5 Things I Learned While Living and Traveling Overseas

You don’t need to jet set to take these insights to heart

Food prepared for you in a restaurant is not going to kill you. Unless you have an unfortunate allergy, everything you can buy from food stands, local markets, and foreign restaurants is edible. If you are avoiding strange-looking food because you are afraid, then you are potentially missing out on some truly delicious eats.

Some of the stranger food I have tried over the years that ended up being surprisingly good include raw octopus, beef heart, and goat ribs. In fact, you can often find beef heart in local American grocery stores in the meat section. If I had passed on food just because I thought it looked or sounded funny, then I would have missed out on some of my favorite foods.

Diversity is a buzzword making the rounds, but few people actually experience the deep diversity of human culture that is present around the world. There are fascinating cultures and practices in every corner of the planet, from elaborate Shinto shrines in Japan to brightly colored garb found in Peru. Alpaca wool, ramen noodles, raw fish, clashing colors, jerky dances, throbbing percussion beats, searing spirits, prayer walls, incense, braziers, calls to prayer. These are just a few of the things that are different almost everywhere you go. If you have an opportunity to enter the space of another culture and are lucky enough to be invited to experience something truly foreign, take it. You will not be disappointed.

Many Americans have an aversion to public transport. We are road warriors who feel most at home in our personal cars. But in many countries, personal cars are a luxury most people do not have access to. In some countries, driving is a massive privilege. In order to get around, you have to use public transportation. That includes trains, ferries, and buses. It might take a little bit of thinking and planning, but learning a country’s public transport system is well worth the effort, and that includes your local public transport right here at home.

I have taken everything from hundred-year-old ferries in Hong Kong to double-decker charter buses in the Andes to the local commuter trains in Japan. Each experience was interesting and much better than I ever expected it to be.

There are a handful of things that everyone on Earth enjoys. No matter where you find yourself on Earth, you will run into these same themes. Everyone likes spending time with family, everyone loves a good celebration, nothing beats a hot meal or a strong drink — whether that be coffee, tea, or alcohol — and nearly everyone likes sharing these things with others, even strangers. You can be in the weirdest place or the farthest place you have ever been and bond with the locals over food, family, and drink.

Many people have simple jobs and enjoy living a simple life. Most people are friendly, or at least neutral when it comes to others. Once you recognize these things, when you see them and experience them, it becomes much easier to relate to people on a deep, almost spiritual level that transcends all differences.

Manners and cultural norms vary wildly from country to country. If you go abroad thinking that your Western politeness is going to get you far, you could be in for a rude awakening. Some things that we do every day and expect from our peers in North America are strange or frowned upon in other countries.

For example, making eye contact in some Asian cultures is considered rude. The Russian people do not often smile at strangers. Slurping your noodles in Japan is considered polite, and picking up your bowl or plate to shovel food into your mouth is expected. Some cultures do not tip.

When you go to explore another culture or country, be sure to look up some of the local customs, do not be offended if you come off rude by mistake, and always defer to the locals for standard behaviors.

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