Have you traveled abroad?
Have you taken as much out of this experience as you could have?
What could you do to really be prepared for this travel experience, as well as help you to change your mindset at home?
Lindsay went to Paris in November of 2018 and in this episode she’ll reflect on her experience and how it can help you in your travels.
If you’d like to know more about how Lindsay prepared for this trip by working on her French in a 30-day crash course listen to this episode.
Traveling Abroad Can Be A Life Changing Experience
Traveling abroad can help you to reexamine your life, your home, and even the way that you do things.
Digging into another culture can help to be refreshed, and you may also look differently at some of the things that you do in your life.
The different way of life in other countries starts to seep into your own life in some ways.
You can get a lot out of the experience if you go in thinking through these things.
You can also really examine things at home if you take in these lessons and apply them to your own life.
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Takeaways From Lindsay’s Trip to Paris
It’s all about going into this experience being prepared.
You want to be able to speak the new language and work your way through new cultural experiences.
Here we look at four key takeaways that Lindsay had from her trip to Paris that will help you to successfully travel abroad:
- The moment of panic in learning a new language is going to happen: You are going to have times or experiences when you feel like you don’t know what to say in this new learned language. This may happen in a restaurant or when you are out experiencing the culture. Know that it will happen and you may say something wrong. You can’t give up though, so just be prepared that it will happen. The key to working through this is to figure out how to slow the situation down when you feel the panic coming. It’s all about how you prepare for these conversations and staying calm–all you can do is be mentally prepared for these conversations.
- Give yourself a little buffer to add some confidence: This may be making some small talk in this new language to build your confidence. Before you ask to be sat at a table in a restaurant, it may be talking back and forth in that language with the host. Know that you can speak the language like this and then it builds your confidence. This helps especially before you need something, so that it helps you to work through any potential moments of panic. This small talk also helps to make the other person feel that they are important and that you care.
- Take the time to truly experience the culture: Book experiences if you have the opportunity. Get into the culture in new and exciting ways. This not only helps you to truly experience the culture, but it also helps you to generate conversation in this language. Integrate into the local culture and learn how they view things, even food. Know that there is a different way of viewing the world and it’s helpful and interesting to learn that when you are traveling abroad. This can change your mindset in your own culture and in your own life. Something like taking the time to really enjoy a meal abroad, and see how that may change your perspective.
- Go deep into something and try to build a craft: You may be missing out on something great because you’re so busy with everyday life. When you travel abroad you see that there are many people developing and perfecting a craft. They may be perfecting a skill or building a trade, and they could spend their whole life in doing that. This is such a good thing and we should all slow down to figure out how to do that in our own lives. Take your time to slow down sometimes and see what you may be missing out on–there is something great about building a skill, trade, or talent and making it your own. Make the most of your free time and really invest in it!
A Special Thank You
We’d like to give a very special thank you to Leila and Olivier for hosting us at their home in Paris for a lovely dinner.
We enjoyed a four course meal and amazing conversation.
The ultimate experience is being able to travel to a city and connect with friends who live in that place.
Thank you!
Takeaway
Traveling abroad can be an amazing experience, and you want to make the most out of it.
Try to take something out of these takeaways to help you to really make your travel experience the best it can be.
Use your travel experiences to change your mindset and perspective when you get home.
The things that you learn and take out of your travel experiences can really help to shape your life in many profound ways–so open yourself up to it.
This is how you make connections anywhere in the world, and how you really think deeper about things in your life when you return.
If you have any questions, please leave them below in the comments section.
We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
