The True Importance of Travel
Mark Twain is credited with some very wise sayings (whether accurate or not). Several of these are related to travel, but my favorite is this:
“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 cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
I love this quote because I truly believe there is a correlation between travel and open-mindedness that we shouldn’t ignore. The events of the last year - particularly the politics, the fighting, the anger - coupled with the pause on world travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, has led me to think quite a bit about travel and its importance to us as individuals but also to the world.
In the U.S., travel isn’t encouraged or supported like it is in many other countries. Two weeks of vacation per year is standard for many full-time jobs. I used to think that was normal, until I met some Aussies 😂. In Australia (and many other countries), if you haven’t traveled the world or at least taken a gap year, you’re often considered not as valuable an employee. World travel experience is viewed as a benefit to the overall development of the person. And why wouldn’t it be? The real world is often the best teacher.
We all travel in different ways. For instance, not everyone has the interest or the bandwidth to become a conservationist or activist. A missionary trip to Malawi or Malaysia might not be on your radar. Sometimes we just want to escape reality for a bit, to relax, get pampered, and have fun. That’s normal and that’s okay! But if we step back and look at the gifts that travel can give us, we can all benefit.
I truly believe that one of the most important qualities a person can have is the ability to put oneself in other people’s shoes; to see things from a perspective different than your own. Without travel, without experiencing different cultures and meeting people of different races, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds, this is more difficult. If we stay within our bubble and only surround ourselves with people similar to us, how do we grow? Sure, we can read about Africa and watch documentaries on Netflix, for example. But we can’t truly understand the beauty and breadth of 54 countries - a continent more than three times the size of the U.S. - without stepping foot on her soil.
While Africa or other long-haul destinations may not be realistic for everyone, we can all make a concerted effort to get outside our comfort zones. Routines and traditions can be wonderful, but there’s more to the world than Disney! Oh and by the way - a long-haul destination doesn’t need to mean a second mortgage. In fact, for the price of an all-inclusive week in Disney, you can probably experience a safari in Kenya!
This is one of my biggest hopes once the pandemic travel restrictions are loosened. Whenever you’re ready and able to travel...push yourself. Go someplace new - maybe further from home. Appreciate the world, the diversity. Get (or renew) your passport. And of course, take the advice of Mark Twain - the world will be a better place for it.
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