Go Somewhere that Feels Foreign
August 18, 2026
“Comfort is nice. Discovery is better.”
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Travel has a way of becoming predictable. We find hotel brands we like, return to favorite destinations, make reservations before we arrive and increasingly remove uncertainty from the experience. There is nothing wrong with comfort, but occasionally it’s worth going somewhere that feels genuinely foreign—a place where the language, food, customs and rhythms of daily life are different enough that we have to pay attention again. Research published in the Annals of Tourism Research has examined novelty as an important part of the travel experience, with unfamiliar experiences contributing to the emotions and memories we associate with a trip. The point isn’t to make travel difficult simply for the sake of difficulty. It’s to leave enough room for discovery.
That may be one of travel’s most overlooked benefits. Unfamiliar places force us to become more observant. Why do people eat differently here? Why are the shops smaller? Why is customer service handled differently? Why does everyone gather in the town square at night? Not every observation needs to become a lesson, and certainly not every trip needs a purpose beyond enjoyment. But occasionally stepping outside the world we know reminds us that our way of doing things isn’t the only way. There are different cultures, traditions, priorities and ways of living waiting to be discovered—and sometimes the trips we remember most are the ones that felt least familiar when we arrived.
The Takeaway: The best trip may not always be the one that feels most like home. Sometimes it’s the one that reminds us how big the world really is.
