How has one place you've traveled to changed your life?

Question

Travel has had a huge impact on me before, opening my eyes and changing my perspective. Some places I've been have affected me more than others. Where have you been that has changed you and how?

Answer 1

I don't think of simply one place changing my perspective as I have traveled the world. What I believe travel does is to afford a most excellent education and to (no pun) broaden horizons. To have the opportunity to see and embrace other peoples' lifestyles and cultures is wonderful.

Last year's travels were truly remarkable. In May, a German friend invited my wife and I to join he and his wife for a Swiss vacation. As we are pilots, he provided a ski equipped airplane and we flew the Alps, landing on glaciers, and doing all of those things pilots do when reveling in the freedom of flight and in one another's company. From Switzerland we flew to Italy, Germany, and France, enjoying the national foods, and making new friends.

Later in July, my wife and I traveled to Tanzania for a lion hunt. Being a medical professional, she had the opportunity to provide medical care in remote areas while I was hunting and to really enjoy the diversity of fauna. We found the Tanzanians to be gracious, kind, and generous, and were fascinated by the Masai culture. Following the lion hunt, we traveled to Scotland to hunt highland stag and then toured the highlands which was really meaningful to my wife who is of Scottish ancestry.

Wherever we have been, we have found wonderful people, many of whom have become dear friends. These new found friends make travel meaningful. Places may be interesting, but it is the people that make travel worthwhile.

Answer 2

There's two places I've been that have affected my perspective on my young twenty-five year old life. The first place is the Philippines. The Filipino culture and people are so beautiful and colorful. So diverse, loving, happy culture and people are always laughing all the time even though they may be poor. It was the first time I experienced poverty, but it didn't make me sad, rather it made me more proud to be half Filipino. I appreciate more now, the nice things I have, my job, but it's the fun and loving culture that I feel lacking here.

The second place I visited was Switzerland. This place is rich! Everything there seems to be a little on the expensive side so you better have your SwissFrancs ready. You won't really see people living in mansions, there's more townhouses and apartments. I was in Zurich and Bern, where people mostly speak Swiss/German. Downtown Bern is a beautiful city that made me feel like I was in a movie. Most people travel by fast trains but in the downtown you have a good chance of seeing a Lamborghini or Ferrari car parked on the side of the street. The fashion there is very "European" nice looking and fitted. All the expensive brands are there like Gucci, Tag Heuer, Louis Vuitton, etc. Oh, how could I forget about the cheese and chocolates?! The best tasting cheese and chocolates in the world. I also visted the city of Geneva, which is next to the border of France. Most Swiss people there can also speak French. Geneva is also very rich and exciting.

Being from a small suburb of Detroit, Michigan and then traveling to two totally different places made me realize that there's a lot more out there in the world. If you've never been anywhere else in your life, I would recommend traveling to another country if the opportunity arises. The experience is life changing.

Answer 3

Well I have wanted to come to Alaska for a LONG time and I finally got that opportunity back in 2001. It was supposed to be a 3 month vacation of the summer to visit a friend of mine and it has turned into over 5 years. Sometimes a place touches you in such a way that you feel at home, even if you have never been there before. Either you love it or you hate it and I love it. I have been to a few different places here in Alaska, including some of the remote Native villages that you need to fly to and have seen lifestyles far different than what I know and the best thing about it is that the atmosphere is so laid back here that noone really worries about not having running water. Its just an accepted part of life here. I never before thought that I could spend a winter in 50 below and love it, but I do.
I came to Alaska with a few pieces of luggage, some cameras and an open mind as to what I would find here. And now I have a place on my own, a car, a job, a son, animals and a life that is good and more fulfilling than what I had where I was originally from. A place can dramatically change you, for good or bad; I wont say its all been a bed of roses since I came here but I do know that I am a much wiser and stronger person for having come here on my own and carving a life out for myself, even though it was my original intention to have a little vacation :)

Answer 4

Travel has been my lifesaver. It opens my eyes and calms my soul. I could go on and on about all the wonderful people in so many wonderful places. And I voice the same sadness spoken here of the poverty in so many other places. I am glad to call the United States of America HOME.
One day, riding down a road in Utah I saw before me the layout of the desert to the left and a mountain that I'd just came down on my right. The colors were subtle but beautiful none the less. The road was nice, the car cool and I had just taken a swallow of some can drink. While still moving my eyes casually scanned the ridge when I noticed some sheep. And sure enough there was a rider, a shepard, on a horse. I have never seen anything so quiet, peaceful and wonderous. The colors of the trappings, the relaxed posture and the sheep scattered and eating were transfixing. It seemed to me when the shepard lifted the canteen to drink, that I had gone back in time. I sat in my time machine and looked for a long time. Slowly she moved to a small rise then slipped out of sight, herding her sheep the way others have done for centuries. My travels have been wonderous but I will never know, (as only a visitor), the taste of water from a canteen while riding in dust from a million year old escarpment. I will never know the peace like that woman knows. She knows the wind and rain like only an offspring knows a parent. She knows the stars and the moon like a brother and sister. I felt so much poorer to have had to continue on in my airconditioned vehicle.
Please do not misunderstand, I love my car and can not give up my job, but oh, for just a minute in time to share a path with a shepard and her sheep, now that was an unforgettable moment in time. Nothing before had ever really made me understand that peace and tranquilty are both commodities that can not be purchased with dollars.

Answer 5

It was supposed to be a 3 month vacation of the summer to visit a friend of mine and it has turned into over 5 years. Sometimes a place touches you in such a way that you feel at home, even if you have never been there before. Either you love it or you hate it and I love it. I have been to a few different places here in Alaska, including some of the remote Native villages that you need to fly to and have seen lifestyles far different than what I know and the best thing about it is that the atmosphere is so laid back here that noone really worries about not having running water. Its just an accepted part of life here. I never before thought that I could spend a winter in 50 below and love it, but I do.
I came to Alaska with a few pieces of luggage, some cameras and an open mind as to what I would find here. And now I have a place on my own, a car, a job, a son, animals and a life that is good and more fulfilling than what I had where I was originally from. A place can dramatically change you, for good or bad; I wont say its all been a bed of roses since I came here but I do know that I am a much wiser and stronger person for having come here on my own and carving a life out for myself, even though it was my original intention to have a little vacation :)

Answer 6

I went to Paris, which is very cliché for a European travel destination, but it was my first trip. When I stepped off the plane, I felt like I was in another world. The set up of the airport looked like a space terminal, and I was just in awe. The people were different, the smells were different, and everything was just completely different. Suddenly I finally realized that my world was nothing compared to the world. I had always known how big the world was, but within 10 minutes I finally understood how big the world was.
I perceive the place where I live vs. the place I visited. My experiences were always very different from those kids who vacationed locally. As a young adult, I became more adventurous and was thrilled to go to different places around mainly Europe and the US, and those experiences prompted me to try life in cities other than my own. I think that the most perspective-changing trip I ever made was to Mexico, a place both beautiful and full of contrasts I never had been exposed to before. While I enjoyed many aspects of the culture and the landscape, I could not help to think about the large socioeconomic gap between the rich and the poor. After that trip, I've become more interested in the issues regarding countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and hopefully I will be able to visit other locations soon.

Answer 7

I have been all over the world, but I would have to say that China made some of the most impact for many reasons. We went to some pretty remote parts of China, and it can be very difficult to communicate with people. More so then any other place I have been to. Since returning I have been learning Mandarin and I am planning another trip back. There is a great deal of true poverty in China, a poverty that no one in the US could ever understand. The poorest people there survive in conditions that the poorest people here would never consider. I was also shocked by the industrialization that is going on there, creating a smog like I never knew could exist.
But all in all, what I've learned from all the places I've been is that all humans really want the same things. We are all the same deep inside, with these beautiful, colorful, interesting, different exteriors. Also, that what you see on TV is not what you see in real life. The news, and TV try to make us all look so different from eachother, and tries to increase the seperation that we feel, but it's all a facade.
If you've never travelled, then get out there. Go to Mexico, go to Canada, wherever is closest to you to start with. It will change your perception of the world (I hope).

Answer 8

For me personally, it was my trip to Italy back in 1996. I was 25 years old and a friend of my family who is a priest was organizing the Italy trip and my mother convinced me to go. She told me, "you've always wanted to go and you have the money right now" I was living at home at the time and working. So after thinking about it, I went and I had a grand time!! It was my first international trip with 35 other people, all older than I was. I made some new friends and got to experience a different culture. That was ten years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday. I have lots of good memories and dig out the pictures every couple of months.
The second place that had a huge impact on me was Hawaii. My cousin married an Australian in 2002 and the wedding was held on Maui. I have never seen a place so beautiful. Rainbows everywhere I turned!! The Hawaiians were very friendly and I got to experience a real-life luau. It was also bittersweet because my dad passed away in May of 2002 and my cousin got married in October of that year. I really didn't want to go home after the week was over. I would have loved to have moved there!
I've been wanting to travel more, but I guess I'll have to wait until I find a job and have the money!!

Answer 9

The reason Travel has such an impact on anyone's life is because it is education and education is the great emancipator! I love meeting people from all over the world and have had jobs that do just that whether it is traveling or just staying at home and teaching foreigners our culture and in the meantime learning their own. I have had the most difficulty understanding the middle eastern culture, but that's because our country is young and there's is millineums old. I think it's best just to accept some means of thinking and not try to change them. Like the saying, "While in Rome, do as the Romans do" We should just appreciate their way while we are there. I like Jamaicca the best. The people are so laid back and friendly. I have met a few money grubbing Jamaiccans who don't like tourists, but most of the Jamaiccans are very nice folk and hugely considerate. We have a few jerks in America, too, but most Americans wear their heart on their sleeve and give more than they ever take. I guess what I am trying to say is Every place I go, changes me a little bit. Just like the mocking bird imitates the voices of many and becomes is famous for it because of the many personalities is his personality, our personality changes as well when we understand many through our travels.

Answer 10

We went to some pretty remote parts of China, and it can be very difficult to communicate with people. More so then any other place I have been to. Since returning I have been learning Mandarin and I am planning another trip back. There is a great deal of true poverty in China, a poverty that no one in the US could ever understand. The poorest people there survive in conditions that the poorest people here would never consider. I was also shocked by the industrialization that is going on there, creating a smog like I never knew could exist.
But all in all, what I've learned from all the places I've been is that all humans really want the same things. We are all the same deep inside, with these beautiful, colorful, interesting, different exteriors. Also, that what you see on TV is not what you see in real life. The news, and TV try to make us all look so different from eachother, and tries to increase the seperation that we feel, but it's all a facade.

Answer 11

It is an amazing feeling to know that there are so many amazing places and it truly makes you want to experience it all. But the one reason as to why traveling has changed my life is because it has showed me how thankful I should be. I have been to France, Lebanon, Canada, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Dominica, Aruba, Italy, and Spain! I am very thankful that I was able to experience such an adventure and I am only 15 years old! But, believe it or not, going and living on the edge made me think about what I want in life and surprisingly, I had it all along. After going to all these places, it made me realize that I can never leave my true roots in Michigan. Now a lot of people may wonder, what the heck is so special about Michigan, and a year ago I would have said nothing. But now I realize that no matter how amazing of a time someone may have, where you live and grow up, and where your family is, is the only place that sounds good to me. So to answer your question, traveling made me realize that the place that I have always dreamed of living in was right under my nose.