Subject: Travel and Culture

This is my beat. I am a traveler. This does not mean I am a nomad. But I am a traveler. When I can’t travel, I read about it. When I can’t read about travel, I research it. When I can’t research travel, I talk about it. When I can’t talk about travel, I dream about it. You can always dream.

I don’t think traveling was necessarily a priority for my parents while I was growing up. My family is spread out and therefore everyone had to travel to visit one another.  Naturally, we’ve all become travelers. I have family in Canada, Colorado, Ohio, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Germany among other places. This is who we are.

I wasn’t always good at traveling though. I can remember my parents having to drive 24 hours to my grandparents house in Florida because being stuck in a car with three children was easier than getting me on a plane. That all started to change in the eighth grade when my sister moved to the Bahamas. You can’t drive there across the ocean. And the reward to see my sister at the end of the flight was worth the fear of the flight. It became easier with time. And now, I crave flying. I get the itch to fly every few months. As a travel agent I loved seeing my groups off at the airport. Even though I wasn’t always getting on a flight, seeing the hustle and bustle of the airport would hold me over until my next trip.

There are countless different types of travelers. I consider myself a cultural traveler. I like to visit places where I can soak in a new culture. This doesn’t always mean a foreign trip. Have you ever been to Biloxi, Mississippi? Life in Biloxi is so different from my life in Connecticut. The way they talk, the food they eat, the music they listen to, and you don’t need a passport! The questions they asked of me, it’s as if a New Englander had never stepped foot in their town. Sharing our perceptions not only showed our differences, but brought us a little closer.

And when you do get the opportunity to travel abroad, there are all new elements to learn from. The language, the clothing, the government, businesses, and nearly all references are on a whole new playing field. It’s ironic and a bit naïve the things we assume others know about. And others have just as many references they assume we know about as well. It’s these intercultural understandings that take patience and understanding.

Therefore, with my passion and experience in travel, and my focus in culture, my subject of choice this term is “Travel and Culture.” I think I have enough insight in to the topic to draw upon for my assignments. Lastly, I feel that my interests are deep rooted enough to allow others to enjoy reading about this subject, whether they have a personal interest in traveling or not.