Traveling in far away cultures can occasionally be overwhelming and emotionally confusing. The time spent on the road unravels more clearly explaining the impact of the experiences we’ve been having in our own personal growth. Here we give some ideas for self-assessing your journey as a traveler and lifelong learner.
Cambodia is filled with places for contemplation and reflection, what a great time to stop for a while and think about our journey.
Travel Diary
Journaling and having a travel diary can be a fertile as well as a creative way to be more conscious of what’s happening in our days on the road. Find a calm place or use one long bus ride to take a while to think and reply to the following questions.
What were the three most interesting observations you had today and yesterday?
- A good exercise you had today
- Interesting things you saw
- Experiences you felt
- Conversations you had
Can you think of five things you learned in the country you are currently traveling? What and how can you apply in your life from its culture and way to see the world?
Exploring the differences in society and culture
List ten differences of how this society works comparing to your hometown. For example
- Family ties
- Relationships
- Growing up
- Ageing and death
- Communication
- Freedom of choices
- Personal independence
- Work life balance
- Friendships
- Dreams and aspirations
- Fear and anxieties
- Understanding the meaning of happiness
- Value of things in life
Don’t be afraid to ask local people about these topics to learn more about how they think and experience life to get a greater perspective on things!
Answering the important questions
- What do you identify yourself with in this culture and in its way of living? And what are the things you don’t relate at all?
- Anything that was more unexpected and surprised you more in this trip? Which were the experiences that struck you most or stood out in your overall journey?
- Some was more intense for you personally? What moments were more challenging or shocking? And what moments were more beautiful and cathartic?
- Which changes are you seeing in the country/culture you are traveling in? To which places does it want to go?
- And what are the obstacles holding it back? What about you, how do you relate these changes to your own personal journey?
- After meeting some locals which ideas or things in their life would you like to experiment yourself and maybe try to integrate in your life?
- What were the moments you felt more uncomfortable or pissed off? And more comfortable and joyful? What does that says about who you are?
- What is the impact of your trip so far in your own self, your life, identity, etc? How did you grow and in what ways travelling is making you develop?
Freedom man, that’s what traveling has the power to give you.
Importance of Gratitude
Regardless of what’s happening in your journey, never dismiss gratitude. We all know that from time to time we to face tension or negative feelings. As a matter of the fact this can be tiredness or cultural barriers arising out of conflicts with a different way of doing things that is not our own. To point out, even simple and innocuous situations as a delay in transportation or a street seller trying to overcharge us.
Take a step back to reflect
In those moments take a step back, breath in and give a moment to reflect on what you are doing. It’s a privilege only available to a tiny minority, being able to stop working or studying. At the same time putting your life to a halt and go wander to other parts of our world, seeing and experiencing new things, enriching our lives with the pleasure of the unknown.
How lucky are we for what we are doing?
Don’t commit the luxury to forget those people staying back home trapped in the office or those in a less developed country, such as Cambodia, and the harshness of their everyday lives. Your life is awesome when you can travel, don’t forget to be grateful about it 🙂