Embracing differences through travelling

Some travel to escape the drabness of routine mediocrities. For some, it's a call that can hardly be ignored. Even before the age of discovery, travelers like Faxian and Ibn Battuta travelled around the world with a single goal - to learn. No matter what category we fall under as a traveller, adventure lover or leisure seeker, we all agree that to travel is to discover.

Travelling exposes us to difference - different habitats, different people and different cultures. Every exposure to difference helps us learn. Travelling deeper, living with locals, eating like them, blending with them, allows you to learn about human civilisation and diversity. It broadens your mind and helps you see things from a different perspective; to some, it can be a life-changing phenomenon.  

"I started travelling during my second year at university. I went to Meghalaya, camped near a river for the night, ate with the local villagers and travelled as they do. It was like peeking into a different world. It was like coming out of a shell and seeing the world for the first time all over again," said Nadia, a student at the University of Dhaka. "To be honest, I cannot wait until I have saved up enough to travel the world. I want to see everything that's out there," she added.

Indeed, travelling is like peeking into a different world altogether. Getting intimate with a different culture will never disappoint you. From the expensive and almost futuristic lifestyle of Singaporeans, to the nomadic but ever so gentle livelihood of the tribes of Nagaland, from the snowy white mountains of the Himalayan range, to the scorching heat and burning sands of Rajasthan - travelling will expose you to a range of experiences that may change how you see life forever.

Get out there. Don't go to Bangkok and search for Bangali restaurants. Don't go to Nepal and spend your days in insobriety in your hotel room. Embrace the differences. Travel in a tuk-tuk. Live in a hostel with other travelers. Eat that Thukpa and find out if you hate it. Expose yourself to cultural difference and diversity. And most importantly, travel as much as you can and as far as you can. There's an entire world out there waiting for you.