Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
I make a point to be a cultural lint brush, trying to pick up whatever cultural insights I can
glean from every person I meet.
In our daily routines, we tend to surround ourselves with people more or less like us.
It's the natural thing to do. But on the road, you meet people you'd never connect with
at home. In my travels, I meet a greater variety of interesting people in two months than
I do in an entire year back home. I view each of these chance encounters as loaded with
potential to teach me about people and places so different from my hometown world.
For example, one of my favorite countries is Ireland—not because of its sights, but
because of its people. Travel in Ireland gives me the sensation that I'm actually under-
standing a foreign language. And the Irish have that marvelous “gift of gab.” They love to
talk. For them, conversation is an art form.
Actually, more Irish speak Irish (their native Celtic tongue) than many travelers real-
ize. Very often you'll step into a shop, not realizing the locals there are talking to each
other in Irish. They turn to you and switch to English, without missing a beat. When you
leave, they slip right back into their Irish.
Ireland gives me the sensation of understanding a foreign language…with people who
love to talk.
