“It seems that the more places I see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many places I have still to go, how much more there is to learn.”

– Anthony Bourdain

Travel is not only about seeing new places. It is about learning new perspectives. It broadens our horizons and helps us see the world from a fresh point of view. Travel is far more than sightseeing. It teaches us valuable lessons about life and culture.

We form a preconceived notion about cultures based on media portrayals and second-hand accounts. Most of the time, this makes us form stereotypical and misleading opinions. Travelling helps us break these stereotypes. When we interact with people from different cultures first-hand and witness their traditions, beliefs, and way of life, we gain deeper insights into their culture. These interactions foster empathy and respect for different ways of life. Travelling also makes us self-aware about our own culture.

Let us see what our experts have to say about how travel and exploration can help us gain a deeper understanding of cultural diversity.

Travel Breaks Stereotypes, Builds Shared Humanity

Entering unknown territory creates a forced departure from your comfort zone. Abstract cultural concepts become human experiences when you are sharing in meals and routines, or trying to navigate through unique customs and traditions. The superficialness of stereotypes is replaced by a true understanding of a culture as a result of these first-hand interactions. Travelers will develop deep empathy for the many differences among humans and find commonalities which unite all people.

Shannon Beatty, Real Estate Investor, House Buying Girls

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Immersive Journeys Reveal Universal Values

Immersive exposure to new places can also alter a person’s perception of their world. What were once intangible global traditions become tangible shared experiences through walking local paths, communicating in regional languages, and being part of a community’s rituals. Through these real-world, unbiased opportunities for travel, people are able to develop deeper levels of empathy for all cultures which then allow them to acknowledge the many similarities as well as differences between each culture; ultimately creating an appreciation for the basic values that connect communities worldwide.

Mike Otranto, Founder, Wake County Home Buyers

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Immersive Travel Dismantles Barriers, Forges Connections

Immersive travel can break down stereotypes by putting travelers in touch with unfamiliar cultures through everyday interactions. Travelers are forced out of their comfort zones, which helps build a sense of community, and ultimately fosters an understanding that people all around the world find ways to deal with similar human issues. The first hand experience builds trust and makes abstract cultural differences concrete human connections; thus building a deep and long-lasting appreciation for the diversity of our global community.

Amanda New, Founder, Cash For Houses Girl

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Firsthand Encounters Shatter Assumptions About Cultures

Traveling to foreign lands and encountering different ways people live, celebrate and survive gives you a first hand view of their day-to-day reality. The experience will allow you to see beyond your own perceptions and understand them as individuals and break down the assumptions you have about other cultures. Instead of using stereotypes to describe another culture, being immersed in it, allows for real life experiences that show us how although we have beautiful differences in expressing ourselves culturally, we are all sharing similar hopes and feelings.

Adam New, Principal Owner, The Cash Offer Company

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Curious Travel Unveils Yunnan’s Vibrant Cultures

In my opinion, it is when traveling that people leave at home their pre-established ways of thinking, and are willing to replace the instinctive and self-protective suspicion that may be triggered by diversity with the genuine curiosity of the explorer. 

When people see traditions embedded in daily life and in their actual context, they automatically connect with the beauty of the diverse. This is only possible while traveling, and traveling only allows to return home as better individuals as well.

Martina Li, Social Media Expert & Cultural Insider, Ink Voyages

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Travel Counters Fear, Reveals Our Shared Good

In most countries I’ve been to, I’ve been treated like family after very short interactions without expecting anything in return. The vast amount of people on this wonderful planet of ours are good, the bad ones shout very loud but the good ones are the majority.

Traveling helps you to develop empathy and understanding that seeing life under different perspectives can make you realise how much there’s to gain from trying new foods, visiting exotic places, learning a few foreign words, and interacting with people that you may never see again but that will make an impact for life.

Juan Castells, Travel Blogger, Planet of Adventures

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Local Encounters Clarify Culture Beyond Facts

I work in the field of travel and transportation. In my practice, it became evident that the influence on people occurs while traveling, not considering interesting places as such, but communicating with the surroundings.

The distinctions among different cultures can be realized if the traveler starts living with other people’s customs and mentality. Something can be recognized about the existence of certain items in other countries thanks to books and information sources. However, having the same food, learning a new language, going to the market, and knowing more about traditions becomes the key element.

Thus, one can give the instance related to tourism through cuisine. While meeting a local and talking with him/her, it will be easier to realize why it was made this way and how important it is for him/her. According to UNWTO, the number of international tourist arrivals reached 1.4 billion in 2024 (source: https://www.untourism.int/news/international-tourism-recovers-pre-pandemic-levels-in-2024).

As far as my personal standpoint is concerned, curiosity and mindfulness play the leading role.

Arsen Misakyan, CEO and Founder, LAXcar

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Travel Confronts Assumptions, Proves Many Valid Paths

The way I see it, is that travel forces you into situations where your assumptions don’t apply anymore. The more you travel, the more you realise that there are entirely different, equally valid ways of living, eating, celebrating, grieving, and more. That’s not something you can read your way to, you have to experience it.

Faye Jones, Senior Travel Consultant, Villas In Luxury

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Firsthand Immersion Redefines Development and Difference

Experiencing new cultures is something you can’t learn from a book or documentary. Sure, you can know the theory about how others live their lives, but until you are actually standing in front of someone who lives that life, who has a completely different set of day-to-day experiences than you do, you never have to reconcile that knowledge with how you act yourself. When you travel to indigenous villages in Ecuador you begin to see complex cultures thriving that exist without many of the conventions that you bring with you as a traveler that you might think are common to everyone. Watching Weaver women in Otavalo show you how they make traditional textiles may make you rethink your definition of “development.” Seeing that life can be lived differently than you are accustomed to is a strong first step in becoming culturally aware. You might travel abroad thinking everyone is going to be the same as you, but when you return home you will have gained an appreciation for the variety that exists in the world. It’s a new lens that you will look through from that point on.

Take for example a tour of the Galapagos Islands. The isolation of these islands has allowed animals to adapt without influence from the outside. The same can be said for many of the cultures that have existed separately from western influences. When you’re given these types of lessons from your Naturalist on the Galapagos, you’ll start to make similar comparisons yourself. The longer you travel, the more similarities and differences you will come across and begin to understand. It’s one thing to read about a culture or hear about it from a tour guide. But spending an extended amount of time interacting with the locals, eating at their restaurants and staying in their homes really allows you to absorb a new culture. It’s one thing to watch a show at an indigenous village, it’s another thing to live it yourself.

Evelyn Duran, Sales Manager, Ecuador & Galapagos Insiders

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Similarities Open Appreciation for Differences

In our opinion, the number one way that travel can help individuals gain a deeper appreciation for cultural diversity is actually by learning how similar we all really are.  Much of racism or national elitism really just comes from a lack of information on how other cultures and other countries actually live.  We’re often shown media of other countries at their worst – political instability, poverty, whatever will drive the most clicks and engagement by the media.  But when you get out there and see it for yourself, you realize things aren’t that different.  Most people in “third-world” countries aren’t living in mud huts and riding donkeys to school.  These countries have large, thriving cities full of people who dress in modern fashions, eat at trendy restaurants, and spend too much time on their smartphones – just like you.  When you can see that these people who may have a different skin color or speak a different language aren’t really all that different from you, you can cut away all your assumptions and judgments that they are less than you, and instead start to see all the things that they do that may be better than what your used to.  You can start to see and appreciate their stronger beliefs in community, their unique and delicious foods, their colorful streets and clothing, and maybe even become a bit envious of their culture.  Once you break down in your mind all the things that set you apart, you can see the beauty of their unique cultural expressions.

Meredith Thomas, Owner & Travel Writer, Two Packs And A Pup, LLC

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Slow Travel and Openness Drive Real Change

I  can say one thing for sure after years in the industry and it’s that travel doesn’t change you on its own. The mindset you take with you to the places you visit is what does that. Travellers who I see come back “different” tend to be the ones who are willing to slow down. 

You do that by staying somewhere long enough to have a real conversation, to try something unfamiliar, and give yourself time to figure a place out rather than judge it instantly. Or write it off just because you don’t fully understand it yet. You haven’t really given yourself the time to. 

A slower pace can slowly break down ideas/misconceptions that you didn’t even know you had. And, it’s the simple things you let yourself do at that slower pace that tend to make those disappear. Everyday things, such as a meal at someone’s home or a chat with a shopkeeper, can show you a different way of looking at ordinary life. And at people. That’s where the real learning takes place.

Bryce Collins, Marketing Director, INTRO

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On the Ground, Assumptions Fall, Respect Grows

When you travel, the culture becomes more real than reading about it or watching a movie about it. It is simple to think of other places when you are at home. You arrive in a new place and get lost in a crowded market and can’t read half the signs. It hits you fast. Normal is not the same for everyone as it is for you.

You learn from the cringey bits. You watch people eat, how they get to work, how they deal with the problems that come up every day. If you hear something weird, it could make sense when you see it for real. That’s what travel does. It explodes that bland mental picture of a location, to be replaced by real individuals living their daily lives in their own ways. And that is where respect begins.

Phoebe Mendez, Marketing Manager, Check CPS

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Slow Stays and Conversations Deepen Cultural Respect

Traveling these days has moved beyond just having a sightseeing experience. People love to slow down and spend actual time in one place. Just enjoying whatever it is that it can offer. I believe having to slow down lets you see the daily life and the traditions of people living in that place. This works well with most people these days because going on a fast-paced trip can actually make you miss a lot of beautiful things that would probably change the way you see life.

I think interacting with the local people is such a powerful move for travelers. I love it when they do that. You don’t have to really pay – it could be when you visit a family-owned restaurant or interact with people in a coastal village. You can also just talk with the local guides and artisans about their daily life. I think this is one way of really exploring the culture and the values they have as a community. In the Adriatic, we always believe that a place’s history really shapes how people live. That is why we suggest travelers have meaningful conversations with the local communities.

I do believe that traveling around the world can really challenge your beliefs. The way you see different ways of living – you’ll then realize that there is no right or wrong lifestyle. That is why you start to value the differences between traditions and beliefs. The more you appreciate the difference, the more you also enjoy living the world knowing that each culture and tradition is unique from each other, and that it’s all shaped by history. 

Slowing the pace of your travel helps in truly appreciating a culture. Interacting with locals and knowing the history of the destination, teaches us the importance of diversity and how it shaped their experiences.

Ema Škabar, CEO, EXCLUSIVE ADRIATIC

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Ask Locals to Catch Cultural Design Nuances

Talking to packaging pros in person beats reading about culture every time. At a trade show, I saw a graphic that looked standard to us but was actually offensive to a buyer from overseas. If you work internationally, just ask locals about their design choices. You pick up on nuances that just don’t translate on a page.

Jesse Harster, Vice President of Digital Strategy, MrTakeOutBags.com

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Field Visits Shape Truly Global Software

Meeting SaaS clients in different cities showed me culture changes everything. I watched support teams handle questions and saw the humor and timing shift depending on the country. You can’t just build software for everyone from an office. You have to get out there and see those small differences yourself to get it right.

Vera Sun, CEO, Wonderchat

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Daily Rituals Reveal Diverse Paths to Well-Being

One thing I have learned from travelling is that the concept of resilience, discipline, and well-being DRASTICALLY CHANGES according to culture. Because of my background as a military veteran and many years in the wellness field, I tend to look for signs of how different societies sustain health. This could be finding a way to move on the daily, cementing our connections with community, or creating intentional rest and recovery practices. Being immersed experiences of these various practices helps challenge the idea that our rituals are the only correct ones in terms of health and wellbeing.

From travelling around the world, I learned cultural appreciation normally happens in the cracks between itineraries. It often manifests itself in banal contexts, whether the intergenerational family gathering for an evening meal after a long work day, people meeting at their local park each morning for callisthenics, or neighbours creating networks of mutual aid as part of their daily lives. Such cases distract from the mere listing of superficial contrasts and go deeper in understanding the cultural ideals that underpin them.

Chad Lipka, President | Marketing Director, North Shore Sauna

Share Your Insights

What are your thoughts? We’d love to hear from you.

• What travel experience changed your perspective the most?
• Which cultural tradition has left a lasting impression on you?
• How do you think travel helps people better understand one another?

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