Europe on My Mind

Just thought I'd throw this question out to all the world travelers out there! What have you learned about yourself and others? What old habits did you get rid of, and what new habits did you acquire? What is the BEST thing about traveling? What do you think???

Hugo Teles

<BR>Unknown traveller, <BR> <BR>

hamlet

Flash forward - I can see this posting getting a zillion responses pages long.... so I'll try to be brief. My traveling experiences have shown me that the world is not such a big place (and it gets smaller everyday thanks or no thanks to technology) and that people are basically the same wherever you fo, they just look different and speak different. For this reason the world may be "small," but is filled with amazing places to see and experience. We live in a variety of surroundings - old and new, beautiful and ugly, peaceful and noisy, natural and contrived. There is always something new to see even though we so often find ourselves wanting to revisit the same old places (our 2nd homes). Traveling can be quite humbling as you step into other worlds but at the same time it builds confidence (especially if you've traveled alone) as you take on new adventures and learn new things. I could go on and on...... Arthur Frommer (gasp!) wrote a great essay on this topic which is on that website under "Testy Opinions." I highly recommend it and other articles he has posted there on travel issues.

Becky

I can't wait to read others' responses to your wonderful questions! Here's my spiel: <BR> <BR>I've learned that foreign lands bring out my adventurous and romantic side, that bringing an umbrella is always prudent and that discovering a church, museum, lake, building, painting, sculpture, town, city, view, mountain for the first time makes me wax lyrical. <BR> <BR>I've learned that most people are kind and generous, willing to help a stranger in their land. This restores my faith in humanity. <BR> <BR>Old habits I've gotten rid of: Not writing to people. I've met wonderful people from all walks of my life during my travels and I make it a point to keep in touch with them. <BR> <BR>New habit I've acquired: Smoking every time I reminisce about Italy. I smoked all the time when I was there on vacation. Now that I'm back, I don't smoke unless I start remembering my trip. <BR> <BR>Best things about travelling: Self discovery, eating great/strange food, meeting and getting to know people and seeing the boundless beauty the world has to offer <BR> <BR>Next ....

Raeona

Great question! Traveling has taught me....how American I am...and, in fact, how Midwestern...cuz even in California, I found myself missing the Midwestern farm landscapes....Being away from here (in Paris, for instance...not California!), has made me appreciate it. <BR>That's not meant as a put-down...it's just..the way it is. <BR> <BR>But what travel teaches you, I think -- if you've a mind/sensibility to learn it..is that, most importantly: you get what you give. Be on your very best behavior; work (*hard) to overcome any Ugly American stigma (possibly the person just before you in that store/restaurant/hotel...) and you will be rewarded with courtesy, warmth, friendliness..Most of all...smile! Who is ever rude to someone who smiles?

Mary

<BR>I have found traveling to be a "humbling" experience. I seem to hunger more in our travels to see things nature has created (mountains, canyons, fjords, glaciers etc.). Nothing puts ones troubles, to me, in more proper perspective than to look out from the top of some magnificent mountain or to be thrilled looking into some spectacular canyon. When one realizes the age of some of these creations, our own time here seems so short so it makes me appreciate and and want to do more with the time I have. The best thing, to me, about traveling, is knowing that no matter how excited I get about the beauty I have seen, there is even MORE out there to see! The joy can be endless as long as we have the health with which to travel and better still if we have someone to share it with.

ilisa

I have learned to appreciate my home country more, while at the same time realizing the United States is not the center of the universe. I have gained a greater appreciation and love for other cultures. My desire to learn has increased enormously. While travelling has made me a great deal poorer financially, it has made me even richer because of the sites I have seen, the things I have learned and the people I have met. Because of our travels, my husband and I now have friends all over the world. We know so many people who don't travel because they say it is too expensive, too much trouble, too different...The list goes on. They are only doing a disservice to themselves.

Maira

This is the type of question that if you don't have an answer, something is wrong...I grew up in a small fishermen village in Puerto Rico with dreams of one day travelling the world. Thru education and hard work that dream has come true. Travel has taught me that the Golden Rule is a universal truth; that you do get what you give.

Paul Rabe

This American always finds it a humbling experience to travel to a non-American city of millions of people and feel safer than in my Iowa city of 50,000. It forces me to ask, why is there less crime in Instanbul than in Ames? It's always refreshing to realize that we Americans don't have all the answers. <BR> <BR>Oh yeah, it's ALSO nice to find out how beautiful the rest of the world is!!

Kristin

Of course, there are many ways to answer the question. But the first thing that came to mind was how I learned that my surroundings make more difference to me than I had thought. Being brought up in a small town in Michigan, I was used to pretty non-descript buildings. One trip to Prague and I came back literally HUNGRY for more of the beautiful architecture. I had to go back the next year for more! Before that first trip I didn't even know what I was missing! <BR>