Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tion in a larger context. No country exists in a vacuum, and learning how your country has
interacted with the world throughout its development will have a profound effect on your
trip planning and on your travel experience. You'll appreciate everything you see there with
a larger perspective and will become eager to visit locations and sites that you might have
otherwise ignored.
Once you have a sense of your destination historically, you'll be in a good position to
appreciate the local music, art, literature, and dance. Of these, the easiest to start with is the
music. Music can require less education to appreciate than art does, and unlike reading and
dancing, listening to music can be done almost anywhere. Most guidebooks contain basic
information regarding local music, and this information can be supplemented with an on-
line search. Once you have a sense of what you'd like to hear, internet radio is an excellent
resource for further exploration 4 . Then, once you know which aspects of the local music
you appreciate the most, consider how you can incorporate at least one musical event into
your trip. Perhaps you'd like to experience an opera in Teatro Alla Scala in Milan, or listen
to bossa nova in a beachside café in Rio de Janeiro. If you play an instrument, you might
become even more involved, especially if you can find a group in your own hometown that
would welcome your interest. This last option can provide a double benefit—if you start
playing music with ex-pats from your destination, conversing with these new friends in
your new language during breaks, you'll truly be traveling every day.
As far as art, literature, and dance are concerned, your level of involvement will de-
pend on your level of interest. But keep in mind that the more you learn before your trip,
the more you'll appreciate what you witness upon arrival. Typically, even a little reading
about the local art is sufficient to create a reasonable level of understanding. Literature can
be a little more challenging than art to become familiar with, due to the extra learning re-
quired, but even working through a children's text in your new language, such as The Little
Prince in French, can be very rewarding. Some books are even available in their native lan-
guage and English on opposing pages, and working through such a book with your travel
partner can be a lot of fun. Finally, dancing is another fundamental cultural activity that we
all have more talent for than we realize once we get started. If you have the opportunity to
learn some basic steps of a traditional dance before your trip, a night out dancing in a new
culture can be an amazing experience. Watching a dance performance is of course another
way to appreciate the dance traditions of your destination, but personal involvement will
have a more lasting effect on you.
We conclude this section with a quick mention of sports, festivals, and cultural idio-
syncrasies. Participating in or spectating at a sporting event is a great way to involve your-
self in the local culture, with spectating sometimes becoming a form of involvement in its
own right. Bicycle races in Italy or soccer matches in Brazil, for instance, take on a level of
community importance that isn't matched by any sporting activity in America. In some cit-
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