Out of My Comfort Zone in Thailand

Sweetly botanical notes of orchid wafting through the air. Syrupy, sweet pineapple juice bursting over my tongue, and the stickiness left on my fingers after eating my fill. Dulcet refrains of welcome at every turn: “Sawatdee Khaa!”

These sensory memories are still vivid from my first trip to Thailand, when I was just four years old. That is the power of sensory intensity, and new experiences.

I often reflect on the value of travel pushing us out of our comfort zones. Usually, I focus on moments when travel cultivates situations that are UN-comfortable – and those moments are so valuable. Yet I also think it’s helpful to contemplate a more subtle way we move beyond our “comfort zones” when we leave home.

For most of us, our lives at home include routines, scenes, and artifacts of the familiar environment that we encounter so regularly that we hardly think about them. The taste of the same apples, milk, and whole grain bread we always buy at our regular market or grocery store. The smells of our own houses. The series of steps involved in getting ready for bed in our own bathrooms and bedrooms. We are so desensitized to the cognitive inputs that meet us along these daily pathways that we barely notice processing them in the course of moving through our lives. We are living in our comfort zones.

But oh, when we travel! We don’t have any of those familiar – comfortable – routines available, so every sensory input lights up a new synaptic light in our brains. New foods! Familiar foods, but in different combinations! Delightful (and less delightful…) smells! Every single thing demands notice.

On that early trip to Thailand, I was far from uncomfortable, but I also wasn’t in my unseeing comfort zone. I was in a zone of attentive delight. My mind was open, and as I processed all the new stimuli, my brain was primed to capture snapshot memories of the moments around me. In those moments, I was also primed to learn new lessons and encode them for life. I paired memories of abundant tropical fruit, fragrant purple flowers, sweet foreign voices, and warm, welcoming faces. As a four-year-old, that was enough to build my association of new places and cultures with joy, wonder, and charm.

A tenet of my practice now as a travel professional is that the greatest benefits come from stepping just beyond our comfort zones. Whether we find ourselves delighted or discomfitted, too much is overstimulating. No panic attack will lead to helpful insight about cultural differences or overcoming personal limitations. And overindulging in sensory luxuries is equally unlikely to yield insight or reflection. The best kind of travel brings the heightened awareness of engaging with a fresh version of the real world in a way we can see with new eyes.

I still look forward to the pineapple – and the friendly greetings – in Thailand. Even more, I look forward to new sights and discoveries on every new trip. Learning is a way of life, but my mind is always more open when I travel. The lessons I take in while traveling serve me wherever I go.

Ready to venture outside your comfort zone too?

If you’re reading this and feeling inspired to book your own adventure, Journeys International can help you plan a meaningful and immersive adventure that helps you go just enough outside your comfort zone for maximum impact. Just contact us to schedule a free consultation.