5 Things I’ve Learned from Authentic Travel
Authentic travel lesson: Nelson Mandela knew that even seemingly impossible change is possible.
Authentic travel – traveling in a way that makes it easy to connect with the local culture – is often life changing. When you look beyond the standard tourist sights, it’s not unusual to experience a shift in attitude and to acquire new passions.
Authentic travel can also be life enhancing. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned on the road:
Even seemingly impossible change is possible
I traveled in South Africa during the era of Apartheid – black beaches, white beaches, black townships, white neighborhoods. It all seemed so entrenched, but South Africans taught us that with enough hard work even seemingly impossible change is possible.
On my next trip to this dynamic country the difference made my head spin. In today’s Democratic South Africa, racial equality is the norm. I wondered if this seismic shift was limited to legal status, but over dinner with locals in Durban, I realized that attitudes about race have also changed dramatically.
Nothing that will ever be on my agenda would compare with the South African experience, but the principle that even tough changes are do-able is a lesson worth remembering.
Vietnamese have put the “American War” behind them
and are enjoying their country’s economic opportunities.
Forgiveness brings new possibilities for growth
In Vietnam I witnessed the benefits of forgiveness. My generation fought a war in this beautiful country, and many Americans are still dealing with the scars on our hearts. When I traveled here, I tried to engage locals in discussions of this conflict, but most are too busy with their new lives and their thriving economy. We experienced no animosity whatsoever because they’ve forgiven and moved on.
I thought about people I know who hang onto grudges like they’re a badge of honor and how they’re unable to move forward. The lesson I learned in Vietnam is that forgiveness benefits the forgiver.
Costa Rica is a great place to confront a fear of heights.
Fear is the great robber baron of all time
In Costa Rica I learned that it’s important to be willing to try new experiences. For years I have been hampered by a fear of heights – missing many once-in-a-lifetime opportunities – until I was coerced into flying over the top of a rainforest supported by nothing more than a cable zipline.
It was terrifying, but I’ll never forget the exhilaration I felt from facing my fear. I’m still not about to try bungy jumping, but the zipline experience empowered me to conquer new heights during a recent national park hiking trip.
The hippo population on the Lower Zambezi River is about 70 per kilometer.
Live in the present, enjoy the process
Authentic travel is my passion and the paradigm through which I view the world. For others it might be golf or gardening or – in the case of a man I met in Zambia – fishing. Dwayne had flown from the U. S. Midwest to the banks of the Zambezi River for the sole purpose of catching a notorious tigerfish. In a long conversation he explained to me that for him fly fishing is a metaphysical experience. “It’s about the preparation, the experience, and dealing with the results,” he explained.
In other words, slow down and be in the moment. Now there’s a challenging attitude adjustment that would benefit almost everyone I know.
When we parted, Dwayne still hadn’t caught any tigerfish, but he was expecting good things to happen. “Optimism is everything,” he said. And I know he’s right.
Gazing out the window of a plane I am often filled with awe. The world is incredibly beautiful.
Another authentic travel lesson: Always be grateful
The most important lesson I’ve learned “from the road,” I’ve really learned from the air. Gazing out the window at 35,000 feet, with glaciers or canyons or vast deserts below, I am often filled with awe. The world is incredibly beautiful. It’s our privilege to enjoy it and our responsibility to protect it.
Finally, I’m especially thankful that authentic travel has been my way of life for several decades. I’ve met many wonderful people who have welcomed me into their lives and shared their stories with me. They’ve also taught me to cook local specialties, taken me to their favorite scenic viewpoints, and walked with me on forest trails and snowy mountain passes.
For all of this, I am deeply grateful…
Category: Authentic Travel
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Love this!!
What wonderful words of wisdom – a mission statement for every traveler. Thank you.
Great column Elizabeth.
Travel is transformational altering the landscapes of our hearts and minds.
Lovely article, Elizabeth. Very thoughtful with a wise understanding of how travel impacts life.
Nicely said. I learn something new on every journey I take. The themes you have expressed are similar to ones I share in my travel collection Lost Angel Walkabout. I find that travel makes me care more about our planet and hope to bring awareness about so many of the environmental threats we face around the globe.
Excellent article, really enjoyed reading it & full of truths about how we interact with & experience our world. Thanks Elizabeth!
So refreshing and speaks to the need for travel at the core level, to be touched deeply and transformed by interaction with worlds so very different from our own.
Always great to read your posts. We are such kindred spirits and I so appreciate that you have the medium to share your thoughts/feellings/passion which are all the reason why I do what I do. This year I am on a mission to maintain the level of personaized, authentic experiences in an area that mass tourism is rapidly swallowing up. Fortunately,because of my immersion in Peru, I can do this and still skirt the crowds. Insider knowledge is key and I appreciate everyone of you who are dedicated to this.
As always Elizabeth, I remain your faithful fan and hope I can show you Peru “My Way” someday soon.
I really like the line “Fear is the great robber baron of all time.” I am really scared of deep waters but have always wanted to try surfing. So when I visited the Philippines, I tried going through the beginners class and it was awesome. I was able to enjoy my beach tripping because I have learned to surf. Cheers to more travel stories.
Thanks, Miranda. Isn’t is interesting how we’re motivated to conquer our fears because there’s something we want to do while traveling? You got over your fear of deep water and I wanted to try zip-ling so I had to deal with my fear of heights. Cheers to us!
Hi Elizabeth,
Have you ever been to Mexico City? I have traveled there twice and learned that many locals definitely “live in the present, and enjoy the process”. Every night, we would sit in a quaint café and dine on cheese and wine. I, more or less, devoured the cheese. It was delicious. Enough said. I have never sat in a restaurant for as long as I did when in Mexico City. People enjoyed each others’ company, discussed life, and shared stories. It was very relaxing and was a great way to authentically experience the culture.
Hi Elizabeth,
Almost a year later and I find myself re-reading this article and more of what you have written about Authentic Luxury. I still remain grateful that you are who you are and do what you do. We need to keep offering Authentic Luxury and let the wide world of travelers know there is a way to really travel and then there is just plain tourism. Reading all of this again today has been like a breath of fresh air. Thanks and Happy New Year
Thank you, Nina – for your support and for being a shining example of quality authentic travel.
“…In other words, slow down and be in the moment. Now there’s a challenging attitude adjustment that would benefit almost everyone I know…”
Absolutely right, it seems that everyone is always in a rush to get to where they want to be. Travelling opens you up to other cultures and ways of life that are seemingly poorer than our own, yet the people seem so much richer for it.
Great quote
South Africa also provides us a terrific lesson in forgiveness.
Instead of rushing apartheid-related gross human rights violators to prison or the noose, South Africa established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission with Archbishop Desmond Tutu as chair. Basically, sins were confessed, forgiveness requested and amnesty granted.
This was not a perfect process. Not every victim was pleased. Nevertheless, at least in my experience, you notice remarkably little bitterness in South Africa.
I cannot help but think how much better off the U.S. would be now if it had had its own Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the end of slavery and the War Between the States.
Elizabeth, Appreciate the emphasis you put on traveling Authentically. What a difference it makes when traveling and meeting the peoples of this world. Talking, learning, and enriching lives together. Traveling authentically is about sharing the whispers of our hearts wherever we may find ourselves.