As part of my participation in the zooGooder fundraising challenge December 2-9, for which I'm supporting Global Lives Project (find out more), I wanted to share why I'm so passionate about travel and why I think Global Lives Project shares some of the important insights of travel to those who may not have the chance otherwise. But rather than just having me blather on and on about travel I thought it'd be much more fun to hear from all of you as well!
So, a little fun: Please join me in sharing what travel has taught you using the #travelteaches hashtag on Twitter. Travel is such a powerful experience which I have personally taken so much from, and I know it's meant a lot to many of you also. I'd love to hear your stories and perspectives. So let's see if we can get a good conversation going and encourage others to use the hashtag and join in as well.
If you're not a Twitter user please leave a comment here instead!
I'll collate all tweets and comments in this post, so hopefully it will grow over the course of the week. Or I'll just be quoting myself, we'll see! :)
Space permitting please link to this page using http://bit.ly/trvlteach.
Find out more about my Global Lives Project fundraiser.
#TravelTeaches:
@gunyahtravel: Not to immediately think every taxi driver is a crook going to overcharge you! Life lesson; book, cover, judge.
@philosert: #travelteaches tolerance.
@lyrianfleming: #travelteaches me that rice is for breakfast, the pyramids r not lego, smiles r universal, personal space is subjective, & camels are smelly
@lyrianfleming: #travelteaches me to love - the call to prayer, the chiming of church bells, the symbols in a synagogue, the eternity in a prayer wheel
@tomjd: #travelteaches me to be slow and still, to allow wisdom to emerge at its own pace. I find this only happens out of the city.
@noboundariesorg: The world is safer, friendlier, more inexpensive and more welcoming than most people are lead to believe.
@tomjd: #travelteaches me that there are many paths to the same destination, that there's no "right" way of doing things.
@BonnieKoenig: With eyes & ears wide open, travel always introduces new perspectives & ways of viewing the world.
@memeshift (shared in comments): Traveling brings you presence. When traveling about, switching your cultural operating systems between the different spaces you inhabit as you merge, blend, depart and float can do a lot as you get acclimated to the different senses of time, speed and cultural nuances in each inhabitation. It shifts and frees your perception of things to not be so attached to particular ways of life, however pleasurable or not.
BonnieKoenig (in comments): Every trip I’ve taken to another country, no matter how short or long, has opened my eyes to a different perspective that I had not thought about before. It can come from observing people, reading a local paper or hearing a radio report, or more in depth conversations or experiences. It’s a cliche, but true, that nothing else can really replace the learning experience that travel affords. Of course, one gets back what one puts in, and honing one’s observations and listening skills and being open to new learning is important.
@GeoffLiving: Travel teaches me the broadness of the universe, how amazing it is, and what a small role I have in it.
@EdwardHarran: Travel teaches me how to find extraordinary in the ordinary, it helps me embrace chaos and stay present wherever I might be.
@amvandenhurk: how we are all interconnected.
@c_rawlins: #travelteaches the many different definitions of happiness that exist, and how few of them relate to possessions.
@vibewire: #travelteaches a different perspective, a new view to admire.
@noboundariesorg: Cultural and language differences aside, we are all much more similar than we're led to believe.
@k8alexandra: #travelteaches me that we are all different and all the same. It also taught me that Lao people make the most amazing Indian food.
@sarahjansencom: #travelteaches there are as many versions of 'normal' as there are people on the earth.
Alex Budak (in comments): If I had to find one common lesson from my travels it’s that we are all so much similar than we are dissimilar. From a farmer I met in rural India to an Icelandic fisherman, after speaking with them I realized that there is so much more that connects us than separates us. While that may seem obvious to those that have traveled, before I left home and explored I would have certainly thought the opposite. It’s also taught me to be humble, ask questions (lest I experience another fiasco like trying to figure out German washing machines), and learn from everyone I meet!
Alice (via Facebook): There's not really any such thing as 'translation': Another language is not another way of saying the same thing - it's a different way of thinking.
Marian (via Facebook): Everyone loves a good laugh, women work HARD, everyone has to deal with the same shit, how to hold onto my pee for a really long time, there is a lot of plastic lying around, there are hidden deep corners of our world where nature rules and maybe we shouldn't go there.
Matt (via Facebook): People are cool and we should just get along.
Awesome stuff, thanks so much everyone who participated!