Be flexible

My father, a boomer, and I, a millennial, have different ideas about how things “should” be done. Our experiences in life and everyday behaviors reflect those of our generation. I moved away from home before I was 18 and couldn’t wait to be legally old enough to travel on my own. My father had never traveled abroad before (except perhaps a trip to Canada or Mexico), yet I would most definitely pin him for an adventurous soul (he did grow up in the 60s and 70s, so history tells me how adventurous and outgoing his generation is). As he grew into his own man, my dad traveled all over the U.S. I have black and white photos of him repelling down rock cliffs in California, fighting fires in Idaho, riding horses in Illinois, waving on the beach of North Carolina and eventually, packing his two daughters through life’s many trails in the backwoods of Oregon. I grew up similarly in that I was raised to play in the great outdoors and fought a few fires myself. I treasure my photos of his youth. Though my father had to grow up faster than I (he had kiddos by my age now), his curiosity remained the same.

The most notable difference for me (which certainly had something to do with our personal levels of experience with travel) was the flexibility required when visiting cultures unlike your own. Do not get me wrong, the man was brilliant. He engaged and was polite to every person he met. As an experienced traveler, it’s difficult to remember how much adjustment is actually required of you. Your world is constantly changing, and you have to keep up with it before it eats your passport and leaves you behind.