Meeting new people and experiencing new cultures opens your mind to the possibility that your small region of the globe is just that, one region of many in a wonderfully diverse world. Travel means meeting new people in their own contexts and learning that their homes may have something unique and delightful to offer.
Travelers take off for here and there to have more encounters with other nations and peoples. It is not without some struggle.
The airplane is a wonderful invention, especially if experienced from First or Business class. Economy class – while not really economical – can be a confrontation with classism. A person in economy knows what it is like to be in the 99 percent. People over six feet are very aware that the seats in the back of the plane are made for people less than five feet tall. This is height discrimination.
You do what you have to do.
Landing, while a relief, means finding your luggage.
Finding Waldo is sometimes easier. It seemed like such a good idea to get a
black suitcase as it should not get as dirty. Other cultures have some better ideas than we do. Yes this goes against our xenophobic prejudice, but it is true. Take, for example, European toilet paper. It is sturdy and comes on self-starting rolls. We could learn something on this count.
As well, the British save countless hours a year by holding a knife in the right hand and a fork in the left and never putting them down. The American way of changing hands and implements is a major waste of time that could be spent on more important things like sitting for an hour after supper talking to our companions.
Americans seem to want to jump up from dinner to text a friend or watch television which is not very European. In Austria you may wait hours until you finally ask for the check.
There is much for us to learn.
But, traveling also gives you a better understanding of your home and its value. There is suddenly something soothing about one’s personal pillow.
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