Travel Made Me A Better Designer

I learned to drive stick-shift in a pouring rainstorm, late at night, on a ferry crossing the Gulf of Corinth. The mini-car stalled out on the first try up the gangplank. A cacophony of angry horns rang out from the cars backed up behind me. Angry longshoremen screamed and waved their arms maniacally. It literally was Greek to me, but I didn’t need a translation.

I shifted into gear, revved the engine, and eased off the clutch ever so slowly as the puke-green rental lurched up over the lip of the ramp and into the ship’s cargo hold. The other cars zoomed in around us; filling in the gaps so close that we couldn’t even open the doors if we wanted to switch drivers. I stared straight ahead feeling the angry glare of the other drivers.

Fortunately it was a short ride and we disembarked without further incident. My companion couldn’t drive a manual shift any better than I, so I had no choice but to persevere and master the technique if we wanted to reach our hotel for the evening. And frankly after the stress of almost driving off the pier or causing further international incident, the rest of the ride was easy. As far as I’m concerned I didn’t stall again for the rest of the trip.

The best travel experiences are full of moments like this. Moments that push you out of your comfort zone into the neccessity to learn and grow. If you want to eat, or sleep, or take a shower, or catch a bus; you have to make it happen. You. Making your way through new cultures and languages and customs requires you to use all your senses.

Nobody was going to translate Greek longshoremen for me, or install wayfinding signs on the dock. I had to observe the locals and follow their behavior to make it on that boat and across the gulf.

Growth is an adaptation to adversity.

The immersion in new cultures forces new perspectives on you that you have to reconcile. You can build empathy and flourish, or not. We travel for the journey, not the destination.

Travel has become a part of my life and family culture. My wife and I have tried to instill the same thirst for learning and adventure in our kids. My 5-year-old daughter has more stamps in her passport than many adults.

Key Benefits of Global Travel

• Jumping into strange environments forces you to interact with people who see the world differently than you.
• Understanding another person’s point of view is elemental to being a designer. Who is this person, what do they value, what are their goals?