Traveling doesn’t change you. Paying attention while you travel does.

Distance by itself does nothing. You can cross an ocean and spend the whole time in the same mental room, taking photographs of things you never actually looked at. What alters you is noticing how differently a place solves ordinary problems: food, time, greetings, what counts as rude. That noticing is a skill, and it works at home too.

Wherever you are this week, pick one ordinary thing and watch how it is done. Ask someone why it works that way rather than assuming. Write down one difference you noticed, because the ones you do not record disappear.