All I Want for Christmas is for More of Us to Travel

“The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those have not viewed the world.”

All I want for Christmas… is for more of us to travel. It’s been a year (or two) of divide. Travel shows that the differences between cultures are minor and that we all have the same hopes and dreams no matter the race, religion and ideology.

Travel won’t solve all problems, but it will increase empathy and decrease social misconceptions and harmful stereotypes. Not all Muslims are terrorists, not all Latinos dream of moving to the US, and not every Asian owns a selfie stick 😉

You can fly to another continent for the price of a tech gadget or take the Eurostar somewhere exciting for the price of a perfume. If you have other barriers to travel, just visit a new neighborhood in your own city. Heck, just travel vicariously through books and news channels with unfamiliar perspectives. Confront the unknown. Let’s make it a new year resolution to prioritize exploring & learning over more stuff…

And when you do travel, do so mindfully. Get out of the all-inclusives and walk the side streets. Talk to the locals, shop at their markets, eat their street food. Don’t just take photos of nameless faces — hear the stories behind those wrinkles and those smiles.

To quote Maya Angelou: “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.”

Merry Christmas and Happy Travels ❤

PS. Here are some TED talks to get you inspired.