Become an Educated Traveler—My Wish for You in 2022
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
We love inspiring people to Visit Dream Destinations.
Our best clients are always well educated. Not necessarily formal school education but travel educated.
I think there are 4 characteristics of an educated traveler. They are: 1) They look for engaging travel experiences; 2) They look for enriching travel experiences; 3) They look for transforming experiences and 4) They collaborate with locals at their destinations. Maybe not on every aspect of their trip, but at least part of their trip.
So, let’s explore together and learn about my thoughts about becoming an educated traveler—you won’t be disappointed!
Overview
While I believe it is important to become an educated traveler, many of the 4 characteristics overlap into another category.
Why? It is your feelings about the experience and it differs greatly from person to person. Perhaps then, you should feel free to place your travel experience into the preferred category and not worry about whether it truly qualifies into the exact category or not.
Educated travel is about changes you experiences and my attempts to place them into 4 categories is just a way to think about what the travel experiences mean to you.
To help make the point of this blog, we are going to share with you our experiences in our photos—maybe it will inspire you to think about your past travels and make you want to visit some new places to become a more educated traveler.
I am also sure you will notice the differences Anne and I have of the same experiences. This just reinforces my point about it is the personal effect the experience has on you and this is one of the great wonders of travel—it will change you, usually for the better, and you will become an educated traveler.
Engaging Travel Experiences
Engaging travel may be hard to exactly define, but to me, it is making an emotional connection to a place, its people and its structures. I recently wrote a whole blog about the emotions of travel but it is more than anticipation and expectations during travel—it is also the connections you make at a destinations.
Examples for me—1) a place that brings you peace, relaxation or 2) a structure so grand it is awe inspiring, or 3) learning about traditions or expanding your knowledge of a culture.
Here are some peace and relaxation pictures:
Anne walking in the countryside on the Cotswald Way in England
A line of patrons buying the best Pomme Frites in the World in Brugge, Belgium. One of the best bargain foods that tastes so good you will want to come back to this gem over and over again as we do.
There is nothing more European than the markets in each town squares. The flowers, produce and cheeses are fresh, wonderful and all locals come to buy these wonderful items. Anne often spends hours exploring all the vendors and people watching. This market is in Dom Square, Frieberg, Germany.
Structures that inspire:
Anne and I in front of the famous step pyramid in Egypt. This structure is over 4,700 years old and is among the oldest remaining intact structure in the world.
The Pont du Gard Aqueduct crosses the Gardon River in France. The Roman aqueducts were amazing feats on engineering, figuring out a small gradient drop to bring fresh water from a source to another place. The precision required to get the flow just right is stunning—in the 31 miles the change in gradient is only 12 meters (a little over 36 feet). This aqueduct was part of a system that brought fresh water 31 miles to the city of Nimes.
Maybe it is wearing traditional clothes, as we have wearing our kilts at various functions. Cultural traditions at its best:
Enriching Travel Experiences
Enriching travel is much easier to define in my mind—did you become a more educated person by visiting the destination? I believe you need to learn about the world and you do that best by traveling to most locations.
I think ancestry travel is a perfect example of enriching travel—learn about your roots.
A model of the ship from the Red Star line that brought immigrants from Europe to the New World. This museum documents the entire journey from Europe, what the folks who bought tickets went through, and how difficult the who process was for them. This museum in in Antwerp Belgium.
A grave stone marker on the grounds of Mt. Falcon, Ireland. Anne is descended from the Knox’s and likes visiting graveyards in search of her ancestors.
Another great example is going to a new place that might seem scary at first—overcome your fears or hesitations.
The castle walls of Conwy Wales. Anne overcame her fears of heights and walked the entire walls on the narrow walkways—awesome experience for her!
Maybe it is simple as learning a few words or phrases in a different language, or try a new food or trying a new skill.
In a great little gasthaus in Koblenz, Germany, Anne order our whole meal in German! Sehr gut!
Or as simple about gaining knowledge you didn’t know. This statue in Edinburgh commemorates the lives lost in the American Civil War caught Anne’s eye. It is the only monument outside the United States marking the lives lost in this conflict between the states.
Transforming Travel Experiences
Transforming experiences are also much easy to define—what changes did you experience by visiting a destination that changed you somehow.
Here are 3 reasons why I believe that travel can be transforming to someone (I’m sure there are more) 1) you gained a new perspective; 2) you learn something new and 3) you discovered a new passion.
So, what makes a transforming experience in your travel? Maybe it’s the people; it could be the food, the art, the culture or the entertainment; or it could be a spontaneous experience—you get the idea.
For it to reach the transforming level, I believe the change must be significant and should last for a long time, usually forever. Maslow would call it more than gaining esteem, it is self-actualization, his highest level in his hierarchy needs.
For me, a great example is the Normandy beaches of D Day. The first picture is the cliffs of Pont du Hoc, that the rangers seized in a dazzling display of bravery and what elite soldiers can achieve—being ranger qualified, I can only image how difficult it was to climb under fire the 90 degree cliffs—truly tranformational!
The sheer cliffs of Pont du Hoc
Perhaps in all of Europe, there is no place as moving as the American Cemetery, where over 9,000 US serviceman died liberating Europe.
The next place that had special meaning for me was the Acropolis. While it is an impressive structure, it was the cradle of ideas of democracy that I got to walk where this idea was born.
This is the harbor walk in Ephesus. It held special meaning for me, as this is where Mark Anthony and Cleopatra walk together and we got to do the same. It also helped me better understand some biblical stories.
The next picture is the Alhambra in Grenada, Spain. This was a turning point in Europe in 1492 when the Spanish finally defeated the Moors. The Alhambra is mainly a fort but has one of the most beautiful palaces in the world hidden inside these walls. I could really sense history happening here and is one of my favorite places in Europe.
The Grand Pyramid in Giza, Egypt. It is the only remaining structure of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. The sheer size and construction of the huge blocks, each weighing several tons is amazing—no one knows exactly how it was done but it took thousands to build this structure that still stands today.
The entrance to the great Temple of Karnak. The sheer size of the Temple with 134 columns is overwhelming. I could only imagine an ancient peasant coming to worship and feeling the awe and power of their gods and the pharaoh Ramses II.
Collaborating with Locals
It is amazing how much you can learn about others during travels. I’m not talking about exchanging skills for accommodations, I’m talking about interacting with locals.
Maybe spend a few hours in a pub, talking with locals. We met these two lads in Dublin prior to the 6 Nations Rugby Match between Ireland and Scotland.
Maybe take part in a wine festival. This is the entertainment old style 1940’s band in Bourg, France on our Taste of Bordeaux river cruise on AmaWaterways.
Or ,maybe visit a winery to learn the steps need in making a good or great wine. This is the winemaker on our Rhone River cruise in 2016.
Maybe it is visiting the Christmas Markets to share the festive season with the local citizens. This is one booth in Heidelberg, Germany.
Or best yet share it with friends. Here are a few we have been lucky enough to share our love of travel and become better educated by their wisdom!
My Final Thoughts
Wow—what a good wish for you—become an educated traveler or a more educated traveler! Maybe the key here is a change of perspective of the traveler. It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as life changing, maybe it’s more tolerance, maybe it’s new ideas, maybe just a new experience.
I think you can see why we are in the travel business—it just is awesome to help folks have a great vacation and reach new levels of experiences during their travels.
We hope you enjoyed this report since it was fun sharing it with you.
We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.
When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip. You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience. And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process. We think we have all these qualities.
Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 49 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
