We travel across the whole world and explore the biggest landmarks. May it be the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel tower or old Inka trails. Ancient temples, pristine beaches and spectacular architecture. Maybe traveling in another country seems more interesting because the looks are so exotic to one’s eyes. Maybe it’s the unknown that we are urging for. However, after having seen the 123rd temple there is a time where the excitement slowly stalls for the astonishing monuments. When beaches are still gorgeous but no longer become the reason to spend hours in the plane. When you don’t want to lie in the sand like a dead meerkat hoping to get teinted and sun starts bothering you.
For me, it was when I heard the stories of some foreign friends about their amazing time they had in Germany and how much they experienced during few weeks. And somehow I even felt a bit ashamed that as a German myself I could not tell as much about my country’s beauty as I wanted. Why? Because it never crossed my mind to travel across my hometown, which actually is the most obvious. Honestly, what kind of traveler am I that knows about remote places in Asia but can’t give an impression on the biggest cities. I wanted to change that. Because as a traveler, you are always an ambassador for your country. I believe we should have the best understanding possible in order to share our culture with the one’s who can’t travel for whatever reasons.
At that point it was time to take a break and think of seeing the places that seem ordinary to me. Because they’re so close and we always think “I’ll go there someday”. However, that day will never come. So I came back to the same old thing I did in the past: traveling. But that time I’ll backpack through Germany. Meet with good friends, make new ones, explore new places. So many things I always wanted to see and do but for no reason, never did. During the trip I challenged stereotypes and showed interest in the people surrounding me by getting to know their thinking. In the end, I gained a new perspective on the country but also gratefulness for the situation I am blessed with.
Have you ever looked at your country from the perspective of a traveler? All you need to do is step out of the house and walk around with your eyes open. What are your experiences?
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