“The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes “sight-seeing.” – Daniel J. Boorstin
I have to admit, anytime I travel there are moments when I am clearly a tourist and other moments where I am more like a traveler. I am a planner. I like to know what I'm doing, what I'm going to see, and what is happening next. This is a huge strength of mine, but when it comes to be a traveler sometimes my planning causes me to miss out on incredible opportunities and moments interacting with the people and the culture of the place that I am in. Right now I'm starting to think about what I want to do and where I want to go this summer. I've decided that yes, I am going to make plans, but only to the extent of knowing where I'm going, when I'm going, how to get there, and where I will be sleeping. When it comes to what I am actually going to be doing in the towns and places I visit, well, that is where I hope this summer to be more of a traveler than tourist.
The best moments on all of my trips so far have been when I've stopped worrying about what I'm doing or where I'm going and I've spent time interacting with locals. I'm also an introvert so this isn't something that comes naturally to me. It is amazing how you can be somewhere half way across the world from where your "reality" is and you can make connections with people from a different background, a different upbringing, and a different culture than your own. Sometimes you can even make connections without being able to communicate via language.
One of my favorite connections that I made while traveling was one that was so simple and so brief, but has left a big impact on me. When we were in Egypt we had scheduled opportunities to go to an Egyptian village and speak with a family, but other than that we really did not interact very often with locals. During dinner one night at an Egyptian restaurant, I needed to go to the bathroom. There was a young woman who was probably in her mid to late twenties who was wearing an Abaya and head scarf. She was covered from head to toe as part of the customs of her culture so all I could see was her face. When I came in she smiled but she couldn't speak English so the smile was our only communication. For those of you who know me well, you are probably aware of the fact that I love earrings. I have probably close to 100 pairs and have some pretty neat ones and I make it a point to buy at least one pair in every country that I go to. On that particular day I was wearing a large interesting pair of earrings. When I cam out of the bathroom and went to leave the young woman grabbed my shoulder and stopped me. She smiled again and then modestly pulled back her headscarf and revealed a beautiful dangling pair of earrings. She then touched the pair that I was wearing and smiled again. This one such a small moment, but in that moment we both realized that despite the difference in our experience, the difference in our beliefs/cultures, and the fact that we had no way to really communicate with one another, that we had a connection- we shared something. For me this was also a very touching moment and something that must have taken some sort of bravery from the young woman. She made the decision to show me beyond her headscarf, to take something that is so important to wear in her culture off to show me something she was proud of and show me that we have a connection. It is moments like these that I really cherish when I travel.
The point of sharing this story is to remind all of us that when we travel, and even when we are here at home, to look for the little connections that you have with people. To realize that even though you may think someone is very different from you, that there are things that can bring you together- there are ways for you to connect. I think if we all took time to listen to one another, hear each others stories, we would learn that we aren't that different and that we can live together in harmony and appreciate one another. Look for those connections. I promise they are all around you.
I have to admit, anytime I travel there are moments when I am clearly a tourist and other moments where I am more like a traveler. I am a planner. I like to know what I'm doing, what I'm going to see, and what is happening next. This is a huge strength of mine, but when it comes to be a traveler sometimes my planning causes me to miss out on incredible opportunities and moments interacting with the people and the culture of the place that I am in. Right now I'm starting to think about what I want to do and where I want to go this summer. I've decided that yes, I am going to make plans, but only to the extent of knowing where I'm going, when I'm going, how to get there, and where I will be sleeping. When it comes to what I am actually going to be doing in the towns and places I visit, well, that is where I hope this summer to be more of a traveler than tourist.
The best moments on all of my trips so far have been when I've stopped worrying about what I'm doing or where I'm going and I've spent time interacting with locals. I'm also an introvert so this isn't something that comes naturally to me. It is amazing how you can be somewhere half way across the world from where your "reality" is and you can make connections with people from a different background, a different upbringing, and a different culture than your own. Sometimes you can even make connections without being able to communicate via language.
One of my favorite connections that I made while traveling was one that was so simple and so brief, but has left a big impact on me. When we were in Egypt we had scheduled opportunities to go to an Egyptian village and speak with a family, but other than that we really did not interact very often with locals. During dinner one night at an Egyptian restaurant, I needed to go to the bathroom. There was a young woman who was probably in her mid to late twenties who was wearing an Abaya and head scarf. She was covered from head to toe as part of the customs of her culture so all I could see was her face. When I came in she smiled but she couldn't speak English so the smile was our only communication. For those of you who know me well, you are probably aware of the fact that I love earrings. I have probably close to 100 pairs and have some pretty neat ones and I make it a point to buy at least one pair in every country that I go to. On that particular day I was wearing a large interesting pair of earrings. When I cam out of the bathroom and went to leave the young woman grabbed my shoulder and stopped me. She smiled again and then modestly pulled back her headscarf and revealed a beautiful dangling pair of earrings. She then touched the pair that I was wearing and smiled again. This one such a small moment, but in that moment we both realized that despite the difference in our experience, the difference in our beliefs/cultures, and the fact that we had no way to really communicate with one another, that we had a connection- we shared something. For me this was also a very touching moment and something that must have taken some sort of bravery from the young woman. She made the decision to show me beyond her headscarf, to take something that is so important to wear in her culture off to show me something she was proud of and show me that we have a connection. It is moments like these that I really cherish when I travel.
The point of sharing this story is to remind all of us that when we travel, and even when we are here at home, to look for the little connections that you have with people. To realize that even though you may think someone is very different from you, that there are things that can bring you together- there are ways for you to connect. I think if we all took time to listen to one another, hear each others stories, we would learn that we aren't that different and that we can live together in harmony and appreciate one another. Look for those connections. I promise they are all around you.
