If you are a world traveler of any sort (digital nomad, studying abroad, moving abroad) and you are looking for meaningful conversations, real friendships, and the feeling that our travel is more than a vacation, this article is for you. Many of us worry about making friends abroad, and rightly so.

Even with the best intentions, building relationships in a different cultural setting can feel confusing or unexpectedly difficult. For example, you think you’re being friendly, but the other person seems reserved. You think someone is rude, but actually they’re communicating in a normal way for that culture.

When traveling internationally, even the most well-intentioned travelers can fall into patterns that limit their ability to connect genuinely across cultures. Understanding these common missteps is the first step toward becoming a more culturally aware and adaptable traveler.

Merriam-Webster defines ethnocentrism as the “attitude that one’s own group, ethnicity, or nationality is superior to others.” Ignoring this key step before going abroad paves the way for harmful interactions and misunderstandings that can break trust with the very community you hope to integrate into. Without reflecting on your own cultural identity, you risk being unintentionally rude or hurtful. Even with the best of intentions, it’s easy to say or do the wrong thing when you have not addressed cultural learning.

Having emotional intelligence without cultural intelligence can be limiting. You will be attuned to your own emotions, but you will lack the ability to pick up on emotions from people from other cultural backgrounds. It will be like your emotion sensor is broken.

The most meaningful journeys aren’t measured in miles, but in moments of genuine connection and understanding between humans. Being a culturally curious traveler means going beyond checklists and photo ops—it’s about approaching every destination with humility, openness, and a desire to learn.

Exploring our travel preferences is key—not only for more meaningful travel, but for finding the right kind of travel experience for each individual person. If you’re going to sped your time and money on an international trip, you want to make sure you get what you’re looking for. 

As we look toward 2025, transformational travel is becoming an influential perspective impacting travel decisions. According to the latest report from Virtuoso Luxe, a luxury travel consortium, travelers are looking for more than a change of scenery or relaxation in their vacations—they want experiences that profoundly change them. These experiences are about personal growth and cultural immersion.