“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

Marcel Proust

I have seen some spectacular views as I’ve traveled. Mountain views,
seascapes, city skylines…  but while I enjoy the change of view and the
memories that wonderful views offer, the real impact of travel is its
ability to change how I view the world. Here are a few examples…

Middle East: In North America, the news consistently refers to the
west bank of the Dead Sea as, well, The West Bank. When visiting Jordan
it was referred to as Palestine. New eyes.

Cuba: In 1985 I saw communism at work in Hungary. I saw the military
with machine guns on street corners. It wasn’t a good first impression.
In Cuba there wasn’t military oppression. There wasn’t affluence but it
was a somewhat kinder form of communism. New eyes.

USA: In a cab on my way to the Airport in New Orleans I heard the
lament of my taxi driver who was putting three daughters through private
school because, according to him, the public system wouldn’t prepare
them for the future. It made me think about the public education system,
so fundamental to democracy, that we must protect. New eyes.

Chile: Twenty-one years after the Pinochet regime was replaced by a
democratically elected government I visited Chile. I saw a lot of the
country and I visited the Museum of Memory. I saw how a people can rebuild after atrocity, remembering the bad to build the good. New eyes.

I’m sure that you have experienced your way of viewing the world
change as you’ve traveled. I hope you’ll share those experiences with
us.

Janice writes a blog called Solo Travlers with lots of advice on how to travel alone as well as solo travel safety.