☞ Need to be hyped for a trip or given concrete benefits of a work abroad position, read on.
Dear new traveler,
You’ve decided to follow a work position, a whim, a desire, a dream? and now you’re headed to your first trip, alone?
Well first, congratulations, how exciting. Next, are you ready? feeling anxious? If you need it, I wrote a general travel guide (available Friday) to help you prepare.
A trip is a wonderful opportunity. It forces a destination and therefore a journey and a plethora of paths upon you. It breaks the routine. Of course discomfort might arise from this change of pace, but personal growth is only heightened. Here you might think: “again that vague speech about personal growth” and I respond: the wheel has already been invented, but let me give you some details about why it’s still going.
Like I said, a trip forces change on us, but this might be a chance to use transportation you wouldn’t take otherwise. The first time I went to Honk Kong, I found out that to transit between islands, there was the option to use a ferry. It was a cheap ride, an up close way to get a great view of the skyline, and a pleasant trip overall. I would always get excited to return to the city because I knew I’d be able to board the Star Ferry.
The simple fact that you will de-center yourself from your usual environment and society is a significant learning experience. It will help you acquire a new perspective of the world at large and of your own background. It may seem like a useless effect, especially since the internet makes it easy to connect most parts of the world together and obtain knowledge about any subject, but nothing beats first hand experience. You will face new people, with a different way of life, a different culture, a different language. The further away you go, the more that difference will be felt and the less easy it will be to adjust to it. You’ll develop adaptation skills. You might even want to learn and adopt new customs and these can become essential implements to your life. And in the case they aren’t your cup of tea, always remember, it’s temporary.
The most daunting part of interacting with people from a different region, is the language barrier. But I assure you it can quickly turn to a positive. For one, learning a new language is beneficial for the brain. Also, showing that you made the effort to learn some basics of their language will make locals open up to you. When I would say something in ChineseI, eyes would instantly light up and lips would widen into smiles. And if you don’t manage to get your meaning across, you made someone more willing to help you. If you want to make the effort, I made a basic language kit here (available tomorrow, stay tuned).
Now, unless you are dedicated to learning this new language fully, you won’t learn enough to completely carry a conversation in this second (or third?) language. So it will prompt you to think outside the box to express what you need to say. You might decide to mime it (careful with gestures, some can be offensive), show a map, use a drawing, or do the easy thing and use a translator to save everyone time and effort. But the fun resides in the genuine effort to create human connection and the desire to understand and help the other. This will naturally help enhance your social skills from forcing yourself to find common points with people who are likely to have wildly different realities than yours while communicating in a language you’re not familiar with.
So although you might have anxiety about leaving the confort of your nest, being in a new environment, and interacting with strangers, remember this golden rule I’ve adopted from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxie”: “Don’t panic”. It’s sounds simplistic and silly, but if you just wait a few seconds to let that feeling of discomfort flow past you, you will find that what’s left behind is more excitement than stress. Make the most of the opportunity by taking risks. You’ll be in a new environment, use the excuse of being new to make mistakes and learn.
If the social aspects really stump you, you can always focus on the less interpersonal aspects: architecture, art, food, spirituality, museums and natural parcs. They all carry the history and culture of the people and civilizations and there is much to learn from them too.
On that note, safe trip, have fun, and may you make many amazing memories along the way 🧳
Questions/Comments 😄💬 Let’s Chat
☞ For you, what is most daunting part about a trip?
The ESL Teacher C · Nomad Educator 
Leave a comment