Three are many reasons to travel and a wide variety and types of vacations one could go on, but the most common reason people travel for leisure is either to relax or to expand their horizons. Learning new things has been associated with travelling from ancient times to this day and it is still an absolutely valid concept.
Going to a new place and seeing a culture different from your own is an opportunity to look at the world form a new point of view and to discover new things about it. Learning while traveling is actually very hard not to do, but it can be enhanced even more if you decide to make it a conscious goal and it’s actually both fun and fulfilling to do so.
So here are a few things you can do if you want to learn as much as possible while you are away on holiday.
Visit the Museums
Virtually every tourist destination around the globe has at least one museum to offer and most have much more than that. Museums are really learning institutions that have been designed to be fun and foreigner-friendly so this is one of the best ways to gain new knowledge as a tourist. There are all sorts of museums around the world and places like London, Paris and Berlin actually draw a lot of tourists based on their great museums. Just keep in mind that some great museums are impossible to go through thoroughly within a day so budget your time wisely. There are many free museums in Paris for those on a budget.
Hire a Guide
Despite the fact that hiring a local guide or going on a guided tour might sound like the most touristy things to do, they come with great benefits. Nobody can put what you are experiencing at a foreign destination in better context than a local with experience. You can learn really a lot from a professional tourist guide and everything you see will be attached to so much more meaning because of the stories you will be told about it.
Interact with the Locals
One of the most eye-opening things you can do while visiting an exotic destination is to interact with the people living there. This will allow you to experience the local culture first hand and to reexamine your own in the process. I have a friend that found a very interesting and unique approach to this – while she was staying in Singapore, she actually went on a hired some private tutor from a reputable tuition agency, SmileTutor so a local tutor would have a few sessions with her teaching her Chinese. It might sound a bit unorthodox to hide in a room for a few hours instead of being out and about, but she says it really helped her and that it was really enlightening for her on the topics of Singapore and Asian culture in general. So be creative and find your own way to interact with the local people so they can teach you a thing or two about life and their own culture.
Do Your Homework
As many other things in life, travelling is much easier when you are prepared and know where you are going and why. This is will help you both have a great time and make the best of it as far as gaining new knowledge goes as well. While planning your trip, try to learn as much as possible about the destination you are going to be visiting. This is will provide a lot of context to what you are looking at when you are actually there and will help you fell more connected to the landmarks you encounter. Additionally, learning about your destination will help you learn about interesting places to visit that might not be that popular otherwise but that might be something worthwhile for you.
