Breathing in the air and aromas, walking in the footsteps or examining firsthand what I have studied or read about is thrilling.
I get goosebumps just remembering the first time I:
- stood under the towering, majestic Redwoods I’d studied in Botany
- had a slow meaningful conversation in Spanish about education with a woman in the Dominican Republic
- imagined mama’s tending their children while hiking along the the cliff dwellings in Walnut Canyon National Monument
- the visceral experience of erosion you get when visiting in Bryce Canyon
- was joked and teased in Italian as I stopped in to get my morning latte at the cafe near our campground in Florence.
These tiny memories don’t do justice to all the learning that can take place when you travel. Of course lots of learning that happens will have nothing to do with topics you may want to study.
Here are the first twelve subjects that come to mind when I think about taking learning beyond the textbook into the land of experience by seeing, hearing and doing in the the place of origin.
Foreign Language
History
Art
Geography
Anthropology
Cultural Studies
Geology
Environmental Science
International Relations
Communication
Politics
Botany
I made myself stop at 12 – what would you add to the list?
What has been your favorite topic to study or learn by or while traveling?
What trip are you ready to plan? Why?
I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments! Thanks, Lisa