No, You Don’t “Travel Like a Local”

And that’s okay

Photo by Mika Baumeister, Unsplash

When we travel, we expand ourselves not by turning inward but by looking outward, interacting with other people. Do we see only differences — language, cuisine, customs — or do we also identify commonalities, a shared humanity? This is empathy. If we don’t empathize, at least a little, with those we encounter, we never really see them.