Leave The Resort
LEAVE THE RESORT
Now, I’m as bougie as the rest of them. I too like a nice hotel with a great view, fancy food and room service. However, I also enjoy traveling and immersing myself in the local culture. When I travel, I don’t need to bring America with me. Personally, the whole point of travel is to experience something new. It seems that there has been a shift in the point of traveling over the past few years.
As a child I remember hearing about faraway lands like Florida, Chicago, Montreal and thinking to myself I can’t wait to go there. Okay, I was 7 living in southern Ontario Canada, they seemed like faraway lands to me. I was so excited to see what the other kids were playing, what their favorite candy was, and who their best friends were. At seven, the world still revolved around my perception as a child, so I just wanted to see what the other kids were doing. As I grew older and began to learn about places further than a long car ride, I really became intrigued and wanted to travel and experience these wonderful places. Understand their rich culture, their customs and traditions, learn what life is like and understand what makes them, them.
The easiest way to learn about a culture is to eat the food. I love cooking and entertaining when I’m home, so whenever I get a chance to try a new cuisine, I do it. So I have to admit when I go to a resort in Cancun or St. George’s, Grenada and Buffalo wings or spaghetti Bolognese is on the menu I’m really not happy. Why not try the local foods, like carne asada, pozole, rice and peas, and stew chicken? If you’re going to travel, don’t you want to see what life is like there? Why bring America or England with you? I know it’s also for the Brits because I have also seen baked beans on the breakfast menu and fish and chips for dinner. When I’m in a new place, I want to experience life as they do. Yes, it’s perfectly acceptable to have some standard American and British staples on the menu. Nonetheless, someone in the party might want to try curry goat and fried plantains. It’s so fun to try new foods, seasonings, or techniques and then take them back home with you. Then you can pretend you are an expert on the cuisine.
I also enjoy meeting the locals and learning about their lived experiences. The world is a fascinating place that should be explored. There’s no better way to learn than to speak to the people who actually live there. They will tell you about the stuff you don’t hear about on the news or read online. Getting a firsthand storytelling is quite intriguing. Additionally, it’s authentic. There’s a certain level of humanity in hearing a person telling their own story instead of reading or listening to someone’s interpretation. Traveling allows your experiences to be so much richer than your ordinary day to day. It can allow to see the world from a different perspective.
What I’m saying is, leave the resort! Don’t travel to a faraway land like Cancun, or Grenada or Florida and just live how you always live. Get out there and see what’s going on, try the cuisine talk to the locals. Enjoy yourself. You may be surprised about what you learn, it will change you for the better. Don’t do you just in a new location.
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