Travel’s invaluable life lessons
Traveling for me is cathartic. Having the chance to log out of my email account and walk away from life’s daily routine is liberating. When I travel, I never fail to return home without feeling energized, relaxed, and ready to face life with a more open-minded, optimistic attitude. In many ways, being far for a while is akin to becoming a child again, wiping away worries and cynicism to explore the world with fresh eyes and wonderment. I suspect travel affects you similarly.
Anticipation, the joyful part of a journey
The subject of travel is top of mind as I’m currently planning a culinary excursion to Ireland and the UK. Like me, many of my friends are international travelers. We all agree that the anticipation of a trip invariably creates a certain sense of pleasure and happiness in us even before we get to the airport. This feeling can be intoxicating, which must be one of the main motives for keeping our passports up to date.
What are some of the other reasons for traveling? For wine marketer Ellen Negrin travel signifies freedom. As she explains it, “It affords me the chance to explore the culture, cuisine, history, natural beauty, art, style and people” of another land.”
Catching the travel bug
Ellen told me that when she was seventeen, she desperately wanted to go to Europe. Her parents, on the other hand, were not convinced it was a good idea given her young age. Ellen remembers, however, that they did meet her request halfway. “They agreed to send me on an American College Zionist trip to Israel where I worked for six weeks on a kibbutz, then three weeks traveling around the country and finally, two weeks of free time. I had worked the summer before and saved money which allowed me to buy a round trip ticket from Tel Aviv to Athens. I spent a few days in the city then found the ferry to Mykonos for a week. I returned to Israel to meet my group and returned home.” Ellen concluded that “This first trip abroad changed my life. It was so exciting. It took me out of my comfort zone and made me a world traveler for life.”
My first trip outside of America was at age nine when my father accepted a four-year assignment to work in Brussels. During that period, travel became my family’s favorite pastime. Every weekend my older sister Sharon and I were packed up in the back seat of our white Chevrolet and hauled off to explore our new home in Belgium.
Using frites as a carrot
My mother was on a mission to make sure we experienced everything this tiny country had to offer. One by one she ticked off historical sites, festivals, and churches, plus every single one of the country’s museums, or so it seemed to a young child. If we behaved our mother allowed us to stop at a frietkot (or outdoor Belgium fries stand) on our way home. Given these stands are omnipresent in the country, our “head guide” never had any problem fulfilling her bribe.
Sharon always ordered a double dollop of mayonnaise on her pile of twice fried frites which were typically served spilling out a paper cone. I preferred the pickle and mustard topping. (For the record, frites originated in Belgium and not France so the proper term is “Belgian fries!” Got that?)
After our family conquered all the tourist sites in Mom’s Belgium’s guidebook, she set her sight on visiting other European countries. We toured parts of France, Italy, and Germany. Finally, for our last family vacation, we headed to Spain. Instead of dashing to see endless historic monuments, my mother opted to chill out on the Costa Brava. It must have been that she was exhausted from packing up the household for our return Stateside. Needless to say, Sharon and I were thrilled to experience a more relaxed, less frenetic summer holiday, the first and only one in four years living abroad.
Falling in love with travel and an Italian
We stayed in a fancy hotel with an enormous swimming pool where one morning I met a handsome, Italian boy. His name was Paolo. He was sixteen, looked incredible in his minuscule bathing trunks, and as you might suspect, was brimming with adolescent hormones. I was a starry-eyed, pubescent 13-year-old ready for my first romance with “an older man.”
In addition to having a striking Roman nose, Paolo had coal-black, puppy-dog eyes. He wore his dark hair slicked back like the international movie stars of the late ‘50s. He wore beautifully tailored summer clothing, swam like a fish, and spoke excellent English, albeit haltingly. Compared with the goofy American boys from my school who wore sloppy blue jeans and ultra-short flattops, Paolo was sophistication personified. As if that were not enough, he was also studying to be a concert pianist. I had never met anyone before so cultured or gorgeous. When we parted—I cried for two days straight! —he left me with two things: a burning love for all things Italian and a desire for more unpredictably enjoyable travel experiences.
The biggest value of travel for a young adult: personal growth
Being able to travel at a young age has many life-long benefits. For example, increased self-confidence, resilience, and open-mindedness, to name a few. This is why I’ve always encouraged it with the young people in my life. Zoe Carter, one of my goddaughters, began that journey when she and her twin sister, Mei, were in high school and walked part of the Camino de Santiago. Most recently, Zoe ventured back to Spain, her maiden voyage traveling alone, to visit a college friend working in Madrid.
So, what value does a 22-year-old see in exploring other lands? In Zoe’s words: “I travel to expand my knowledge of the world and explore different cultures. I love to travel because it allows me to engage all my senses so I can understand and experience the most authentic parts of a culture, which is absent when you are reading a travel guidebook or hearing about a particular place through word of mouth.”
On her recent trip to Madrid, Zoe recounted that “The most meaningful experiences were the ones where I spontaneously formed new connections with people. Surrounded by a sea of Spaniards and tourists from around the world in the middle of Puerta del Sol, I never imagined I would meet a fellow New Yorker and end up spending almost the whole day exploring the city, enjoying sangrias and tapas on the streets of Madrid and talking about the complexities and joys of life and travel.”
Zoe had met Phillip who, as she explained, liked to be called "Grandpa." Her new friend is a 69-year-old retiree from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago who moved to NYC in his early teens and served as an MTA bus driver in the Bronx for about 50 years. What Zoe enjoyed best about this impromptu travel friendship was “hearing about his life story and the incredible wisdom he shared with me about the transformative power of traveling and navigating the world with confidence.”
Too much of a good thing
At the other end of the spectrum are the experiences of seasoned traveler and writer Marguerite Thomas. Marguerite has a background like mine. Both of us were raised in Europe and traveled extensively when young. When she returned to the States, she eventually became the travel writer for WINE NEWS magazine. As she explains it, “This meant that I also spent a good chunk of my adult life traveling (usually at least three or four times a year). Initially I went mostly to France, Italy, and California (mostly in that order) and then, when Latin American countries began producing competitive wines I went there too, and a little later to eastern Europe a couple of times (Greece became one of my favorite wine country destinations—the landscape! the history!! the people!!! And oh yes, the wine!). Most of the places I visited were so culturally rich and rewarding that I got too spoiled to be a ‘normal’ traveler simply oohing and ahhhing over monuments and beaches.
“Part of what made it all work so well for me is that l am lucky to speak fluent French (thanks to having spent my childhood in France), and I can understand a little wine-speak in a few different languages. But now that I am older and less energetic and have become perhaps lazy, I have little desire to travel the way I did. Perhaps it’s time to reconsider visiting monuments and strolling on a beach...”
Shifting gears
The seductive lure of travel rarely diminishes entirely with age. What happens is that people naturally become more selective in where they go and how they use their time, energy, and money.
In fact, on a recent train ride to Buck’s County my travel buddy Kate Hanenberg and I discussed how we’ve begun prioritizing our foreign trips as ladies “of a certain age.” Kate told me she had been invited to a wedding in Bangkok, Thailand. Considering this is in July—not the optimum time to visit an already hot, humid country—she hesitated to accept the invitation. However, she rationalized that if she went, she could take geographic advantage of also visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
An underlying travel theme: World Heritage Sites
Angkor Wat is an enormous Buddhist temple in northern Cambodia and the largest religious structure in the world. It holds both a Guinness Book of Records for its size and a World Heritage Site designation.
If you are unfamiliar with this term, a World Heritage Site (WHS) is a unique landmark or natural site designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific, or other forms of rare significance worthy of international protection. Meeting the criteria for this designation is incredibly difficult. Once awarded, the site is considered to belong to the world, not just to the country where it’s located. Some of the better-known sites include the Taj Mahal, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Vatican City. As you might suspect, the cost and benefits of maintaining a WHS status are both high.
How many sites have you visited?
Out of curiosity, Kate googled WHS on her iPhone. She found a list by country of all the current 1121 locations. To her surprise, she had already seen quite a few, starting with the National Parks in America visited as a child. She continued clicking through the countries and stopped at Mexico where she had just spent ten days. Kate discovered that all four stops on her itinerary that trip had WHS status: Mexico City, Oaxaca, Monte Alban, and Puebla!
“That’s it,” Kate exclaimed with unbridled enthusiasm. “Moving forward, all my trips will include a visit to at least one WHS. My mission now will be to explore as many as possible as long as I can travel.”
Challenges of gaining and maintaining WHS status
Another friend, retired advertising executive Natasha Kavanagh, always utilizes the WHS list whenever planning a trip. “I use it as a reference to figure out what is worthwhile seeing. I also find going back to the actual submission enlightening.
“A few years back in Mumbai, we met people involved in the UNESCO submission process for the city’s art deco district. It was fascinating to see the depth of research and money needed for an application. I am told that cost and lack of funding is one of the reasons why there are so few UNESCO sites in third world countries.“
Broadening your perception of the world
Natasha spends more time living out of a suitcase than anyone I know. When asked what she enjoys most when being away from home she replied, “Learning about new cultures and religions to get a better understanding of people different from me, and then concluding that we are all more alike than different.”
Each trip impacts her differently. For example, when she visited Saudi Arabia several years ago Natasha recalls “being amazed at the diversity of landscapes, their commitment to education, particularly for women, and their clear, future-focused vision for developing their country. This is such a contrast to the typical US view of Saudis.”
Respecting cultural differences
Natasha brings up an important reason to travel: to develop cultural sensitivity. Most of us form opinions about a country based on what we’ve heard from others. In many instances our source of information—be it the media, our friends, or the internet—is viewed through biased, geopolitical lens. However, once we arrive in a foreign country and interact with locals, our perspective often shifts. This allows for a better appreciation of cultural values and norms which might differ from ours. Having this experience is essential to adapting to our ever-expanding, globalized world. It also allows us to be more understanding of complex international issues, especially political conflicts.
Diverse travel missions
Whatever your goals for travel—to retrace family roots, study a country’s cuisine, or seek out a WHS—it makes no difference. Getting away is guaranteed to be mentally, physically, and emotionally beneficial to your well-being. Despite its many positive values, travel invariably has some drawbacks. For example, Ellen Negrin finds it challenging “not speaking the language and having to learn how to use a different currency.” Zoe Carter agrees with Ellen than language can be “a major barrier while traveling and hinder your ability to immerse yourself in a culture.”
However, as Ellen beautifully sums up the pros and cons of travel, “Whatever downsides there are, the experience trumps all.”
To end this post, here’s a challenge to put you in the mood for your next trip. Go to this site, https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/ , and tell us know how many WHS locations you’ve visited. The person who racks up the highest number will win an autographed copy of my new book, Tarte Tatin Tales. To participate, send your list, by country, to marsha.palanci@gmail.com. Please include your shipping address. The winner will be announced June 15th.
And, as an extra treat, here is a fun video Zoe produced from her recent trip to Madrid. It vividly illustrates the joys of discovery from the perspective of a young American traveler:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1npkLTN-68b_boo9JW58uDIqFDW3J5RUE/view
Start packing everyone! Where are you off to next?