We have been several places in Europe and enjoyed navigating new places, sharing new experiences, and learning new things assisted by the Rick Steves series of guide books for Americans in Europe (fairly similar to Lonely Planet or Fodors guide books, but...well, better, we think). We have found his philosophy on travel to be a pretty good way to think about our adventures, and wanted to share a few points he makes:
"Travel is freedom...travel is intensified living...it's recess, and we need it....Affording travel is a matter of priorities. (Make do with the old sofa.) ...In many ways, spending more money only builds a thicker wall between you and what you came to see. Europe is a cultural carnival, and time after time, you'll find that its best acts are free and the best seats are the cheap ones.
Extroverts have more fun. If your trip is low on magic moments, kick yourself and make things happen. If you don't enjoy a place, maybe you don't know enough about it. Seek the truth. Recognize tourist traps. Give a culture the benefit of your open mind. See things as different but not better or worse. Any culture has much to share.
Of course, travel, like the world, is a series of hills and valleys. Be fanatically positive and militantly optimistic. If something's not to your liking, change your liking. Travel is addicting. It can make you a happier American, as well as a citizen of the world. Our Earth is home to nearly 6 billion equally important people. It's humbling to travel and find that people don't envy Americans. Europeans like us, but with all due respect, they wouldn't trade passports.
Globetrotting destroys ethnocentricity. It helps you understand and appreciate different cultures. Travel changes people. It broadens perspectives and teaches new ways to measure quality of life."
We have certainly seen how travel has given us a deeper enjoyment of history, a greater appreciation of other cultures and languages, and hopefully, a little more healthy self-awareness as Americans.
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