Whenever we travel abroad, or of course within our own borders, we encounter a cultural holiday. This is true even if we visit no museums, attend no art galleries, and care relatively little about learning history at this moment in time.
Why is this? Well, because every country, place and even building has a history and has been moulded within that culture. It’s impossible to escape, so it’s a good thing that you probably wouldn’t want to. That said, there is tremendous value in focusing on culture and absorbing all you can about a place on your travels and holiday.
While lying next to the beach all day, drinking mojitos and eating nothing but the best food sounds ideal to many, and it can be after a year of hard work, enriching yourself educationally and truly understanding and exploring a culture can benefit your spirit in ways that you might not realize.
In this post, we’ll discuss how and why that’s valuable, some ways of pursuing it, and ultimately, what you could learn from the experience:
Learning History and Your Place in It
It’s very interesting to learn the history of another place, especially understanding how a society different to those you’re used to would have developed and situated itself on the world stage. But it’s also true to say that while history can look interesting from a detached viewpoint, it may also contribute to your story.
This doesn’t have to be so grand or overbearing. Learning the history of one of your favourite pastries can be enough. Almost all towns are famous for something. For instance, the Parma-Reggio regions of Italy is famous for the gorgeous cheese we all know, working so well with a range of pasta dishes. You can absolutely bet that visiting here will give you access to some of the nicest dishes available. Other areas, like Modena, are famous for championing those types of ingredients in the best possible way. As you can see, you don’t have to sit in a room with a textbook to learn history. Eating a traditional dish can be just as important.
Live Like a Local
Living like a local on your holiday can be a fun way to truly soak in the ambience of the environment and enjoy your time there most of all. For instance, finding Amsterdam hotels right in the middle of a central local, asking the local patisserie what kind of restaurants they enjoy eating at.
Drinking the local beer, enjoying the local attractions, heading to the local plays in the theatre, experiencing the best of what an area has to offer will often mean considering what the locals like to do. Of course, this doesn’t mean that being a super tourist is a bad thing, after all, you’re the person contributing to the economy and helping many small businesses thrive.
But it is important we support those small businesses if we hope to get a real taste of the area. Sure, heading to McDonald’s to see how the menu changes in this particular country can be fun, and totally valid, but the large approach towards valuing a place means soaking in its culture as the locals might, too.
See Beyond the Veneer
It’s very easy to focus on the immediate considerations you wish to see in a location, and there’s nothing wrong with that. For example, if you visit Sydney, you might wish to visit the harbour bridge, the opera house, and the theatre circuit. Who wouldn’t?
But did you know that Sydney also has a fantastic art scene? There are many graphic artists, graffiti artists, actors, small independent production companies, art-focused (and slightly hipster – which is always cool) cafes, book-focused coffee clubs, and more.
Getting involved in these scenes can be as easy as attending an independent event. Are we suggesting that in order to understand the culture of a place you have to go to the most underground theatre shows or still life art exhibitions? Not at all. But if you happen to be interested in that kind of thing, the undercurrent of cities as inventive as this one can be a truly pleasure to spend time in. Your status as a tourist hardly divides you from getting involved, attending a class, or even just asking a local where the most historic library in the area is.
Challenge Yourself with A New Experience
It’s good to challenge yourself with a new experience as and when you find this appropriate. Now, you don’t have to bungee jump from the side of a bridge in order to gain the kind of life-affirming experience you’re looking for.
But heading on a safari, an ethical hunting trip, a pre-approved and well-reviewed charitable visit to help build wells in a deprived location, or even heading to a colder or warmer location than you usually like can help you learn more about the area and have fun doing so. Perhaps you’d like to visit somewhere that may not be considered a broadly focused tourist destination – like some countries in Europe, or certain small villages in a given location for your holiday.
Document Your Impressions and Experiences
Document your impressions while you’re enjoying your holiday or travel expedition. This is a good way to remember everything that you saw while there, because it’s not uncommon, in such a diverse experience replete with organizational planning, to forget a few things. In fact, this is to be expected.
You get to decide exactly how you document your time there. It could be a creative project, in which you take photographs of all the churches and cathedrals you visit in a very religious country. Alternatively, you might create a video log discussing your time in Rome, showing all the amazing buildings you’ve seen, and taking pictures of the world-class dishes you eat.
Culture isn’t just content, but it is something worth remembering. So don’t be afraid to do so, as creative inspiration can flow during these experiences. If you come away from Italy having written a poem that means something to you, for example, that absolutely counts.
With this advice, you’re sure to see and express the value of a cultural-focused holiday.
Images courtesy of pexels.com and unsplash.com
