“The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.”
― G.K. Chesterton
Prior to attending college, I had never left the country. During my time at Babson College, I had the privilege and opportunity to travel to eleven countries through different study abroad programs. These experiences have been truly life changing, and I have seen myself grow so much personally and intellectually because of my time abroad.
Throughout my travels, I have thought a lot about the impact (positive and negative) to the economy, culture, and environment that my group and I are having on the country we are visiting as well as the impact that the experience is having on us. Unfortunately, after witnessing many incidents of socially irresponsible and culturally inappropriate behavior, I believe that the intellectual growth and cultural awareness opportunities that travel offers are largely missed. I also believe that many travelers from the U.S. are failing to represent the U.S. in a positive way and are having a negative impact on the countries they visit.
The bulk of my study abroad occurred almost two years ago and since then I have thought a lot about the concept of socially responsible, culturally respectful, and intellectually curious travel. This coming year, I will be spending ten months in the Czech Republic as an English Teaching Assistant on a Fulbright Scholarship. The Fulbright program was established in 1945 by the United States government and used a surplus from World War II to fund the “promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture, and science.” The idea was to increase mutual understanding and peace between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills. Given the mission of the Fulbright program, I thought what better time to explore what socially responsible, culturally respectful, and intellectually curious travel looks like. With this in mind I will be writing a blog exploring these concepts through different travel experiences and the intellectual debates that accompany them. I will also share the highs and lows of my travels as well as other topics that spark my interest while abroad (ex. female empowerment, education, and entrepreneurship). I will be pulling from both my time in the Czech Republic as well as the study abroad programs I did through college.
The quote that begins this blog, “The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see,” is my inspiration for the title of this blog, In Pursuit of the Traveler. To me “the traveler” is someone who does not just visit a country for a short period of time and have a surface level experience. A true traveler is someone who lives in another country for an extended period of time and truly engages with the people and culture. They are socially responsible and culturally respectful in all of their actions and are always intellectually curious through truly trying to learn and understand. They also have no negative impact on the country. To me “the traveler” is an ideal, but is not something that can ever truly be reached, though that should not stop people from trying. I do not have the hubris to believe that my own travel is close to this ideal, but I strive to be a better traveler and to call myself out on my own hypocrisy when I can. This blog is about pursuing that ideal and trying to be as close to a true traveler as possible, thus In Pursuit of the Traveler.
In Pursuit of the Traveler 