Make Your Trip Meaningful

Every traveler has his or her own reason for traveling. Some people travel because it is the "thing to do." Other's travel simply to see the sights of the world. Then there are those who travel to party in different cities around the world (They are often disappointed by the sameness of "party scene."). Whatever your reason for traveling, there is one guaranteed way of making your trip much more meaningful; learn something about the history and culture of the places you will visit before you go.
It is an unfortunate aspect of our modern global culture that you can travel anywhere in the world without really leaving your culture. The globalization of many American institutions gives us a global comfort zone (McDonald's, Starbucks, and KFC are spoken everywhere). It is also unfortunate that many American travelers are absolutely fine with this. They quite often travel to far-off locations and never have to eat the local cuisine, or navigate a menu in a different language. They get to order the same food they do at home, and they get to do it all in English. They will stick to a very small area of the city that caters to American tourists, and they will complain that there is nothing to do or see. When they return home, their overall experience in a foreign country amounts to... zero.




The best way to ensure that you get the most out of each place you visit is to learn about that place before you go. Make a list of things you want to do and places you want to see during your free time in each city. You have the advantage of millions of websites at your disposal, so use them. Look up each city you will visit. Learn about the cultures, foods, and sights of each one. Try to find out something about the art and history in each place you will visit. "Europe 101" by Rick Steves (my personal hero) is a great resource to learn about the art and history of Europe. It's very easy to read, has a ton of color pictures, and might just knock the dust off of everything you forgot from your AP Europe class. Before you visit the cultural and historical sights of a city (something we do on every ACIS tour) find out something about what you will see. Frontload your visit to museums by learning about the pieces you will see. Pick out a couple of favorite works in each museum. This will make your visit to the museums much more meaningful and interesting, especially when you come face-to-face with your favorite works of art. If reading is not your thing, you can check out all of Rick Steves' TV shows on HuluPlus.




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