Recently, I read “The Mindful Traveler” by Richard Slimbach, an article that describes the positive and negative impacts of international travel and what I as a student-traveler can do to minimize the negative and maximize the positive.

“St. Augustine of Hippo once wrote, ‘The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page (75).’” Traveling to a different country can open one’s mind to the many wonders of the world and learn about and from the people native to that area.

Slimbach explains that the world is becoming increasingly intertwined. Thus, another benefit for the international traveler is to embrace the fact that we are all connected. It generates fresh insights and unforgettable memories. International travel can help preserve the cultural and natural heritage of sites, increased understanding for travelers, and building relationships with the people there. To truly understand the world and all the connections we have, international travel can be the platform from which we learn.

This summer, I will be traveling to Zürich, Switzerland for nine weeks to do research in Dr. Martin Ackermann’s laboratory at ETH Zürich on the genetic virulence of Salmonella enterica. As excited I am to step forward and dive into research, I need to also be mindful of and reflect on what my presence and actions as a non-national can have on the people around me and the environment.

To be mindful is to consider the “why, how, and with effect with everything we do (74).”

Although the article mainly draws the negative impacts of international travels from the framework of a privileged American visiting a developing country, the article is still very informative and there are a lot of take-aways that I can implement in my own understanding of international travel.

A negative of international travel is that it confirms the elite or privileged and is sometimes used as a break from the mundane of life. Travel can mean something completely different depending on the place that is visited; it can depend on how affluent the natives are and their accessibility to travel. The thought that many travelers have that escaping the developed world for an “authentic” and “simple” experience can offend the natives living there. There is an arrogance in assuming that those in developing countries chose that lifestyle instead of their situation being a reflection of international dynamics. The privileged could also be the only ones taking and gaining from trips abroad. For example, service trips could be considered a type of consumerism in which the volunteer takes a collection of service experiences as a commodity. Being unaware of our privilege can lead to arrogance and assumptions that could be insulting to our own attempt to understand and learn about the world. Even though my trip to Switzerland, a developed country in Europe, may be termed as educational travel, I need to still consider what my expectations are and what my consumption practices are.

Cross-cultural travel negative impacts may not be completely erased, but the negative impacts can be minimized and the positive impacts can be emphasized. An important part of my international travel is to manage my expectations. I should not have romanticized views of what Switzerland would be like based on popular media and based on what I read in history textbooks. I can manage my expectations by learning about the area’s political history, current events, religions, and customs. It is important for me to remind myself to make the trip about the environment I’m in and the people I’m with rather than about myself. I should set myself up in the framework that I am working with people there who have different backgrounds as me and always be thankful for the opportunity I have to learn from them. I should understand that I may be helpful and hopefully contribute to the research done, but I also have limitations as a learner. By being socially mindful, I could acknowledge what privileges I have to travel so far from my home. I realize that Americans are generally more wasteful than the citizens of other countries around the world. I hope to be ecologically mindful by being aware of my carbon footprint in a different country and to retain what eco-sense I learned traveling to Switzerland.

Reflecting upon how I can be mindful of my presence and learning process in a foreign country, I realize that I have so much to learn. I hope that throughout this learning process, I can continue to be mindful and enthusiastic about my trip and education.

Thanks for reading! 🙂

Richard Slimbach, “The Mindful Traveler,” Becoming World Wise: The Guide to Global Learning (Stylus 2010): 71-96.