Cultural immersion: How to make your next trip transformative

Exploring different destinations across the globe can provide us with a great insight into how others live their lives.

Whether you’re living, cooking, or doing business abroad, international travel has the power to broaden our horizons. When you choose to immerse yourself in a new culture, not only will it allow you to learn valuable skills, but it will also help you to gain an understanding of different people from various backgrounds.

What is cultural immersion?

When you fully integrate yourself into an unfamiliar community, you’ll be carrying out the act of cultural immersion. It enables you to connect with local people in a way you wouldn’t do if you came as a tourist and helps you to learn about the way they live in their communities.

If you’re not yet familiar with a certain area, city or country, these experiences will allow you to gain a great understanding of them, and provide you with the opportunity to get to know each destination as intimately as those who live there.

Today, we want so much more out of travel. Gone are the days of simply sitting on a beach or strolling round a city with no real insight into the place we’re visiting. If you’re seeking an immersive experience, transformative travel opportunities should be high on your wish list.

Say yes to transformative travel

Transformative travel: travel that changes you. After you have introduced yourself to people from all walks of life, got to know more about their culture and traditions and given up your time to understand their beliefs, you will benefit from real growth.

These experiences will also be extremely worthwhile when you get back home, as you can apply what you’ve learned to your daily life. So, just how else will you benefit when you embark on your next adventures?

Cultural immersion: the benefits

When you arrive in a new country you can often face barriers. These include not knowing how to speak the language or how to get about. When you stray off the tourist path however, and share spaces and spend time with the locals, this will soon change. Below are some of the highlights of cultural immersion:

You have the chance to develop authentic relationships

Knowing you’ve got friends across the world is a fulfilling feeling. Locals have so much passion for their culture, and travelers have so much passion to learn about new ones, so from there, deep connections can form. Sharing experiences together such as cooking, walking, or shopping will evoke genuine emotions, and lifetime friendships can be made.

It can open up opportunities

After you have built up a solid social network, you could consider going back to that location to work. And the more you have interacted with the locals, the more successful you could be.

Which destinations might prove to be a culture shock?

And we mean culture shock in a good way! No matter whether you’d like to travel alone or as part of a group, transformative travel can really open your eyes. If you’re looking to go somewhere completely different, why not consider these places:

• Brazil
  
  When you hear ‘Brazil’, it’s natural to immediately picture beautiful beaches, the carnival, and magnificent rainforests. While this is all true, there is so much more to this wonderful location. The locals are extremely laid-back, warm, and friendly, so take the time to get to know them and you’ll discover lots that you never knew.
• UK
  
  If you’re preparing for a trip to the UK, you may already be envisaging polite conversations about the weather, drinking tea, and seeing the monarchy. While the romanticized version of British culture does have some elements of truth, in the UK you can also expect friendly people with a lot of different accents – that can be hard to understand at times – and a good sense of humor. Revel in the diverse and buzzing cities of London, Manchester, and Liverpool before immersing yourself in the stunning and wild settings of Cornwall, the Lake District, and Snowdonia.
• Mexico
  
  The lazy, easy-going pace in Mexico makes for a great holiday, but of course, it can equally be frustrating if you need to run an errand that you want done quickly. One of the best things about Mexican culture is that the locals are always happy to give a helping hand. If you’re ever lost, need any help, or have any problems, you’ll always have someone come to your aid.

Book your transformational travel trip today

Are you excited to immerse yourself in the culture of a new location? If so, book your next trip today by getting in contact with our travel experts here at VistaJet.

Our fleet of private aircraft offer global access, and we’re proud to say that we can fly our passengers to over 1,900 airports in 96% of the world’s countries. Whichever destination you’d like to experience, allow us to get you there seamlessly in luxurious surroundings.