Exploring New Cultures Is the Best Part of Traveling

Jacobo & Maria Ángeles alebrije, pottery, and jewelry taller in Oaxaca.

Picture your last vacation. What’s the one thing you can't stop thinking about? Where were you? What were you doing? How did it feel, taste, look, sound like, or smell?

When we ask somebody, "How was your trip?” that's actually what we want to know. Not how you got there, how the weather was, how you and your boyfriend fought the whole time… we want to know the best parts, the moments that will stay with you long after your tan has faded. For us, we feel that exploring new cultures is the best part of traveling. But why?

For one, you'll widen your perspective of the world. Even if you try your best to avoid racism, you probably still have some subconscious preconceptions about other people and other cultures. Your own culture will have shaped your view of other cultures, whether you realize it or not. Traveling is one of the best ways to eliminate these views and keep an open mind. Even if you love your country, you’ll learn a lot about humanity and how it varies from country to country.

You'll also gain an education. I used to love being pulled out of school by my dad to travel to exotic places with him for his work. He always used to quote (and still does) the famous Mark Twain and say, “do not let schooling interfere with your education.” Culture is tied to history. If you travel to Mexico, for example, you could dive into learning about the Mayan and Aztec people, visiting archaeological sites such as Coba or Teotihuacán. By learning about other cultures, you're learning about collective human history.

Exploring new cultures also allows you to (shocker!) meet new people and make new friends! Meeting people from different countries and cultures enhances and enriches your life. It also allows you to learn a lot about yourself by seeing yourself through other people's eyes. This in turn allows us to grow and improve as a person.

Lastly, you'll learn about your own culture. If you've lived in the same place or country your whole life, you'll never learn how to fully sing its praises or critique its shortcomings. Experiencing new cultures will help you to view your own culture from a foreign perspective. And if you really think about it, coming home after a long trip can also start to feel like traveling to a “new place.” Remaining open to exploring your likes and dislikes of your culture is incredibly important.

It's always important to remember that when traveling, you must always treat others with respect and follow The Golden Rule: Do onto others as you would do onto yourself. If you follow this rule, discovering new cultures will greatly enrich your life as we have experienced. If you are interested in exploring the world as we have described, check out our tours and reach out to us to see how we immerse ourselves in Mexican culture!