were sleeping car porters, dining car waiters, stewards, cooks, maids, barbers, manicurists, valets, and secretaries.

Equipment-wise, the NYC kept 24 locomotives and 122 identical luxury sleeping cars on standby to meet demand and or mitigate negative situations impacting the Century's schedule. The schedule, by the way, was guaranteed to the point that the NYC refunded each passenger $1 for each hour the train was late. Also, the 122 standby sleepers, as with all cars assigned to the Century, had to be turned so that passenger room windows faced the waters of the Hudson River going into or coming out of New York. The NYC paid attention to the smallest detail so passengers would have the best travel experience.

No. 2 - The Wolverine and My Old School

Grab those stereophonic headphones, it's time for a trip back to 1973 …

I remember the 35 sweet goodbyes

When you put me on The Wolverine up to Annandale

It was still September

When your daddy was quite surprised

To find you with the working girls in the county jail

I was smoking with the boys upstairs when I

Heard about the whole affair, I said oh no

William and Mary won’t do …

Dial the volume down from 10 and let's interpret what you just heard. This is the first verse of the song My Old School from the group Steely Dan's 1973 album Countdown to Ecstasy. Band leaders Donald Fagen and Walter Becker tell the story of getting caught up in a pot bust at their old school - Bard College - in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. The incident happened in May 1969, a time when "long hairs," like Fagen and Becker, were targeted for their behavior - real or imagined.

The Wolverine was a New York Central train running from New York to Chicago, and was popular transportation for Bard students. The train ran an interesting route, ducking into Canada after Buffalo, N.Y., and returning to the U.S. at Detroit, before a final sprint to the Windy City. It carried both sleeper and coach accommodations.

The time visited in My Old School was a time when The Wolverine, like many passenger trains, was in decline. Starting in 1957, the train lost its observation car. By December 1967, The Wolverine was no longer a named train, merely appearing as Nos. 17/8. During the Penn Central period, the train remained numbered only - westbound, Nos. 61/17. Eastbound, No. 14, was truncated at Buffalo, with passengers needing to change trains at 2:30 a.m. in order to reach New York.

Interestingly in all of this, The Wolverine never stopped in Annandale-on-Hudson. The closest NYC station to Bard College was 8 miles away in Rhinecliff, N.Y. Finally, today's Amtrak Wolverine, running between Chicago and Pontiac, Mich., via Detroit, is a direct descendant of the original NYC train … although neither of them would actually get you to my old school.

No. 3 - Would you like butter with that?

The 20th Century Limited epitomized the concept of a passenger train being akin to the finest hotel or steamship, but one that glides along steel rails rather than remaining perched on a foundation or cresting the next wave. During the Century's heyday, its two arch-competitors could be found in the Pennsylvania Railroad's Broadway Limited, and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's Capitol Limited , both of which also ran a New York-Chicago route. It has been reported, that all else being equal in the mind of the passenger, the choice of which train to take sometimes came down to the dining car the passenger preferred.

If a passenger liked butter, the  20th Century Limited was the way to go. Beginning with the Century's inauguration in 1902, Dr. William Seward Webb, a Vanderbilt relation and president of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad over whose tracks the Century ran west of Buffalo, N.Y., became the official source for the train's butter provision. Webb owned a hobby agricultural venture - Shelburne Farm, located on the shores of Lake Champlain in Vermont. For a hobby farm, the operation was stunning, featuring well-maintained, prized herd of purebred Hereford cattle. From here, Webb produced the luscious creamy butter served aboard the Century.

For each passenger, the Century carried one pound of butter. The butter was served at table in the dining car and also used in the kitchen for cooking. However, whether traveling New York to Chicago or Chicago to New York, a pound of butter was allotted for each passenger. " … the diners of the Century may will have rolled on butter in their journal boxes," commented noted author and photographer Lucius Beebe in his book on the train.

No. 4 – Beer and NYC trains don't mix

New York's Grand Central Terminal stands as an icon in the railroad world. Since opening on Feb. 2, 1913, millions have passed through its spectacular halls, beginning, or ending a long-distance journey or merely as part of a daily commute. The Terminal's construction solved a significant neighborhood problem, by putting the trains underground and converting Park Avenue, running north of the station, into a boulevard befitting the posh uptown neighborhood the area was becoming.

Constructing Grand Central's two levels of track required massive excavations along Park Avenue. From 42nd to 50th street 1.6 million yards of rock were drilled and removed along with 1.2 million cubic yards of earth. More than 200 buildings were razed as the terminal site expanded from 23 to 48 acres.

One of the many construction challenges that arose appeared in the two-block area bounded by Lexington and Park avenues and 50th and 52nd streets. Roughly a third of these two blocks were occupied by two schools and church, another third by businesses and apartments. The last third, and the largest single landholder was the F.&M. Schaefer Brewing Co. The brewery fronted Park Avenue and for many years enjoyed having a street-level siding. With the tracks being moved below street level, the brewery's siding was gone. More disturbing, however, was that the drilling vibrations and the close proximity of the railroad excavations to the brewery threatened underground lagering cellars.

Despite the setbacks and danger, The F.&M. Schaefer Brewing Co. did not protest the planned expansion. On Nov. 22, 1902, according to the New York Times, former city controller Ashbel P. Fitch, representing the brewery, stated, " [F.&M. Schaefer Brewing Co. will] not stand in the way of any great public improvement, and that although they had already suffered by the closing of streets, they were willing to suffer more for the public good."

Ultimately, Schaefer Brewing closed the Manhattan plant, sold the incredibly valuable land, and built a new brewery in Brooklyn.

Trains Moscow to Elektrostal: Times, Prices and Tickets

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Moscow to Elektrostal by train

The journey from Moscow to Elektrostal by train is 32.44 mi and takes 2 hr 7 min. There are 71 connections per day, with the first departure at 12:15 AM and the last at 11:46 PM. It is possible to travel from Moscow to Elektrostal by train for as little as or as much as . The best price for this journey is .

Get from Moscow to Elektrostal with Virail

Virail's search tool will provide you with the options you need when you want to go from Moscow to Elektrostal. All you need to do is enter the dates of your planned journey, and let us take care of everything else. Our engine does the hard work, searching through thousands of routes offered by our trusted travel partners to show you options for traveling by train, bus, plane, or carpool. You can filter the results to suit your needs. There are a number of filtering options, including price, one-way or round trip, departure or arrival time, duration of journey, or number of connections. Soon you'll find the best choice for your journey. When you're ready, Virail will transfer you to the provider's website to complete the booking. No matter where you're going, get there with Virail.

How can I find the cheapest train tickets to get from Moscow to Elektrostal?

Prices will vary when you travel from Moscow to Elektrostal. On average, though, you'll pay about for a train ticket. You can find train tickets for prices as low as , but it may require some flexibility with your travel plans. If you're looking for a low price, you may need to prepare to spend more time in transit. You can also often find cheaper train tickets at particular times of day, or on certain days of the week. Of course, ticket prices often change during the year, too; expect to pay more in peak season. For the lowest prices, it's usually best to make your reservation in advance. Be careful, though, as many providers do not offer refunds or exchanges on their cheapest train tickets. Unfortunately, no price was found for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal. Selecting a new departure or arrival city, without dramatically changing your itinerary could help you find price results. Prices will vary when you travel from Moscow to Elektrostal. On average, though, you'll pay about for a train ticket. If you're looking for a low price, you may need to prepare to spend more time in transit. You can also often find cheaper train tickets at particular times of day, or on certain days of the week. Of course, ticket prices often change during the year, too; expect to pay more in peak season. For the lowest prices, it's usually best to make your reservation in advance. Be careful, though, as many providers do not offer refunds or exchanges on their cheapest train tickets.

How long does it take to get from Moscow to Elektrostal by train?

The journey between Moscow and Elektrostal by train is approximately 32.44 mi. It will take you more or less 2 hr 7 min to complete this journey. This average figure does not take into account any delays that might arise on your route in exceptional circumstances. If you are planning to make a connection or operating on a tight schedule, give yourself plenty of time. The distance between Moscow and Elektrostal is around 32.44 mi. Depending on the exact route and provider you travel with, your journey time can vary. On average, this journey will take approximately 2 hr 7 min. However, the fastest routes between Moscow and Elektrostal take 1 hr 3 min. If a fast journey is a priority for you when traveling, look out for express services that may get you there faster. Some flexibility may be necessary when booking. Often, these services only leave at particular times of day - or even on certain days of the week. You may also find a faster journey by taking an indirect route and connecting in another station along the way.

How many journeys from Moscow to Elektrostal are there every day?

On average, there are 71 daily departures from Moscow to Elektrostal. However, there may be more or less on different days. Providers' timetables can change on certain days of the week or public holidays, and many also vary at particular times of year. Some providers change their schedules during the summer season, for example. At very busy times, there may be up to departures each day. The providers that travel along this route include , and each operates according to their own specific schedules. As a traveler, you may prefer a direct journey, or you may not mind making changes and connections. If you have heavy suitcases, a direct journey could be best; otherwise, you might be able to save money and enjoy more flexibility by making a change along the way. Every day, there are an average of 18 departures from Moscow which travel directly to Elektrostal. There are 53 journeys with one change or more. Unfortunately, no connection was found for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal. Selecting a new departure or arrival city, without dramatically changing your itinerary could help you find connections.

Book in advance and save

If you're looking for the best deal for your trip from Moscow to Elektrostal, booking train tickets in advance is a great way to save money, but keep in mind that advance tickets are usually not available until 3 months before your travel date.

Stay flexible with your travel time and explore off-peak journeys

Planning your trips around off-peak travel times not only means that you'll be able to avoid the crowds, but can also end up saving you money. Being flexible with your schedule and considering alternative routes or times will significantly impact the amount of money you spend on getting from Moscow to Elektrostal.

Always check special offers

Checking on the latest deals can help save a lot of money, making it worth taking the time to browse and compare prices. So make sure you get the best deal on your ticket and take advantage of special fares for children, youth and seniors as well as discounts for groups.

Unlock the potential of slower trains or connecting trains

If you're planning a trip with some flexible time, why not opt for the scenic route? Taking slower trains or connecting trains that make more stops may save you money on your ticket – definitely worth considering if it fits in your schedule.

Best time to book cheap train tickets from Moscow to Elektrostal

The cheapest Moscow - Elektrostal train tickets can be found for as low as $35.01 if you’re lucky, or $54.00 on average. The most expensive ticket can cost as much as $77.49.

Find the best day to travel to Elektrostal by train

When travelling to Elektrostal by train, if you want to avoid crowds you can check how frequently our customers are travelling in the next 30-days using the graph below. On average, the peak hours to travel are between 6:30am and 9am in the morning, or between 4pm and 7pm in the evening. Please keep this in mind when travelling to your point of departure as you may need some extra time to arrive, particularly in big cities!

Moscow to Elektrostal CO2 Emissions by Train

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A Japanese Village Wants Tourists to Come for Heat, Soot and Steel

To lure visitors, residents of Yoshida, famed for its high-quality steel, are inviting tourists to help produce it.

The furnace in Yoshida reaches temperatures of about 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Credit...

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Photographs and Text by Craig Mod

• April 18, 2024

This past October, I found myself in Yoshida Village standing before a tatara, a giant open-top furnace that was filled with charcoal and raging with such controlled ferocity that it could have been a set piece in Lucifer’s bedroom.

Deep within the belly of those orange flames sat a growing and mangled ingot that contained some exceptionally high-quality steel called tamahagane, or jewel steel, from which Japanese swords have been made for much of the country’s history. The presence of a usable ingot seemed unlikely, and if true, downright alchemic. All we had been doing for the last 20 hours was gently shaking iron sand and fresh charcoal onto the flames at timed intervals.

Yoshida is nestled back in the mountains of Shimane Prefecture in central Japan, abutting the ever-turbulent Sea of Japan. For nearly 700 years, workers around Yoshida made jewel steel in places called tatara-ba (literally “furnace spots”) on a grueling schedule — one that reshaped mountains and rivers, that seared the brows of generations of sooty men shoveling charcoal in loincloths. Then, at the start of the 20th century, production all but ceased. Other methods were cheaper and more efficient.

At the height of its steel prowess, Yoshida swelled to nearly 15,000 people. Today, the population hovers around 1,500. As with many towns in the Japanese countryside, a mix of aging population, low birthrates and loss of industry has emptied its streets.

Recently, though, in a Colonial Williamsburg sort of way, 24-hour re-enactments of the old iron-smelting traditions began to be performed in Yoshida. The firings are managed by a man named Yuji Inoue, who works for Tanabe Corp., which owns the furnace. “We consider the tatara a symbol and a pillar of town development,” he told me, standing next to the flickering furnace. Mr. Inoue and Tanabe Corp. were trying to remake Yoshida into a kind of tatara village, which he hoped would create self-sufficiency, expand the population and revitalize the town.

And so with this notion of countryside regrowth in mind, a few times a year they fire up their furnace, invite tourists and birth an ingot weighing about 250 pounds.

The open-top blazing furnace was set on a concrete plinth in the center of a room. Flanking its longer sides were air intakes tubes, feeding the furnace, kicking it up to around 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Around it all hung Shinto purification ropes. Just before the fire was lit, a priest had blessed the whole place, for luck and safety.

Safety was paramount because around the flames, at various stations, milled a team of some 20 excited tourists, a mix of both Japanese and a few foreigners, all dressed in very hip dark gray jumpsuits. These were people paying roughly ¥200,000, or about $1,500, for the chance to be a worker in a tatara-ba for a day and night. (They would get to keep the jumpsuits and a small piece of raw steel as souvenirs.) Their faces and hands were streaked by charcoal.

Jewel steel is produced by sprinkling iron sand — alluvial (river-deposited) sand saturated with iron — slowly over a charcoal pit. The tourists spent hours chopping the pine charcoal to precise sizes. They used scoops woven from bamboo to gather heaps of charcoal and dump them atop the furnace.

Off to the side stood a man named Noriaki Yasuda. He was the designated conductor — called a murage — of this slow dance between heat, charcoal and dampened iron sand. Dressed in an electric blue jumpsuit, he stood out in beautiful, almost poetic, contrast to the licking orange flames.

Monitoring the airflow, the color of the fire and the height of the charcoal with paternal concern, Mr. Yasuda scowled and watched, sometimes retreating to sit in his dark alcove, his arms crossed, still scowling and watching. To produce steel using the tatara technique, it turns out, you spend a lot of time watching.

Outside the all-encompassing warmth of the tatara-ba, the October mountain air felt like prickles on the skin. The sky was abundant with shooting stars. Shimane Prefecture truly is in Japan’s hinterlands. You can take trains to Shimane, but from Tokyo it’s a fairly arduous journey. So it’s easier (and cheaper) to fly there. Of course, I rode the trains. The 500-mile trip took about seven hours.

The area is best known for its astounding Izumo Shrine, a foundational place in Japanese cultural mythology. Still, Shimane was one of the least visited prefectures in 2019. Only a sliver of all inbound tourists made their way that year. In contrast to sites like Gion in Kyoto, which is now overwhelmed by visitors, Shimane reminded me of Covid-era Japan when international tourism was effectively banned.

“Steel is just iron with a little bit of carbon,” Mr. Yasuda explained to me. When I finally built up the courage to talk with him, his face lit up in a wide smile from behind his mask. (Everyone was wearing masks, less out of Covid concerns and more because of the charcoal dust.) He casually led me to a blackboard in the back of his resting space and sketched out the basic chemical formulas of what was happening in the furnace, how charcoal serves two purposes. First, it burns much hotter than wood. And second, its carbon atoms are essential to the formation of steel; embedded between iron atoms, they increase the strength of the metal.

As I stood and watched that giant burning thing, I thought back to Akihira Kawasaki, the master Japanese swordsmith I had visited a few days earlier. I explained how I had never before held a Japanese sword, had never carefully looked at one up close. He nodded and removed one of his gleaming works from its scabbard and placed it on a piece of red felt.

I picked it up, and it felt like holding a black hole, as if light were disappearing into the ridge line of the blade, as if light was being flipped and flopped onto and into itself. My eyes couldn’t get a purchase on the thing. It glimmered and reflected like a mirror and simultaneously seemed to inhale the world. Held up to the lights, the blade seemed to glow as if lit from within.

I was mesmerized. It was a thing of extraordinary beauty: delicate yet strong, and terrifying in sharpness. An atavistic choir in the subcortical corner of my brain was screaming, “Stay away from that edge!” When I placed it back on the felt — warily, delicately, with great focus — I still accidentally sliced off a corner of the mat.

The gap between the smelting process and the end product of the sword was enough to make a thinking person faint. All this charcoal and sand, this heat, this sootiness, this periodic removal of slag — impurities that come out like molten lava, scooped up with shovels and carted away in beaten-up old wheelbarrows to be dumped outside in a smoldering heap — from the bottom of the furnace. That this process of utter rawness could result in a Japanese blade so pregnant with artistry and violence was a miracle of the highest order.

Back inside the tatara-ba, after 20 hours of feeding the furnace, the sand ran out and the process ended. A crowd of some 30 villagers, including several children, squeezed inside the furnace’s building. The concrete outer shell of the furnace was gingerly lifted with the help of a winch. The full force of the heat hit us all immediately. Inside still burned a mass of charcoal. Below the bed of charcoal was a floor of liquid slag. And in the middle of it sat what looked like a mauled rock — the ingot all this work had produced.

The crowd cheered. The ingot was brought onto the dirt floor, and we all gathered around it to take a family portrait.

Can you revitalize a town through steel-making in 2024? I don’t know. But Japan is dotted with this kind of history, culture and craft. The countryside is disappearing, but efforts like this are a worthwhile way to look back and honor what was — and to build something sustainable and future-facing.

There’s a practical element to it all, too: Tamahagane can’t be made any other way. “It seems that modern steel-making cannot produce the same thing,” Mr. Inoue told me when I asked why it was worth all the effort. “The tamahagane is right there, as the highest-quality pieces of the ingot,” he said. Those pieces will be broken off and shipped to a handful of swordsmiths across the country, and also to the museum shop in Yoshida. It turns out that tamahagane also makes amazing golf putters.

Craig Mod is a writer and photographer based in Kamakura and Tokyo. You can follow his work on Instagram: @craigmod . His previous book, “Kissa by Kissa,” chronicles a 435-mile walk along the Nakasendo Highway from Tokyo to Kyoto. His forthcoming book, “Things Become Other Things,” will be published by Random House in the spring of 2025.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .

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• International

Iran launches barrage of strikes toward Israel

By Tori B. Powell , Sophie Tanno, Emma Tucker , Kaanita Iyer , Paul LeBlanc and Adrienne Vogt , Jerome Taylor and James Legge, CNN

Our live coverage of Iran's attack on Israel has moved here .

Iran warns its response will be "stronger and more resolute" if Israel retaliates following latest strikes

From CNN’s Alireza Hajihosseini and Eyad Kourdi

Iran has warned that it will respond with more force if Israel retaliates over this weekend's strikes, which Tehran said were themselves a reply to an Israeli attack earlier this month on its embassy complex in Syria's capital Damascus.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent right of self-defense when required," Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, said in a statement.

Citing self-defense against repeated Israeli military aggressions, Iravani said the strikes were specifically in retaliation to an Israeli attack on April 1 against what Iran says were diplomatic facilities in Damascus.

Iran claims the attack violated international law and led to the death of seven Iranian military advisors, including key commanders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The statement also criticizes the United Nations Security Council for “failing to uphold international peace,” allowing Israel to “breach” established international norms and “escalate” regional tensions.

Additional context: Israel has carried out numerous strikes on Iran-backed targets in Syria, often targeting weapons shipments allegedly intended for Hezbollah, a powerful Iranian proxy in Lebanon. 

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the April 1 attack which destroyed an Iranian consulate building in the capital Damascus, including Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a top Revolutionary Guards commander.

However an Israel Defense Forces spokesman told CNN that their intelligence showed the building was not a consulate and was instead “a military building of Quds forces disguised as a civilian building.”

China expresses 'deep concern', calls for ceasefire

From CNN's Philip Wang and Irene Nasser

China has expressed "deep concern" over the "current escalation" following Iran's attack on Israel, according to a spokesperson for its Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, adding that it is a "spillover of the Gaza conflict" and a ceasefire should be implemented without delay.

In a statement, China called "on relevant parties to exercise calm and restraint to prevent further escalations."

"The ongoing situation is the latest spillover of the Gaza conflict," the spokesperson said, adding that a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas should be implemented without any more delay.

Beijing did not  name or condemn Hamas  in the wake of the initial October 7 attacks. Since then, it has condemned the war and been a vocal  proponent of an immediate ceasefire  and the implementation of a “two-state” solution.

Last month, Chinese diplomat Wang Kejian met Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar, the first meeting between a Chinese and Hamas official publicly acknowledged by Beijing since the outbreak of the  war in Gaza .

Wang’s visit follows efforts by Beijing to step up its profile as a  peace broker in the Middle East conflict.

US forces intercepted 70+ drones and at least three ballistic missiles, US officials say

From CNN's Oren Liebermann and Haley Britzky

US forces intercepted more than 70 one-way attack drones and at least three ballistic missiles during Iran's attack on Israel, according to two US officials familiar with the situation.

The ballistic missiles were intercepted by warships in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, one of the officials said. Iran launched more than 100 ballistic missiles in total at Israel, according to a senior administration official.

The US Navy currently has two destroyers in that area, both are guided missile destroyers capable of intercepting missile and drone launches.

US fighter jets were also part of the response to Iran’s attack on Saturday and shot down drones launched towards Israel, another US official told CNN.

Biden to meet with G7 leaders Sunday as he condemns Iran's "brazen attack"

From CNN’s Lauren Koenig

US President Joe Biden will meet with G7 leaders Sunday “to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack,” according to a statement released by the White House. 

“My team will engage with their counterparts across the region. And we will stay in close touch with Israel’s leaders,” the statement from Biden reads. “And while we have not seen attacks on our forces or facilities today, we will remain vigilant to all threats and will not hesitate to take all necessary action to protect our people.”

US defensive assets moved to the region earlier this week and “helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles,” according to the statement.

Biden also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu following Saturday’s attack “to reaffirm America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel.” 

United Airlines cancels three Middle East flights

From CNN’s Sara Smart

At least three United Airlines flights headed to or departing from the Middle East have been canceled amid the ongoing conflict unfolding between Iran and Israel.

On Saturday a flight from Newark, New Jersey to Tel Aviv, a flight from Washington D.C. to Amman, Jordan, and one from Dubai to Newark were canceled, the airline told CNN in a statement.

There have been no changes to any Sunday flights for United as of Saturday night, according to the airline. 

CNN has reached out to other airlines regarding cancellations.

Biden told Netanyahu US will not participate in offensive operations against Iran, US official says

From CNN's MJ Lee

The US will not participate in any offensive operations against Iran, US President Joe Biden has made clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a senior administration official told CNN.

The comments were relayed during the phone call that the two leaders shared in the aftermath of Iran's retaliatory strikes against Israel.

Biden tells Netanyahu tonight was a win, nothing of "value" hit in Israel, US official says 

Israel should consider tonight a win because the current US assessment is that Iran’s attacks had been largely unsuccessful and demonstrated Israel’s superior military capability, President Joe Biden told Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their phone call, a senior administration official told CNN.

The US’s assessment tonight was that almost all of the drones and missiles – including more than 100 ballistic missiles -- launched by Iran had been knocked out of the sky. No cruise missile made impact, the official said, and nothing of “value” was hit. 

Bolton: 'Passivity at this point for Israel would be a big mistake'

From CNN's Heather Chen

John Bolton, the former US national security adviser and ambassador to the UN, said “passivity at this point for Israel would be a big mistake,” warning of more attacks. 

“This is not time to play academic games and message and signal. This is a question of power,” Bolton told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. "If they came from a different location containing nuclear warheads, Israel might not be so lucky.”

A known Iran policy hawk, Bolton served in senior national security positions during the Trump and Bush administrations. A neoconservative, Bolton has in the past advocated war with Iran and a pre-emptive strike on North Korea.

In 2022, he was the target of an alleged assassination attempt orchestrated by a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

He has warned against underestimating Iran’s nuclear program, which Tehran has said is for peaceful purposes only.

“I think we have enough experience with faulty intelligence by now, not to be so sure, not to know how much of Iran’s uranium enrichment program is really being conducted under a mountain in North Korea,” Bolton said.

If Tehran sent “a wire transfer to Pyongyang,” it would give the North Koreans “enough time to put a couple of warheads on an airplane and fly them to Tehran. (But) if you take away their nuclear capability, that would be a dramatic hit to the regime, maybe enough to topple it.”

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