There are many benefits to travel, but one of the least spoken of is how it can put you out of your comfort zone, and challenge all of your assumptions. It’s easy to talk about soaking in culture, about learning new means of life and enjoying new cuisine, but what all this amounts to is a perspective shift that can stay with you for years, or in some cases a lifetime.
Of course, this is hardly a new story. The idea of a highly civilized person heading to an ancient culture (who of course are civilized too, just in a different, perhaps more admirable way), and becoming enthralled with it is an anchor point for much of our modern fiction.
But we can also see this in our personal lives. Sometimes, we need a perception shift if only to get out of our personal boundaries and remove our blinders. Australia is wonderful, but a person from England heading to Sydney is hardly going to have much of their perception challenged, despite how wonderful and worthy this adventure is, given how closely the cultures match.
Perhaps they’ll be astonished at how much nicer the weather is, or how a black widow spider under your toilet seat can wake you up better than any coffee, but we digress.
In this post, we’ll discuss some of the best places to travel if you’re looking for that new perspective:
High-Tech, Advanced Economics
Sometimes, seeing a country in which public transport is reliable, there’s a common sense of civic duty, and general care is taken for common standards can be inspirational, as it helps you learn what is most important for being a good citizen. Japan tours are often cited as a fantastic example of this, not to define Japan as being a flawless country with no errors or quirks, only that the pride in its heritage, cuisine, and spirituality can inform us about the simplicity of life and how to remove some of the superfluous issues we may encounter back home.
Religious Countries
You don’t have to be religious to appreciate cultures that still hold onto their theocratic or spiritual roots. Seeing the old beautiful churches in England and Spain, heading to some beautiful mosques in places like Indonesia, or visiting Sikh temples can be nothing if not informative. Of course, many cultures are more primed towards secularism, but with worthwhile preservation of their spiritual standards. In many Western countries, we can forget the primacy this still has for some people, and so it can’t hurt to travel, experience it first-hand with respect, and come away richer for the experience.
Cultures Tied To Yours
It’s fair to say that countries and cultures around the world interact with one another and sometimes to a staggering degree. There’s a reason English is the predominant language in Australia for example, and it’s incredible to see the Cajun, French and English heritages present in cities like New Orleans. Heading to certain places and seeing how the vibrancy and mixing of heritage has occurred over the years can also help us see through some of the biases we may not have even recognized we still hold.
With this advice, you’re sure to travel with intention and in the spirit to challenge your natural understanding of the world.