4 Travel Lessons I Learned in Peace Corps

There are all kinds of lessons that you learn in Peace Corps. From your first day, you are learning a new language, to the lessons that are passed down through volunteer lore (top two being: “It’s not if, it’s when,” and “Never trust a fart.”) You learn the cultural norms and celebrations of your host country and how to navigate around.

I’ve been in Nepal for about a week now, and I’m realizing that some of the lessons I’ve learned from my Peace Corps service are showing up in my life traveling here.

A little research into cultural events goes a long way.

So far, in my week here, I’ve witnessed three cultural events. I spent much of my travels in Thailand attending cultural festivals (songkran, Phi Ta Khon, Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival, Lopburi Monkey Festival, to name a few), and so I knew how experiencing those events make for a really special travel and cultural experience.

I did a peruse of my guidebook and the Internet to find some interesting things happening in Nepal during my travels, and so far, that bit of extra work has certainly paid off. At this point, I think you could plop me down in almost any country and I could find some kind of cultural event that is happening within the week.

Accept the ride.

You’re walking along the side of the road, in the direction you are reasonable sure is the right way, but aren’t 100 percent sure of the exact turns to take. A vehicle, it may be packed full of people, pulls up alongside you and someone inside shouts your destination. What do you do? Climb in and say, “Thank you.” Bonus points if it’s in the local language.

In most cases, this packed vehicle is some form of public transportation.  Take it, and get cozy with some of the people who live in the country you are visiting. See their reality. If it’s not public transportation, check your gut feeling before getting in. If I’m not getting bad vibes, I climb in and make small talk, once again, getting to know the people of the country of which I am a guest.

(Requisite word of caution to solo feminine presenting people, take stock of who is in the vehicle, if there is no other feminine presence, it’s probably better to pass.)

Getting lost is really not that scary.

Sometimes when I tell people that I enjoy traveling solo, I’m met with the question, “But what if you get lost?” (Usually this comes amid a bunch of other questions that are most often rooted in fear.) To that, I say, “Then I ask for help.”

I’ve marathoned enough “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” to know why so many people are afraid of interacting with strangers. So much American media blasts this idea that if we don’t know them, if they are not a part of “our group” then the possibility that they are “out to get us” is much, much higher.

But after living in another country, where I was the one that was overwhelming considered “other,” I’ve seen that is just not the case. By and large, people want to be helpful. And who knows? You may end up posing in a photoshoot with some of the local kids and tweens, and have given them likely one of their first interactions with a foreigner.

Eat local.

Sure, take a recommendation or two from your guidebook. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a food that you are familiar with from a place where you know it won’t be a struggle to communicate.

But if you really want to get a feel for the place you are in and see life in action, look around you. Poke your head behind curtained doors. Follow your nose. If you find a small table or two set up next to something that resembles a kitchen, or at least a place to cook, chances are good that you found yourself a restaurant.

If you are worried about getting sick from the food, a good rule of thumb is that if it’s hot, you’ll be OK, and if it’s a cold fruit or vegetable, it should be peeled. Who knows? You may have stumbled onto a place where the recipes have been handed down for a couple generations. And everyone knows that there’s nothing better than grandma’s secret recipes.

What kind of lessons have you learned to make your travel experiences special?