Professor Quinn Mecham shares travel tips from his visits to over 100 countries across the world.
If you’re like most, the travel bug hit you hard after COVID-19. On April 5, 2023, an audience of hundreds excitedly listened to political science professor Quinn Mecham (Political Mobilization in the Islamic World) discuss his international experiences in a lecture titled “How to Travel,” sponsored by the Kennedy Center. Mecham, an avid globe-trotter, shared wisdom and stories from his visits to over 100 countries, teaching students how to have meaningful, transformative experiences abroad. “The way you create meaning is you have an emotional experience that fixes in your memory, lingers with you, and reshapes your character and identity,” he said.
His stories and vast array of experiences attracted a huge crowd of over a thousand students, who responded to his suggestions enthusiastically. The large audience demonstrated a high level of student interest in diverse international and cultural experiences.
Mecham shared four main tips to make world travel an emotionally meaningful experience.
1. Surprise
Shock, wonder, and the unexpected—all are elements of surprise vital to having a meaningful international trip. This includes finding new and unusual things not on your itinerary and looking at the common in new ways. Specifically, open new doors, look upward, and think about the people you are with.
2. Wonder
In Mecham’s words, “Wonder is this amazing emotion where I put my hands up [excitedly] and say, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me! Wow, that is marvelous!’” Mecham suggested finding this sense of awe by getting outside and looking at important spaces around us like towers, icons, gardens, churches, and living spaces. This helps us understand the significance of human and heavenly creations.
3. Empathy
Look around for the human story. How do others around you live and what do they believe in? Learn from the stories and tragedies of the past. International relationships become deeper when you learn how to care for others who are different from you.
4. Connection
Finally, connect with culture and people. Find new friends and look for personal connections with locals. Additionally, reading primary documents can help you connect with the artistic culture of your location.
Mecham included some final practical tips to enhance the travel experience:
- Understand the context of a place: history, politics, music, literature, cuisine.
- Remember that you’re a guest and treat others with consideration.
- Pack lightly: minimal and versatile.
- Unpack fully each time you get to a new place.
- Slow down and use all the senses.
- Take photos after the experience; don’t let photos substitute for it.
- Record and process what you see and feel.
So, buy a plane ticket, pack your bags, and go see something new! You never know what new things you might find as you explore. Discover more Kennedy Center events and find opportunities to travel here.