At my first job where I was a dedicated meeting planner, several of my colleagues would complain about the amount of travel they had to do, where they were going and how long they would be away from the office. I don’t know if their motivation was to get sympathy or to simply to share grievances among each other, but I always took a different perspective.
I consider myself lucky to be able to travel to new and different places. Whether I’m going somewhere as colorful as Malaga, Spain or somewhere less exotic like St. Paul, Minnesota, I always welcome an opportunity to learn about a new place and to meet new people.
Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way:
- In Spain, they don’t readily speak English as is expected in most of the rest of Europe. Instead, they study French in school, which makes sense since if you look at a map of the country – you will see that France cuts it off from the rest of the continent (barring Portugal). Side lesson learned: It’s remarkable how much Spanish you can remember from studying in high school, even after not using it for a dozen years.
- In Hawaii, the afternoon clouds combine with volcano particles, creating what is known as “vog” (volcano/fog).
- In Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, there’s a daily changing of the guard on Parliament Hill, complete with parade down the city’s main streets. The festivities march right past the Westin Ottawa. Plan your CEO’s general session address accordingly.
- The Marriott in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota makes absolutely delectable fresh homemade potato chips and they are only steps away from a light rail train that will take you to a world-famous shopping mecca.
- The Mission Inn in Riverside, California is a diamond in the rough; It is an absolutely gorgeous hotel with a multitude of beauty at every twist and turn. Their steakhouse also serves delectable food and wine.
- The 1980 Robin Williams/Shelley Duvall movie Popeye was filmed on the tiny island of Malta. The set is now a tourist attraction, and a very odd one at that – imagine walking through a village resembling a “real life cartoon“.
- In St. Paul, Minnesota, a daily high temp of 7 below zero is not considered “cold”.
- In Italy (and probably other parts of the world) it is not uncommon for the centuries-old decayed corpse of a saint to be displayed securely, in plain view, for tourists. This is something that honestly took me aback every time, though I saw at least a dozen of them while I was there.
- Every January, San Antonio drains its famed Riverwalk. Must be considered before planning a meeting there, unless your group would enjoy what is known as the Riverwalk Mud Festival.
I have had so many other learning life experiences because of my travels, there are far too many to list here. How could I consider myself anything less than fortunate? The one lesson that I will never forget, however, won’t probably surprise you. Wherever you go, and forever how long, there truly is no place like home.
