HOW TO MAKE YOUR TRAVEL MORE MEANINGFUL?

You can travel in so many different ways. Your preference depends on your personality, budget, and interest, of course. It also depends on who you travel with. Is it a family trip or solo travel? I’m sure that the concept of „meaningful travel” also has various interpretations. Since traveling has played a central part in my life for the last 14 years, I gradually developed a way to make a meaningful trip. But, on the other hand, I’m not one of those who quit their lives to be on the road for long years because I never wished to do that. I cannot imagine being far from my family and friends for too long. 

For me, meaningful travel involves the immersion in the local culture and instead of ticking the “must-see monuments,” to get a deeper understanding of an exotic destination.

But I am lucky enough that my job as an international tour guide has become a real passion. Working self-employed involves plenty of risks but at the same time enabled me to have more free time and flexibility. So I set off on a trip whenever I found a gap in my schedule. And this is what I enjoy the most to „get out of my comfort zone.” I sometimes travel alone or with my husband, but I enjoy doing both. Traveling and experiencing different cultures change your perception of the world.

After a meaningful trip, you get connected to that place. You will care about what happens in that country because you were there. You will feel happy when they celebrate and have sympathy when things go wrong.

 

1. Prepare for your meaningful travel in advance by reading books and blogs

As a tour guide, I need to thoroughly prepare for a destination before going on the trip at all. So I read several books and do researches on the Internet. It gives an excellent base to understand the local culture and know what to expect. On the contrary, when I was traveling as a tourist, sometimes I had no time to read much before, and mostly my preparation was restricted to reading the lonely planet book. I love Lonely Planet, and it is a true lifesaver for solo travelers. Still, it aims to give practical information and advice for your travel (where to sleep and eat, what to visit) instead of providing deep insight.

Sometimes I only bought the book before the trip, and I spent my evenings reading more about the destination once I was already on the spot. In this way, I still had a memorable tour, but I did not get a deep knowledge, and I somehow felt that I do not understand the place as much as I wanted to.

There are plenty of travel blogs nowadays that can help you plan your itinerary. You also get an idea of what to visit at each destination. It can save a lot of time when you plan your trip. 

2. Watch documentaries about your destination, local movies, and travel vlogs

You can search for documentaries on Youtube and Netflix or Amazon Prime. If the country has a reputed film industry, you should know it a little bit. The plots will reveal a lot about the country. A good example is the Bollywood movies. 

3. Join Facebook groups

Nowadays, several Facebook groups bring people together who live in a country and those who plan to visit it. It is a great place to ask anything you want to know and to get inspiration. Once you returned from your trip, it is excellent to remain up-to-date and refresh or share your memories. After my trip, I joined the “See you in Iran” Facebook group, where locals and tourists are very active. These Facebook groups are helpful if you want to visit an off-the-beaten destination that you have less information about.  

4. Take part in online tours

The only way to travel with cultural immersion is to go there personally. But it is not always possible. Some places pose restrictions for residents of specific nationalities or are unsafe or impossible to enter due to their turbulent political situation. In this case, taking part in an online tour is the best way to get an idea of the destination. During COVID times, online tours have become very popular, and even when life gets back to normal, I’m sure they will not disappear. 

5. Discover something completely unfamiliar, not common

Not familiar and common depends on where you live. I’m from Eastern Europe, Hungary. Even though the European continent is a mosaic of smaller and bigger countries with various languages, histories, and mentalities, I recognized that I would like to see something strikingly different after traveling to many of them: an unusual destination and not primarily a “dream destination.” If you live in the US, then, of course, Europe can be a remote and exceptional place for you. But still, I find the most educative to travel to off-the-beaten countries. Often, we lack information or have a biased image of such places. Some countries do not get any attention in the media or are misrepresented. Since I have been to Iran, I know that the reality can be very different from what you hear. 

6. Do not spend all your holidays lying on the beach

I agree that a beautiful hotel at a turquoise-blue, sky-clear white sand beach is a treat for your mind and body, and sometimes that is all that you need to get some break from the rat race. However, spending your precious holiday only in an all-inclusive resort will give you no cultural immersion and lasting memories and any knowledge about your destination. 

7. Interact with local people

I know it sounds like a cliché but reading and being prepared in theory is unfortunately not enough. Talking to locals is the best way to learn about their lives, thoughts, hardships, and dreams. Couchsurfing (the platform to find locals anywhere in the world to stay at their place) is a perfect opportunity to interact with people.

However, I do not see it ethical to rely on Couchsurfing throughout your trip, especially in an underdeveloped country where they appreciate every cent you spend there. 

Often, these meetings can end up in long-term friendships that genuinely get you connected to the country.

 

8. Participate in local culture tours

You can read as much as you want before, but nothing will replace the information you receive from a local guide on the spot. He grew up there, lived the joy and sorrow of the city and country, has personal stories, and shares his feelings. But, of course, you must be lucky to get a great tour guide who makes your cultural travel memorable. I never forget when I was in Medellín, Colombia, and took a tour in Comuna 13 with a guy who grew up in the most dangerous part of Colombia that was a nest of paramilitaries, gangs, and guerillas. In Sarajevo, a former policeman during the Balkan war explained the horror. Or the guide in Mostar who made an unforgettable tour about the collapse of the former Yugoslavia.  

Sometimes it just makes more sense to go on a daily tour that covers tourist attractions that are otherwise hard to access.

Do not miss out on the opportunity to learn from a local guide and get a deeper understanding. 

9. Schedule your trip for festival time or during a special event

If you are flexible, you can consider visiting India during the Holi festival, when everybody throws colors at each other. The best place to celebrate Holi is in Mathura and Vrindavan. You can see the Holy Land during Christmas time, monasteries in Ladakh during summer festivals, or Iran during Nowruz and Ashura. Every country has its special celebrations. Check it out before your trip, and it will add to your experience. 

10. Do not be afraid of including some off-the-beaten places in your itinerary

The best way to make the most of your cultural travel is to leave the commercial path, visit villages and other less touristic places. Cities are always a different world. To experience real life, get off the touristic trail and discover hidden gems or remote locations to get an overall impression of the country. 

11. Taste the local food

Once you are abroad, why look for meals that you can eat every day at home? There are such tasty cuisines in the world that trying local specialties is an attraction itself. They use ingredients that you may have not even heard about. 

10. Do some voluntary work

If you have sufficient time, you can stay to teach English, for example for accommodation. Many people choose to connect their holidays in a less developed country with voluntary work. Being part of daily life gives you a unique insight. Several agencies offer humanitarian trips for those who want to combine their cultural trips with social work. This type of journey can be highly enriching. However, some agencies sell it for an exorbitant price, which should not be the case if you go there to work. It is better to do some research before booking such a trip. Sometimes locals lose their jobs because it is more lucrative to replace them with foreigners, who pay much more to work there. The best thing is to find an opportunity on the spot.  

As you can see, there are several ways to make your travel more meaningful. Preparing for your trip, immersing in local culture, living like locals, and participating in culture tours help you get a deeper understanding of the place. In this way, you stay connected to the destination even long after.  

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