I’ve studied and researched at several of the world’s top universities, hold three advanced degrees, and became a respected expert in several domains of scientific research, yet I still maintain that travel is the best education. The experiences I’ve gained traveling and immersing myself in different cultures have given me more than merely a neuronal Rolodex of good times and good stories. They allowed me to become a well-rounded thinker and writer. They underlie all my recent success in academia and beyond. But most of all, they’ve changed my perspective of my fellow human beings.
Scientific research performed across cultures has recently demonstrated the sage wisdom behind Mark Twain’s famous quip in his book Innocents Abroad, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
New research suggests that traveling to diverse places really does open the mind and allow people to have a more charitable view of humanity. An analysis of five studies demonstrated a clear connection between the number of countries one has traveled to, and the more trusting one tends to be. The number of countries one visits “provides a great level of diversity in people’s foreign travel experiences, allowing them to reach such a generalized assumption” about the intrinsic goodness of humanity, noted the researchers.
Other, more indirect research has led to some similar conclusions. Psychological studies performed on Third-Culture Kids (TCKs for short), or children who were raised in more than one culture, suggest that TCKs are more open-minded, culturally sensitive, and are hardwired to effortlessly adjust to new cultures. Although TCKs also come with a long list of negatives, such as scoring lower on dimensions of emotional stability and belongingness, their superpower lies in their ability to empathize with multiple cultures, even if the different cultures have seemingly conflicting ideologies.
The psychological phenomenon underlying the positives of travel is referred to as contact theory—the more contact one has with people or cultures disparate from their own, the greater their ability to empathize with different people or cultures. Research suggests that when individuals engage in meaningful contact with others who are different from them, it can help break down barriers and reduce feelings of fear or hostility toward others.
By exposing oneself to new cultures and interacting with people from different backgrounds, individuals receive innumerable and invaluable benefits in return. Travelling leads to increased empathy, reduces prejudice, and fosters greater social cohesion between disparate groups.
What we need now more than ever is cultural empathy, to learn about other cultures and encourage rather than tolerate their differences. Traveling can lead to a more tolerant and understanding society, where individuals are able to appreciate and celebrate the diversity of human experience. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of people and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime. For me, this is the preeminent reason to travel.
