Updated on September 27, 2024 by Angelika
For many of us, traveling is a source of inspiration, growth and self-reflection. Whether it's a short city break or an extended voyage of discovery on a distant continent, every journey leaves its mark. It shapes us, changes our perspectives and shows us who we really are. On my own travels to the most diverse regions of the globe, I have not only discovered new places and cultures, but also learned a lot about myself. In this article, I would like to tell you about some of these travel experiences that have had a lasting impact on my life and my view of the world.
This is my contribution to the Blog Parade "What I learned (about myself) while traveling" from Julia Pracht. Thank you for the inspiring topic!
1. Everyone is a Foreigner — Almost Everywhere
In June 2003, I traveled to Africa for the first time. I had received an e-mail from our company's security officer informing me that South Africa was a "high risk country". I shouldn't just get into a cab, but my Johannesburg colleagues should organize transport for me from the airport to the hotel. So it was with mixed feelings that I flew to Johannesburg, into the African winter. Johannesburg International Airport (now called O.R. Tambo Airport) surprised me with its elegant marble floors and an almost European atmosphere. I only recognized that I was in Africa by the dark-skinned airport employees. They checked my passport and took my customs declaration. But they didn't shoot me. Nevertheless, I felt somehow uncomfortable because I had a different skin color than most people here. I realized how refugees and migrants must feel when, after a long odyssey, they arrive in a country where people look different, dress differently and speak a different language to themselves.
After I had found my luggage, I looked for my driver and finally discovered a small, skinny man who held a cardboard sign with my name on it above his head and greeted me with a broad smile. Peter briskly grabbed my luggage trolley and led me through the labyrinth of the airport, across the access road and up various escalators to a huge parking garage. There he loaded me and my suitcase into a battered red VW bus that didn't look anything like a cab. I felt a little queasy again, but one look at Peter, who was chatting freely and grinning all the time, put my fears of Africa and its people to rest.
For the next two weeks, Peter took me to the office in the morning and back to the hotel in the afternoon. "Where do you live, Peter?" I asked on one of our trips. "I live in a township called Soweto," he replied. I had read a bit about it - Soweto - South-Western Township - the black town of millions south-west of Johannesburg. Nelson Mandela once lived there before he went underground. Soweto was the center of the 1976 student uprising, led by Steve Biko. In my mind, Soweto was a sea of corrugated iron shacks. On a later tour of Soweto, I learned that there are very different neighborhoods. I saw Winnie Mandela's luxurious mansion, the Mandelas' former very modest home - now a museum - and yes, huge neighborhoods of corrugated iron shacks. I never asked him which part of Soweto Peter lived in.
Sometimes Peter spoke in incomprehensible gibberish on the phone. "What language do you speak?" I wanted to know, as I had read that there are 11 official languages in South Africa. "That's Setswana. I come from Botswana." So many nations and all skin colors. Peter was my first encounter with this foreign world and never tired of answering my questions for two weeks. As a parting gift, he gave me a South African flag and a book on the state of the nation, which touched and also embarrassed me, as I only had a tip for him.
2. Enjoying the Magic of the Moment
Until my stay in Johannesburg, I had only met my South African colleagues by phone and email. It was all the more amazing how warmly I was welcomed into the office from day one. We spent our lunch breaks under the bright sun on the terrace in front of the canteen and it didn't take long for me to feel at home. On the second day, my colleague surprised me by suggesting that we spend the weekend together in Pilanesberg National Park - together with her husband, a former BBC nature reporter, and a young colleague. This spontaneous idea was to change my (travel) life forever.
On Friday afternoon, we drove from Sandton, where our office and my hotel were located, towards Pilanesberg. During the three-hour drive, Mike, the Englishman and journalist, told exciting stories about historical events, the geography and nature of South Africa. The long drive went by in a flash.
When we arrived at the national park, we settled into a simple cottage and Mike prepared my first Braai the South African barbecue. While the steaks and Boerewors were sizzling on the grill, we nibbled on Biltong, the dried beef or venison, which I learned to appreciate in South Africa but no longer found so tasty back home in Germany. A few curious guinea fowl and ostriches dropped by and I enjoyed my first evening in the African wilderness to the full.
The next day we went on a full-day game drive, expertly guided by our driver-guide Mike. We saw elephants, antelopes and an impressive variety of birds. After dinner, Mike suggested we go out again, as dusk is often the best time for spotting animals. Although I was tired, I didn't want to miss this opportunity - and it was the right decision. While my colleagues made themselves comfortable in front of the cottage with a glass of wine, we set off. Mike, who knew the park like the back of his hand, skillfully steered us along the dirt roads
It was a rewarding drive: at a lake, we spotted hippos on a small island, a spotted eagle high up in the trees, and when an angry bull elephant rushed towards us with its ears out, Mike stepped on the gas pedal. But the highlight came shortly afterwards: a mother rhino and her baby crossed the track right in front of us. I held my breath while I filmed the scene - a moment full of magic that still touches me today when I watch the video. For the first time, I experienced what it was like to be completely in the here and now, without a single other thought in my head.
That was 21 years ago, and since then I have traveled to many fascinating countries in southern and eastern Africa. Each time I experienced great moments in nature that triggered similar feelings in me. But South Africa, with its unique wildlife and the wonderful people I got to know there, will always have a special place in my heart.
3. We all Live in Luxury
My manager and I decided to explore Delhi and Rajasthan after our three-week business trip to Chennai. There is a lot I could say about my experience of working in India, our weekend trips and the Rajasthan tour that would go beyond the scope of this article. So I'll just pick out one incident.
On the way to Jaipur, we left the expressway and drove along a sandy track that led us into a world where cars were a rarity. Instead, we saw camel and bullock carts piled high with goods and people. Men in turbans and women in colorful robes balancing heavy loads on their heads characterized the image of the rural region.
Our driver Ali, usually rather taciturn, suddenly asked if we had any plans for the afternoon. "Not really yet," said my boss. "Maybe we'll take a look at the 'Palace of the Winds'." Ali offered to show us his home - it was only a short detour. Surprised and curious, we accepted. After another hour, we reached his village in a remote part of Uttar Pradesh. In the center of his brick house was a courtyard that apparently served as a living room. The furnishings were sparse: two low chairs, a water barrel and a few canisters. Ali's brother greeted us in English and introduced us to his wife, children and parents, who watched us with interest from the doorways of the simple rooms. We looked furtively into the rooms, but there was only one double bed in each.
While we drank tea and powdered orange juice, Ali disappeared with his wife. When he returned an hour and a half later and we were rushing to leave, I asked for a toilet. Ali apologized: "We don't have a toilet." He offered to visit a friend who had one. The thought that an Indian family, who are by no means on the lower fringes of society, but rather belong to the lower middle class, have no toilet was very much on my mind - and that there was actually only one family in this village with a toilet.
When I arrived at the friend's house, Ali led me through a barn with cows to a wooden door. Behind it was a freshly whitewashed room of one and a half square meters, empty except for a hole in the floor - no traces of paper or water. But it was a toilet, and I was glad to have at least paper tissues and a water bottle in my rucksack.
In the afternoon, we joined the queue of tourists at the Palace of the Winds. In the evening, we were delighted with our comfortable hotel rooms - including toilet and bidet hand shower - and the sumptuous buffet.
This was one of many experiences that reminded me how privileged we are in the global North, even if we are often not aware of it in our everyday lives. We have not earned these privileges, they are a gift of chance - we are lucky enough to have been born in the right place at the right time.
4. It's Beautiful Everywhere — Even on Your Own Doorstep
After leaving my company after 27 years due to burnout, I decided to become a travel blogger. My plan was to blog about my travels around the world - trips that I had already taken and meticulously documented and trips that I could now finally take without having to take my colleagues' vacation plans into consideration. I also had long-term trips over several months in mind. I completed my first online courses and an introductory WordPress course at the adult education center. But then came the pandemic.
At first, my dream seemed to burst like a soap bubble. During the lockdown, we could hardly imagine that life would ever return to normal. My daughter in Innsbruck couldn't visit me for months. To avoid sinking into depression, I went on lots of walks and took every opportunity for short breaks. One of the highlights of my summer 2020 was visiting my daughter and my friend Jutta from Bremen together. We went on trips to the Max-Eyth-See and the Bärensee, two local recreation areas in Stuttgart, and hiked on the Sommerberg near Bad Wildbad. At the beginning of August, I took part in a writing week with friends from the Sindelfingen text workshop organized by the author Herrad Schenk in the Black Forest near Freiburg. We spent productive and cheerful afternoons in Mrs. Schenk's cosy garden. Although they weren't the big trips I had dreamed of, I enjoyed these carefree breaks from the pandemic to the full.
Slowly, I began to warm to the idea of blogging about traveling in Germany — after all, it had proven possible, even under the toughest conditions. I was completely thrilled when, in 2021, I went on a varied road trip lasting several weeks that took me from Eisenach to Weimar, Leipzig, Berlin and on to Bremen and Düsseldorf. In the fall, I spent a few days with my sister in Rüdesheim, from where we explored the beautiful Upper Middle Rhine Valley I started sharing my experiences in Germany on Instagram. At the beginning of 2022, I signed up for a WordPress course with Webdesigner Birgit Hotz, and in December 2022 I went online with my self-built website and my first blog articles.
The fact that I didn't give up in frustration within the first few months is thanks to Judith Peters' Blogger community The Content Society. The weekly writing impulses, the feedback from the Sympatexter team and the community as well as visibility campaigns such as the blog parades gave me the energy to keep the ball rolling despite a difficult start.
Without the coronavirus pandemic, I would probably never have come up with the idea of choosing my own home country as a niche topic. And I would never have learned so much about German history, geography, sights and regional differences - topics that I now find extremely fascinating.
Conclusion: What I Learned about Myself and the World while Traveling
Traveling means much more than discovering new places; it is a profound experience that has a lasting impact on our view of ourselves and the world. Whether in Africa, India or here in Germany - every trip has shown me how important it is to break down prejudices, enjoy the moment and not take achievements such as freedom, democracy, and prosperity for granted.
Especially in times of crisis, such as during the coronavirus pandemic, I realized that life often leads us down winding paths to new discoveries and unexpected passions. What began as a dream of global adventures developed into an enthusiasm for the treasures of my own homeland, which I now share with others in my blog articles.
Every trip gives me new experiences, surprises and makes me rethink preconceived ideas. Being open to new things not only gives me a better understanding of other cultures and people, but also strengthens my tolerance, my self-confidence and my gratitude. Every trip, whether in my home country or on distant continents, enriches my life in a way that I often only realize afterwards. Traveling has not only made me a more open-minded person, but also a more reflective and fulfilled one.
With this in mind, I wish myself and you, dear reader, many more exciting and insightful travel experiences.
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Dear Angelica,
what a lovely contribution to my blog parade and what wonderful memories! Thank you so much for sharing them with us.
Cheers,
Julia
Dear Julia,
It was fun to delve into the past and relive some formative experiences. You chose a great topic for your blog parade!
Cheers,
Angelika