Travel plan idea blog

I think someone might be considered well traveled if they learned something from the culture or the people in the countries they visited. Some people have been to many places, but don't really gain much from their travels. A question might be - what did you find interesting or unique to the country you visited. Or, what did you see or do while you were there? Of course, a variety of types of travel might also be a consideration.

I would ask questions like:

1, Did you visit the capitol.
2, Did you try the Nations favourite food.
3, Did you send a loval postcard back home.

experiencing local culture and not just sticking to the "tourist circuit"

Someone well traveled is someone who not only has traveled, but has a world view, as opposed to an ego-centric one. I think many Americans are perceived as being ego centric,and for good reason, many are not well-traveled. It takes a significant amount of money to go beyond Mexico or Canada.

Most Europeans are well-traveled. They have repeated access to several cultures and ideas and in thinking about their continent, have many ideas to consider. Also, just the physical access they have and the close proximity helps.

Something that comes to mind when considering being well traveled is your approach to travel, or perhaps the attuitude a person adopts when traveling..Such as the open relationship one brings with them while experience a foriegn countries culture. A rule I live by when traveling is from an ancient mystic luo tzu " a good traveler leaves no tracks." These wandering monks from the Orient were perhaps some of the best travelers and whom I consider to be well traveled.

1. Travelled.
2. Read different biographies/autobiographies.
3. To be insighful and open-minded.

To be reflective and understand the multiple perspectives about the world and how it contributes to the uniqueness of our existence.
The way you approach the information you've gained in each country and apply it.

One is not well-traveled until they have visited at least one example of all the different styles of life that there are in the world. There actually not that many different styles of life. So although there are 198 countries, you really have to visit only about 10 to get the full flavor of what the whole world is like. There is the American style of life, urban, small-town, and rural. You don't know North America until you know all three of these. You can visit them in either the US or Canada. W. European urban is much like the US big city, but the small-town and rural are different and must be experienced for comparison. Further east in Europe all three are different: That's more places to visit. Similarly urban, small-town, and rural environments must be visited in the Arab world, (Egypt is a good choice), sub-saharan Africa (any country except South Africa), South Asia (India or its neighbors), China for sure, and for the real flavor of southeast Asia, I'd recommend Thailand or Burma. Lastly you'd have to visit urban, small-town, and rural environments in either Mexico or Brazil: Either would give you the full flavor of what life is like in Latin America...other countries there would serve just as well. When you're done take a vacation on a remote island in the Caribbean or the South Pacific, and at that point you can say you are more than well-traveled: You've seen the world!

That's interesting Scott. I really appreciate how you try to see how people live. It's too easy to travel and miss that entirely!

But I guess I think of each major city as being pretty unique. For example, Seoul is vastly different from Tokyo and both are completely unlike New York. And non of those remind me of Madrid.

Even in New York, you've got very different areas in Manhattan, and then living in the Bronx or in Queens is altogether different...

I have enough ego to think that I am well-travelled. Not because of the places I have been but the manner in which I chose to see them. Any time I wanna feel really good about myself, I think of my 3 night train trip in second class from Singapore to Bangkok. It remains the highlight of my life because I didn't let fear stand in my way. Every vacation I take, I am presented each time with a new opportunity to stretch my comfort zone. Thai massage, coed nude spa in Baden Baden, holding an iguana in Puerto Vallarta, dinner on the back streets of Colaba, and oh yeah, buying hash on Pusher St in Cristiania.I only hope that the Universe allows me more of the same. Get outta the damn house, it will do you a world of good.