Mark Twain and Travel
Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, the iconic American writer and humorist Mark Twain is famously known for his travel writings. His most popular literature is his travel narrative The Innocents Abroad, wherein he wrote his well-known quote, “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” From this phrase, one can vividly understand Twain’s wanderlust as he traveled extensively throughout Europe and the Middle East.
As a born storyteller, Twain’s travels provided him with material for his witty and captivating works. His most famous travel quote encourages individuals to challenge their own beliefs by exploring the unfamiliar, while expanding their minds to receive a broader horizon. According to Twain, travel opens up one’s world to broader perspectives, understanding, and sensitivity.
Throughout his articles, Twain often explored the benefits that come from travel. He believed that by learning from different customs, cultures, and lifestyles, it evolved our self-awareness. He encouraged readers to travel, as he did himself, to gain a better understanding of the world, as experiences are often way more engaging than textbooks. In addition, Twain aimed to teach readers to take risks and challenge their preconceived beliefs.
Moreover, Twain was a strong advocate of cultural immersion during travels. He was captivated by new cultures, customs, and countries, and he encouraged individuals to open their minds and hearts to unfamiliarity. In The Innocents Abroad, he wrote, “travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”; this quote symbolized Twain’s enthusiasm for travel, as he educated readers to engage with locals for he believed that everyone has something to share with each other.
In that same book, Twain highlighted the importance of being an informed traveler, as amateurs can be easily fooled. He thus warned readers to remain diligent and aware of the information they were receiving from guides, as biased perspectives can be dangerous and hinder our experiences.
In his travels, Twain encountered many experiences. He observed the differences in culture and customs, as well as the impact that politics can have on societies. By performing this exploration, he brought the world alive through his writing, inspiring various individuals to take their own journeys to discover themselves and gain a better understanding of the world.
Benefits of Travel
As aforementioned, Twain asserted that travel can bring innumerable knowledge and understanding to our lives. Travel can often generate an impact in various aspects of an individual. These include physical, mental, and even spiritual improvements.
Travel is beneficial for physical health, as it can significantly reduce stress levels and reduce the risk of developing disease. It improves mental health, as it allows individuals to break monotony, expand their horizons, and creatively express themselves. Moreover, it also strengthens relationships, as travel serves to bring individuals closer and create a stronger bond. Lastly, traveling brings spiritual benefits, as it allows individuals to take part in a search for meaning and encourages self-reflection.
In addition, travel can provide us with escapism and bring us back to an appreciation for the small details of everyday life. It can teach us understanding and broadens our perspectives, allowing us to explore the unknown and gain a sense of liberation, while exposing us to different environments. By exploring new experiences, individuals can discover what they are truly passionate about and contemplate the purpose of their lives.
Travel and Emotional Benefits
In terms of mental health, immense knowledge can be generated from coming out of one’s comfort zone. Twain wrote, “to get away from one’s working environment is, in a sense, to get away from one’s self” and by doing so, readers are given the opportunity to assess their identity and reflect on the successes and achievements that have been made.
Travel has been known to have a substantial impact on mental health and can also provide individuals with a sense of accomplishment, as it can constitute a form of self-improvement, as individuals grow and develop new skills. In addition, physical, mental, and emotional stress can be reduced after exposure to unfamiliar environments, as it acts as a distraction from our everyday worries and routines.
Moreover, travel can bring inner peace, allowing individuals to shift their outlooks and focus on present moments. Despite the inevitable challenges, experiencing a different lifestyle away from the comfort of our homes allows us to return with a refreshed appreciation
Long-term Impact of Travel
In addition to the short-term benefits that come with travelling, it can also bring long-term impacts. By engaging on an education-filled experience, it can stimulate personal growth and create an everlasting impact on individuals. Travel brings a more positive outlook of the world, as it gives individuals a newfound understanding of cultures and lifestyles. It allows us to challenge our beliefs, providing a new sense of appreciation for the little wonders of life, as well as the knowledge that life is unpredictable and the opportunities that come with it.
Studies have shown that the educational value of travel is overwhelming; prior to travelling, individuals report higher levels of knowledge and interest in geography, foreign people, and cultures, in comparison to those who haven’t. Although one trip may not create a drastic change in perspective, it can have a subtle lasting impression. Since Twain himself gained his lifelong motto from his trips, it is clear that travel can leave a permanent reminder on individuals.
Traveling to Unfamiliar Places
By traveling to unfamiliar places, individuals can gain a taste of the unknown and explore unique cultures, allowing them to take part in educational and thrilling experiences. Throughout their adventures, individuals will be able to learn and acquire knowledge through their own eyes, rather than reading about it. By exploring the unfamiliar, travelers are opening their minds to morphological understandings, as well as bridging the cultural gap.
As mentioned by Twain, prejudice and narrow mindedness can be fatal. Traveling can thus teach us how to view the world more objectively. Different cultures, customs, and points of view can help us to understand the different walks of life in an enjoyable and unique way. In order to broaden our perspectives, every traveler should take into account the internal and external environments of the areas they are visiting.
Safety While Traveling
When it comes to travel, not only its importance should be taken into account, but safety should be the highest priority. Individuals should always remain vigilant and heed the safety warnings of their selected travel destination. Although it is important to be open-minded and to challenge one’s beliefs from time to time, it is critical to stay within personal comfort levels and take the necessary precautions of each country.
Women in particular should exercise extra precaution, as certain countries have a long history of sexual harassment and gender-based violence. In addition, individuals should always be aware of their surroundings, even in countries with a low crime rate. Lastly, vaccination is one of the most important precautionary measures one should take prior to travelling.
Risks of Over-tourism
Despite all its benefits and importance, over-tourism is a growing problem among developed countries. Due to the increasing accessibility to transportation, some countries are being overtaken by travelers. Over-tourism can lead to overcrowding, increase of local prices, and damage to cultural heritage.
To bring awareness to this problem, travelers should be conscious of their consumption levels by supporting small local businesses and avoiding peak tourist seasons. Alternatively, they can visit alternate and unknown destinations where overcrowding wouldn’t be present.
Moreover, governments of over-touristed countries should enforce regulations to distribute crowds and create a balance between a tourist’s presence and the environment, by limiting the number of visitors to certain sites.
Conclusion
Mark Twain’s enthusiasm for travel serves to bring the world to life and generate a newfound appreciation for different cultures and customs. By travelling, individuals expose themselves to new and unknown environments, allowing them to generate emotional and physical benefits and a better understanding of the world. Although it can have a lasting positive impression, over-tourism is still a problem and travelers should be conscious of the places they visit and its effect on the environment. Lastly, everybody should take Mark Twain’s famous quote to heart: “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
