Book Discussion #3 Summary- Mindful Travel Abroad

Thanks to all who attended our third DEI Initiative book discussion on April 7, 2021. In this session, we discussed chapter 9 of Dr. Anu’s inspiring book, Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World.

While in small break out groups, we explored the following set of pre-posed questions together:

1. In the coming-home process, what are ways that you currently hold space for yourself and others to emotionally process travels. How can we better hold space for ourselves and one another to meaningfully reflect on some of the complex feelings that arise when returning home? What are feasible, effective, and meaningful ways to create space for ourselves/travelers/colleagues to reflect? What are the different ways we can ask travelers/colleagues “how was your trip?”

2. Pages 194 – 197 highlight examples of global citizenship abroad vs at home and explores why our trips abroad need to intersect with our local lives so that we’re not “exoticizing difference abroad while refusing to engage with it at home.” Programs abroad often encourage travelers to “leave your comfort zone” and “engage in a multicultural world.” What is different about being exposed to difference abroad compared to being exposed to difference in communities closer to home? What are ways to be more socially bold and brave at home the way many of us feel abroad? What holds us back, and what might propel us through our discomfort even a little bit?

Key highlights from our conversations have been summarized below.

Key Highlights for Chapter 9:
Question: In the coming-home process, what are ways that you currently hold space for yourself and others to emotionally process travels. How can we better hold space for ourselves and one another to meaningfully reflect on some of the complex feelings that arise when returning home? What are feasible, effective, and meaningful ways to create space for ourselves/travelers/colleagues to reflect? What are the different ways we can ask travelers/colleagues “how was your trip?”

-Practice self-awareness. Be fully present and ready to listen radically. We admit that oftentimes when we ask this of others, we may be modeling the same behavior.

-Set intention and expectations. Plant the seed of reflective questions toward the end of the trip. This also lets people know you are interested in them.

▫Here are some examples of how to hold space individually and/or collectively to emotionally process travels:
◦Journal. Consider using the list of suggested post-trip questions (continue reading below) to help deepen reflection and emotional awareness.

◦Marinate in the curiosity. Recognize that experiencing difficult or surprise emotions upon coming home is normal and to be expected. Allow space and take time to fully appreciate and unpack emotions. Build in the expectation that processing these experiences takes time.

◦Resist the urge to rush back into the “status quo” of the daily grind. Take a day off between coming home and going to work: use the day to reflect on the trip and set future intentions.

◦Learn from others’ shared experiences and unique lenses. Join/create an alumni group to stay engaged with and connected to folks who had the same experience. Continue the conversation via virtual social gathering platforms (i.e. Zoom, Google meets, Skype, Facebook, IG, etc.).

◦Host a virtual debriefing, post-event check-in with travelers, faculty or lecturer, tour director, or guides (if available).
(Note: —If there was a specific event or topic that folks focused on, this virtual space could provide time for a follow up lecture or Q&A discussion.)

◦Leverage social media. Post a prompt or photo submission to reflect on the experience, and invite continued dialogue between travelers. This offers an opportunity to highlight meaningful experiences. These posts showcase the impact of travel to would-be travelers and solidify the richness of content to existing clients.
(Note:
—Post a trip picture with a value-added caption or prompt. The text does not need to be lengthy. The goal is to promote intrigue and self-reflection.
—Below are some post-trip prompts that can be adapted for social media.
—A dedicated, closed social media group (i.e. facebook group), could generate an intimate online discussion among the travelers before, during, and after the trip.

◦In the post-trip evaluation, include a free-form reflection section. Answer the following question: “X school believes in lifelong learning, what did you learn as a result of this experience?” Continue reading to the next section for additional questions.

◦Market the whole experience – making coming home part of it. Tell travelers that we will have a portion of the trip to hold conversation to decompress, reflect, and share the impact of the experience– those who are and want to can participate.

◦Host bi-annual/annual workshop- applying what you learned
(Note:
—This is an opportunity for travelers and faculty to discuss what and how they incorporate lessons learned from the trip into their daily lives
—Offers space for guests to talk about race experiences abroad<e/m>

◦Good ol’ fashion phone call. Pick up the phone and connect one-on-one with a specific traveler to learn first-hand how their experience translated when returning home. This is a great option if you noticed a traveler who needed emotional support on tour, but was not in the position to decompress while on tour. Call to see how they are doing.

◦Train hosts/faculty to play a facilitator role. As part of their responsibilities, they are encouraged to connect to their group after the trip for more discussion. Invite the host/faculty to attend a debriefing social gathering with travelers.

◦Self-addressed postcard. Have travelers mail a postcard to themselves mid-trip that lists something specific they want themselves to remember, or an experience to reflect upon when they return. Their visual prompt will be waiting for them when they return home.

▫Here are some brainstormed prompts to deepen connection and reflection when posing the ubiquitous question “how was your trip”.
◦What did you learn?
◦What surprised you or was similar?
◦Tell me about the people? How are their lives similar and different?
◦What was your favorite/meaningful moment?
◦Was there anything that challenged you or was difficult?
◦What was the best (most interesting) thing you saw, did, ate?
◦What might be the one thing you think or do differently as a result of the experience?
◦How did your experience change your viewpoint of home?
◦What at home feels different or out of sorts since your trip?
◦What was it like to come/be home?
◦How will you apply what you learned at home?
◦Did you experience culture shock upon arrival? Describe the experience. What intrigued you most about this transition?
◦Describe your positionality in the context of the visiting destination(s). Did this shift as you journeyed to various regions or countries during the trip? How so? If there’s no perceived change, explain why.
◦What are the three most important things you think I should know about that country or destination?
◦Was your trip what you expected?
◦Did you get inspired to make change and in what ways? Why?

Question: Pages 194 – 197 highlight examples of global citizenship abroad vs at home and explores why our trips abroad need to intersect with our local lives so that we’re not “exoticizing difference abroad while refusing to engage with it at home.” Programs abroad often encourage travelers to “leave your comfort zone” and “engage in a multicultural world.” What is different about being exposed to difference abroad compared to being exposed to difference in communities closer to home? What are ways to be more socially bold and brave at home the way many of us feel abroad? What holds us back, and what might propel us through our discomfort even a little bit?

-It is easy to be an observer as a traveler. When we travel we expect differences. Why is that? When we are traveling, we see commonalities and differences in a positive way. When we are at home, we look for commonalities and we often interpret differences in a negative way. Why is that?

-When we are local, we separate ourselves based on the context
-Provide the space – and set up the guidelines for respectful conversations.

▫Here are some brainstormed prompts to deepen understanding and encourage appreciation for difference in our home country and local communities.

◦Use what is learned in discussions with others to recognize and disrupt offset racist statements or unconscious biases
◦What issues did you learn about abroad that ignited your curiosity or flamed your passions? What is the (our) local version of the international issue?

▫Here are some brainstormed ideas to be more socially bold and brave at home:
◦Be intentional
◦Use your trip as a framework to start conversations about race and identity while considering your unconscious bias
◦Attend an event you might not have in the past
◦Get involved in a cause you are passionate about
◦Connect something you experience abroad with something similar at home
◦Choose to be in spaces that are more multicultural
◦Connect with locals in the destination to help us understand how inequities manifested in local communities (ie., homelessness in San Francisco vs homelessness abroad)

▫Here are some thoughts on what might be holding us back from deconstructing discomfort and how we can overcome that:
◦Start small; take a tiny step
◦Find someone to do something with so you are not alone
◦Do Research
◦Talk to someone
◦Describe what it means to experience societal and cultural disparities and inequities as an “outsider” versus a “responsible” party. Many times we are set into certain roles at home and it’s harder to change habits; when you step away from your day-to-day life it’s easier to step away from those expectations.
◦p. 214: “not knowing how to begin or sustain conversations about race, identify, power is not b/c we are bad people, but rather b/c we live in a racialized society that uses power to purposefully keep us fearful, nervous and silent. That’s the business as usual model. The more silent we remain the more the prevailing structure remains intact.”

-Disrupt the status quo. Remember what it was like to be “open-minded” abroad. Try to practice that mindset at home with good intentions and grace. Remember, it’s okay to be clumsy, and we will learn from these experiences to become more engaged with local communities

Key terms & tools for discussion–

The W Curve: is a predictable pattern of stages that occurs when a person experiences culture shock. This is based upon research done with students studying abroad. Zeller and Mosier (1993)

Identifying and managing culture shock is a theme that surfaced during this discussion session. This quick youtube video illustrates the W curve and how it relates to managing culture shock. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAO50BgCR9E

▫Here are some aids to support you as you continue learning more about the symptoms and impacts of culture shock:

◦Cultural Adjustment, UC Berkeley International Office, https://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/living/cultural
◦Managing Culture Shock. (2020, July 21). Retrieved April 15, 2021, from https://socialsci.libretexts.org/@go/page/55753

Join us next time!
We invite you to join Session 4: Series Wrap-Up – Wednesday, May 5 from 2 – 3 PM Eastern. We will recap the highlights from the book series and hold space to further explore themes and hear from attendees about what DEI in travel topics they would like to dive into next. And we’re excited to announce that Dr. Anu Taranath will be joining us for this final discussion. You won’t want to miss it! Feel free to join us, regardless if you have attended any of the prior book discussions. This is a great space to connect with travel partners and support each other in our collective work to raise awareness and take action to affect change.

Click https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5JFDXGT to register for Session 4.