I was browsing some travel blogs when an idea came to me on a very specific subject: comfort and travel. My philosophy is to make discomfort comfortable. I will talk to you a little more about it in this article.
Comfort and Travel
Let’s put things into context:
- For my two long trips this year (to Bali and Dubai in May, then China this summer), I was or will be accompanied by a friend.
- For my two short trips (twice to Berlin and other cities in Germany) this year, I was in a language school to learn German. Needless to say, I knew what I was going to do and I was sure to easily meet people, because I am sociable and we are there for the same purpose: to learn German.
I went to familiar places and I had no effort to make to feel comfortable since I can speak German, English, and Chinese. I was never alone because I was accompanied by my friends or classmates. Everything was also more or less planned, as I had already been to Berlin several times, I had already been to Bali, and I had a friend in Dubai.
Although I appreciate this kind of travel, for me a “REAL” trip is a trip where you discover new things, a new culture, a new language, or even a new environment.
Playing the tourist in your golden cage makes no sense to me, because you learn less and discover much less.
To remedy this, I decided this year to step out of my comfort zone and explore Latin culture. I will, at the start of the school year:
- Learn Spanish
- Go to Portugal and Brazil where I do not speak the language; it will only be for 10 days, but enough to get familiar with the Latin mentality and customs.
I will try to make a place where I am not comfortable into a place where I will feel good, because every challenge makes a person grow. This is how I operated during my trip around the world in 2009 and why I stayed longer than planned.
Planning or Going Day by Day
Each of these two points of view has its advantages and disadvantages:
- Losing the spontaneity of a trip or not taking your time to visit.
- No longer being flexible and always looking to keep busy even though you are on vacation.
- Being disoriented as soon as there is an unexpected event or not knowing how to act.
You understand, I am for a compromise between the two even if I like to gather as much information as possible to make my trip easier, but I do not like to plan at all because I like to take my time to do things and also rest to enjoy my vacation.
And you, are you more for vacations in your comfort zone or are you rather someone spontaneous who manages events as they come?
