Defining and Differentiating Tourists from Global Citizens
Positive change comes from working to understand problems and finding solutions. When challenges arise from understanding a new culture, my team and I at EdOdyssey want to provide perspective of what we do best: we find authentic ways to share educational experiences with students.
We advocate for cultural education and today we show the difference from being just another tourist in a new culture and to becoming a global citizen.
Mindset of the Tourist
A tourist is someone who engages in travellng or visiting places for the sole purpose of pleasure. Traveling or visiting as a tourist influences us into setting our minds for pleasure or enjoyment.
We become tourists or take vacations if we want to escape and we want to take a break from our daily routine and whatever makes us stressed. If we go to resorts, or do all-inclusive tours, we spend every day under the sun, in front of the beach while holding a cool beverage, and we relax.
If we want to go beyond and learn more about the local culture, we give ourselves an opportunity to grow and learn, which gives all of us an opportunity to become a global citizen.
Defining “Global Citizen”
A global citizen is not a tourist. This type of person doesn’t just travel somewhere for sightseeing but is someone who is also connected to the culture of the country they visit and connected to its people.
To be a global citizen means to understand that country’s situation, its ups and downs, its evolution through history. A global citizen appreciates the strong points of their host country, but is also fully aware of the work that needs to be done for their society to flourish and thrive.
The Mindset of the global Citizen
The mindset of the global citizen is different from that of the tourist. We travel not to escape, but to become integrated into a new reality and culture.
Students in a service activity in the district of Pamplona Alta, Lima-Peru
That means that we will switch our way of thinking and change our approach to aim to experience everything. We will be there through thick and thin to understand another way of life. When we go beyond our own comfort zone, we learn beautiful lessons that last a lifetime.
Now, it’s important to note and remember that there is nothing wrong with relaxing. In fact, we should be open for our students to have moments of relaxation every so often to prevent burning out. However, there will be a general tone and objective to our trip that we need to make sure it is maintained.
Defining Characteristics of global Citizens
We will get involved with our host society and we will try to learn and understand what’s happening under the hood. It will come to us fairly easily to directly compare our home country with our host one and criticize what they are lacking, but that is not our goal.
There is always a reason behind a person’s behavior and this can be extrapolated to a whole society. Using this as our guide, we will talk to people, do our research and we will try to understand the reasons behind that society’s behavior and if there is room for improvement, we do so from a point of understanding.
If our goal is to become global citizens, we will not visit another country to change it to accommodate our needs. True change starts by caring for others. We will check our ego at the Customs gate and we will think about what that society needs, and then act accordingly.
Becoming a global Citizen
One of the best, if not the best, ways that someone can become a global citizen comes from engaging in immersion experiences. These experiences involve doing everything we have mentioned so far, and at EdOdyssey, we firmly believe that diving into the culture of the places we take our participants to and aiming for understanding outweighs going somewhere just to take a vacation.
Transforming a Tour into Experiential Learning
At EdOdyssey, we believe that learning does not have to be a boring experience. At the same time, we know that there is so much more to other countries than the pictures you could take and the sights you can visit.
A summer’s afternoon at the Malecon de Miraflores, Lima-Peru. Image from Promperu
We transform classic tour experiences into learning moments with added layers of information depending on the location we are visiting. We take our students to a stroll through the Malecon in the Miraflores neighborhood, one of the most beautiful scenes in the city of Lima, Peru. However, we also take that time to also tell our students how the look of the area changed over the years and how the creation of the Malecon walkway encouraged outdoor activities like running and cycling.
We like to adapt to our audience and get to know our students. Whenever we notice interest in a specific detail of our visits, we use those opportunities to add valuable information and encourage conversation and discussion.
There is huge potential for learning and retention when we use these little moments of interest for the benefit of our students. That way, you can relax and enjoy the activity without realizing our students are absorbing information rather than them being forced into remembering it.
Benefits of Becoming a global Citizen
One huge benefit of becoming a global citizen comes from the change that happens to us for the better. As travelers, we challenge ourselves to become aware of realities different than our own and we learn not to take what we have for granted.
We become appreciative of whatever things we have, material or immaterial, big or small. We develop a higher tolerance for those obstacles that come unexpectedly.
Setbacks become opportunities for improvement, and as a result, we become highly adaptable. We have to be willing to listen to politicians, and people with power and influence, as well as our fellow citizens who share the public space alongside us and want to be heard.
Have you ever had an experience that changed the way you think about another country?
Add us on social media below and tell us! If you want to learn more about culture, check out our blog The Beauty of Cultural Awareness!