Embrace & Be Embraced — REFINE Magazine

By Jocelyn Brechbill

Whether you’ve traveled outside the country dozens of times or your craziest trip to date is daydreaming about getting out of Philadelphia, stepping into a new country always brings its own surprises and adventures.

Traveling can be full of dreamy experiences like deep, clear breaths in the perfectly wild Highlands of Scotland or long afternoons spent at a café in Paris soaking in the world as it passes by.

There’s a reason people love it—it’s incredible. Even just a few days in a new destination can change you forever if you let it. But the key to your experience truly relies on you.

While influencers often romanticize the effortless luxury of traveling, we sometimes forget that behind the picture-perfect experience is a woman navigating a new culture, climate, people, and language for the first time.

According to the U.S. Travel Association, 72% of Americans travel because they want to see more of the world. Our ever-expanding global access has left much of our generation ready to explore, but sometimes knowing what to expect in a new country is hard.

Just remembering that we’re traveling to places where real people live, work, and call home is so important. To help you out, we talked with three Temple students to get some of their best travel tips.

Top Tips

Do your research

With any new place, it’s helpful to know what you’re getting yourself into. This is definitely true with traveling.

“If you know what to expect and feel like you fit in, you’ll be more comfortable and get more of an authentic experience,” said Jenna Banatwala, a junior economics major who has been to around 28 countries. “If everyone knows you’re a tourist, you’ll be treated like a tourist.”

Get to know the language and people

Even if it’s just a few keywords, showing people you’re making an effort to understand their language can go a long way. Also, don’t be afraid to talk to locals! You never know what you’ll learn, who you’ll meet, or what amazing suggestions they’ll have for you.

Be ready to learn

Anything new is bound to teach you something, and traveling is a perfect example. Luv’en-ya Rowland, a senior acting major from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, traveled around the world while her dad worked with Malaysia Airlines. Rowland has learned that traveling can be extremely humbling.

“When you are in someone else’s country, you feel like you need to be mindful of other people,” Rowland said. “So, cultivating the mindset that ‘the world is bigger than me’ [is important].”

Don’t be a typical American tourist

Stereotypes are everywhere, and while they often stem from truth, they’re never the whole truth. The cliché picture of loud, inconsiderate, unrefined, inappropriately dressed American tourists often haunts us.

“Parisians have stereotypes for Americans, but it’s mostly based on … the people who are obnoxious, loud and laughing with bottles of wine open on the metro,” Banatwala said.

As you travel, be respectful and help redefine what it means to be an American abroad.

Differences

Forgetting that Western culture isn't the only culture can be too easy as an American. But remember, it’s one of many and this can happen in any large country.

“In China, there are only Chinese and the culture is super dominant, so a big change for me was the different races [in the U.S.],” said Xinyi (Crystal) Mao, a graduate student from Xiamen, China.

Mao also explained when visiting China you should take your shoes off when you enter a home and that people are not quite as casual with strangers. If you say hello to someone, expect to get to know them and start a genuine conversation.

Similarities

While there are many differences to discover in new cultures, traveling really highlights just how similar we all are.

“You realize how cultures are often just different expressions of what [humanity] was created to be,” Rowland said.

Whatever part of the world you find yourself in next, remember to be respectful, curious, and most importantly kind. Happy traveling!