You know when people go on that trip to Europe and they come back saying how life changing it was? It sounds like a bit of a cliche but I think there is actually some truth to how your life changes when you go abroad. Maybe you realized your love for history or architecture, or maybe you learned you are actually a morning person. There is so much you learn about yourself when going abroad which is a whole other post, but I want to focus on the habits you pick up abroad that make you a better version of yourself. It could be those things that you realize we have been doing wrong in the United States or just eating a certain way that makes you feel better. Here are on the habits that I have picked up in my travels (primarily in Europe), that have changed me.
Sustainability in Germany
This is maybe the most simplistic of the habits I am going to talk about. When I visited Paula in Germany in 2019, I came back with a whole new outlook on what it means to be sustainable. Germany had banned plastic bags and straws. Everywhere you went you needed to have your own bag. This is a habit I have since picked up. I always go to the grocery store with my own bags and if I don’t then I try not to use bags which makes my mom a bit uncomfortable sometimes because I am just walking out of the store holding food, but I refuse to use a plastic bag when I don’t need it. Paula was also really into sustainability at the time and I picked up a few things from her as well. I have been using bamboo toothbrushes ever since. These are all just little habits that may seem like they don’t make a difference, but if we all stopped using plastic bags, maybe it would? If we all bought our drinks in cans instead of plastic bottles, maybe it would? I don’t think I would have gained this mindset about sustainability without going to Germany, because in the United States we have this culture of convenience. It’s what I have been used to, but seeing a place that values quality over convenience, I learned how actually not inconvenient certain sustainable habits can be.
Organic Eating in Italy
On a similar not of sustainability, we have healthy and organic eating. I always loved how food in Europe made me feel since it has less preservatives and I have always tried to replicate that when coming home, but I never was that successful. Baking bread all of the time became a chore and what I thought was healthy eating just made me feel so rigid. In Italy, I learned that the trick is not to only eat salads all of the time and only eat homemade baked goods. It is actually eating organically and holistically. That is how you truly attain food without preservatives, because even the ingredients we use for baking and cooking aren’t always the best. It has made the biggest difference in how my body feels. I no longer feel rigid about my eating because if I can eat pasta and gelato everyday for 10 days and not gain weight in Italy, then there is something to be said about the quailty of food I am eating at home. I have found myself buying not only organic in the store but also buying products locally and supporting the farmers. I incorporate them into my meals which may sound like a lot of work to make meals completely from scratch all the time, but it is worth it. I learned in Italy that cooking can actually be simple and taste good. Now I no longer crave things that always haunted me before, because in reality they don’t make me feel very good and there are a lot of better foods out there that do make me feel good and they taste good.
Meal Times in Spain
One thing you learn by traveling is that there is not one way to do things, and sometimes the other ways suite you better. It doesn’t make one way right, so don’t let people make you think that. One habit I picked up from my life in Mallorca is eating dinner later. My family hates it. They like to eat between 5:30 and 6:30, but you don’t really realize how much of a hinderance that is on your day until you eat dinner at 8 or 9pm and suddenly it feels like you have more time in the day to do things. I love it! In Spain they will eat a bit later at like 10pm, which is late for me, but eating dinner at 8pm is perfect. At the end of the day I have time to workout and actually cook. You may be thinking, but aren’t you hungry? That’s why you eat later lunches. In Spain we had lunch a little after 2 pm, which again is perfect. Its the time between breakfast and lunch I struggled with, but it works if you eat breakfast later. Some people may think these late meal times are me trying to be all European, but I really do like it so much better. You can actually do things in the evening without worrying about the interference of dinner. Give it a go and see what happens!
Disconnecting in Mexico
Mexico was a unique situation because this habit has nothing to actually do with Mexico and its culture and more to do with why I was in Mexico. It was a mission trip and they encouraged us to not be on our phones. I will admit I struggled with this, especially because it was my birthday during that time, but there was something freeing about not being on my phone. First off I couldn’t take pictures of everything, which meant I was living in the moment. The second part of it was being able to focus on what was happening around me and not on my phone. It added to the experience. The meaning of the trip just became that much more clear without my phone. Not only was I focused on the people I was meeting and learning about the church in Mexico, but the disconnect put everything into perspective. I didn’t have the influence of my life back home where I and the people in my life are quite privileged. I was encountering people who lived in an actual garbage dump and orphanage. I could immerse myself in this experience and reflect on the meaning of this and how I would apply it to my life back home. This is something I have tried to keep since. Disconnecting from my phone actually helps me to empathize with people, because I am actually present with them and can truly listen. Now when I travel I try to observe and take things in rather than spend my downtime on my phone. At home I try to stay off my phone when at work in order to be present with the kids and I never go on it when I am spending time with people. This is one of the most meaningful habits I have developed abroad.
Breakfast Foods in Germany and Spain
This is a slightly different habit, but my breakfast habits have significantly been influenced by my travels. I have gone from eating bagels and oatmeal to bread with meat cheese and muesli. I remember the first time I went abroad to central Europe I was so confused by the cold cuts offered at the breakfast buffet. Now I regularly eat salami for breakfast (I can thank Spain for this one.) The meat and cheese one took years and a few trips to finally get on board, but after trying salami and cream cheese on toast for the first time in Mallorca, my life was forever changed. It was one of my favorite things to eat while I was an au pair. Another of my favorites it muesli which is like cold oatmeal but with dried fruit and nuts or if you get the good stuff with chocolate. It is kind of like a version of cereal except you mix it with yogurt and milk so it is a bit thicker. You can find this all over Europe. I ate muesli in Germany, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland. I love it so much because it is not as sugary as cereal in the United States. It is also more common to eat plain yogurt in Europe which contributes to this. There are a lot of other amazing breakfast foods I have had in Europe, like pastries for breakfast everyday when traveling around Italy and a lot of brown bread when studying abroad in Europe, but I just haven’t incorporated them into my diet at home as much. Actually I take that back… I love brown bread, but I have to make it homemade so I don’t eat it that often. The point of this habit is that Europe completely changed my idea of what breakfast is. Now I hardly ever eat the American style breakfast like pancakes or french toast because they just seem too sweet and not that appetizing anymore.
Public Transportation in Ireland and Spain
One thing I learned in Europe is how to be reliant on public transportation and let me just say I like it way more than driving. In Ireland I figured out how to get anywhere without a car. Around Galway, where I was studying, I would walk everywhere. On my day trips to different cities and sites, I took public transportation. If there was somewhere I couldn’t get to with the train or bus, I would take a taxi (I know that is not as environmentally friendly). This changed my perspective on going places. It was the same when I was an au pair in Spain. I drove to the school to drop off and pick up the kids, but beyond that I used the bus to get around Mallorca, planes to get to the continent, and then trains and the metro around there. This raises the questions of why are we so reliant on cars in the United States. We use them to go everywhere, even if there is public transportation available. I keep saying all the time about how we need more trains in the US. If there was a train that ran from the Twin Cities to Duluth, I would use it all the time. Not only is it more environmentally friendly, but you are able to just check out. You don’t have to worry about traffic and directions. You can do work, read a book, or watch a show on your phone on the train. Public transportation also makes nights out easier. You don’t have to worry about having a designated driver or that chance of drinking and driving. You also don’t have to pay the hefty price of an Uber. All I can say is I know I was a lot less stressed when I had public transportation available that I could rely on. When I can, I try to use public transportation, although I am probably not as good as I could be since our culture really is centered around driving. I think this is because of our individualistic culture that focuses on independence and efficiency. It is something I really wish would change about American culture.
People and the Third Place in Ireland
Now I am getting into the more deep habit. In Ireland I found my people and my place. But what made that so? The people there had the right outlook on life. Life wasn’t just working and studying. Life was about connections with others. It didn’t matter what day of the week it was, people were in the pubs. It felt like in Ireland life existed outside your home and work life. Your home was a place to sleep and eat, but that wasn’t your life. Does that make sense? When I talk about this, using the third place is the best way to describe it. Obviously you have to go to work and to school (the second place) and sure, you probably have a family or amazing roommates like mine at home (the first place), but then there is the third place which can be cafes, pubs, libraries, parks, or anywhere you can go to socialize with people. This culture of spending life in the third place is something I miss so much. It is something I have tried to bring back home, but it is hard because it just isn’t as big of a part of life here. Maybe it is much more common in cities or other states, but in rural Minnesota it is not. I have found something similar though. I have found that getting involved in the community helps to replicate this. For example, I sell stuff at the farmers market. I am out in the community in a place where I can socialize and meet new people. I think dedicating time to the third place makes the biggest difference in feeling a work-life balance.
This was my list of habits I picked up abroad. Do any of these feel familiar to you? Stay tuned to read my post about the ways travel has changed me as a person and my perspective of life on a deeper level.
The Journal of Wanderlust 