It’s a fact. Travel changes you. Mostly for the best, it leaves a mark. Anthony Bourdain had that exactly right. Travel changes you. You head off on vacation, you don’t really think about it, but you come back changed.

It might not be a big change – you might not even notice it – but something is different. Maybe you think about that place more, pay attention to the news when something happens there; maybe you think about the people you met or the things you saw and so see that part of the world in a new light. Travel changes you.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I have seen the world in a new light; I have learned that we have more in common than we do differences. Usually my experiences have been good; lovely memories of people I have met and things I have seen.

Sometimes the experiences have been uncomfortable – traveling companions that were less than ideal, hotels that were less than ideal, people who were less than ideal.

More often than not, I have had to confront what I think is ideal. Being irritated that beggars ‘ruined’ my trip across the Ha’penny Bridge in Dublin, or seeing the ravages of war in Sarajevo. Realizing that I was a visitor, while the people I encountered lived there, made me see just how lucky I am to live where I live and how I live.

Travel changes you in ways you don’t expect.

Dignity and Beauty

When I looked a little deeper, I found something really spectacular. I found truth and beauty and dignity.

In Krakow I had an amazing discussion with two lovely people – one whose generation straddled the fall of the Iron Curtain, and another who had grown up in a truly free country. Listening to the two of them talk, I learned so much.

In the Caribbean, I saw dignity and grace in people who lived in what we would consider abject poverty. Neighborhoods where homes have no running water, who share a communal bathroom I saw women who held themselves with a confidence and swagger that I envied.

It happens again and again. I am forced to confront my biases and world view. I know that I have a more open mind and a more open heart because I have traveled.

Travel Changes you because it makes you face things about yourself that are uncomfortable.

Growing Pains

While I have been to a goodly number of places, I want to be clear that most of my travels have been concentrated in Europe. Most of my experiences have been with people who look like me. Mostly I have seen a perfect reflection of the person I confront in the mirror every morning.

Unfortunately I have seen that reflection act in ways that make me cringe. The casual racism, the casual cruelty towards the poor or the mentally ill, the casual dismissal of those deemed less than.

These experiences were uncomfortable; sometimes irritating and often heartbreaking. I think of them as growing pains, because each one taught me something. I learned to be more patient of those who battle demons, those who are just trying to survive another day. Mostly I learned that I am guilty of all the same things and to try to do better.

Travel changes you; it makes you a better person.

Open Mind, Open Heart

I try, Lord how I try, to be a good guest when I travel. My goal is to view the world with an open mind and an open heart. Honestly, it isn’t easy.

I’m headed to Germany and France in a few days. A trip I have been planning and dreaming about for several months is running up against media reports of an upsurge in so-called “nationalist” movements in both countries.

But I want to see these destinations for the real people who are there. If my travels and the past two years have taught me anything, it is that governments and people are two different things. I want to see others as I want to be seen – as an individual rather than an ideology or a skin color or a religious affiliation.

Travel changes you, it allows you to see the forest and the trees.

Travel Changes You

In your travels, you will have moments of great beauty and great insight. You will meet people who will amaze and charm you. Sometimes you will run into ugly truths – about the world and about yourself. There will be experiences both enchanting and frightening.

The one thing that will always happen is that you will be changed. You may not notice it for a while. I know I didn’t. It doesn’t matter, it will happen and you will be better for it.

Anyone who tells you that travel is frivolous or a waste of money just doesn’t get it. You will be bolder, better, more tolerant, and more compassionate.

Travel changes you.