Go from uncomfortable, confusing cross-cultural interactions to confidently making friends abroad with Beyond Tourism’s Individual Intercultural Training for moving abroad and international travel.
Have you ever booked an international trip, thinking you would explore the world and change your perspective? Then you ran into unspoken cultural expectations, got confused and embarrassed, and walked away from your opportunities to actually grow and change? You walked away from the exact thing you said you wanted. Being culturally unprepared for international travel is common, because it’s rarely discussed.
But just because you cross an international border doesn’t automatically mean you will be changed. You can visit the Eiffel Tower, The Great Wall of China, Victoria Falls, and come home with the same assumptions you had when you left.
Common mistakes travelers make when they interact cross-culturally.
Not understanding how their own culture impacts their behavior.
Allowing unexplored assumptions to damage cross-cultural friendships.
Not knowing the right questions to ask when engaging interculturally.
Not knowing how to act when confusing situations arise.
Darby’s Story…
“Working with Renae and going through the initial CQ Workshop is just the beginning of a new understanding for me as I continue to work closely with many people from other cultures. I was challenged to consider ALL the cultural backgrounds and cultural containers in which I live and interact with daily. Though it will be a deeply introspective process with much “mind-“ and “heart-work,” I’ve no doubt the journey will be richer and interactions with others more genuine than had I not embarked on this relationship with Beyond Tourism & CQ. Thank you, Renae, for sharing your passion with me and encouraging me!”
It takes a lot of time to pack up and take yourself across the world. Don’t just take pictures of your experience, become a different person.
You spend a lot of money traveling across the globe, you want your travel to be impactful on who you are as a person.
Making friends across cultural borders is harder than you think, and you need to be ready to face confusing interactions and unspoken expectations.
Traveling or moving internationally is hard enough as it is, worrying about apartments, hotels, visas, flights, and the practical side of things. Don’t ignore your preparation for capably building community while abroad.
How I Struggled While Living Abroad And What It Means For You
Hi! I’m Renae and I own and operate Beyond Tourism. I love talking about, thinking about, and teaching about cultural intelligence. It’s one of the most exciting things I’ve discovered in life and has allowed me to get to know and hear the stories of some of the most remarkable people on the planet.
I lived abroad in South Korea for a year in my 20s teaching English to kids. Many of my fellow English teachers were content to interact with other Westerners, but I prioritized learning the Korean language, meeting Korean friends, and connecting with my Korean colleagues. It was hard to put myself out there, and I have many stories of awkward encounters and misunderstandings, but the effort was worth it.
When I came back, I struggled to find the words to explain what I had experienced, until I read a book about cultural values. I learned about the differences in culture between South Korea and the USA, and this gave me words to process and understands so many of my experiences. This also sent me on a decades-long journey of learning about our differences as humans.
I wished someone had taught me before I left, so I could have understood what was happening around me, so that I could have shown up as a better American to my Korean friends and acquaintances. I wonder what I missed.
You can read more of my story here, including about my passion for music from around the world. I am certified by the Cultural Intelligence Center .
Me in Seoul in 2005.
That Lonely Planet guide got a lot of use.
Introducing…
The Individual Intercultural Training to build your Cultural Intelligence skills
Here’s what you will get…
🧭 A Personalized 2-Hour One-on-One Training Session
Tailored to your goals, cultural context, and life situation. You’ll receive real-time guidance, real-world scenarios, and actionable tools.
🌍 Intercultural Self-Awareness
Discover how your own cultural lens affects your assumptions, communication, and decisions—and how to adjust with intention.
🧠 Practical Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Strategies
Learn to read between the lines, recognize cultural patterns, and flex your behavior to build trust and credibility across cultures.
✈️ Immediate Application
Whether you’re heading to Germany, Ghana, or your next Zoom call with a global team, walk away with clarity, confidence, and a custom plan.
Yes, Renae! I’m ready to make the world feel less foreign and be ready to thrive abroad!
Instead of confusion and miscommunication over unspoken cultural expectations, I’m ready to turn confusion into connection—so my international journey becomes an opportunity for real growth.
What did you learn while working with Renae?
“I feel like I understand myself better by looking through a cultural lens.” Jody
“I learned that cultural curiosity and humility can be done without coming off as rude!” Rachel
“I learned about individual versus collective mindsets, and that we are very individual.” Julie
Beyond Tourism uses the Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Model to assess your current abilities and help you learn to communicate cross-culturally better.
Download a free sample report here.
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Investment is two hours and only $300. Some businesses include long-term coaching, counseling, and a significant financial contribution.
This 2-hour session is perfect for people moving abroad, digital nomads, international travelers, volunteering abroad, studying abroad, and people who are ready to get started learning about cultural differences without committing thousands of dollars and months of time.
Questions? Email Renae at renae@goingbeyondtourism.com
I’m passionate about using my knowledge to help people connect cross-culturally.
With so many people traveling internationally, I firmly believe this knowledge must be affordable and accessible to everyone, that’s why the cost is so low.
What is Cultural Intelligence?
Cultural Intelligence (CQ) enables individuals and organizations to be successful in today’s multicultural, globalized world. CQ is the capability to function and relate effectively in culturally diverse situations.
Beyond Tourism uses the Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Model to assess your current abilities, your cultural preferences. Beyond Tourism can help you learn to identify and adapt to cultural differences.
The CQ model is based on decades of research on intelligence and cultural exchange. Soon Ang and Lynn Van Dyne are the researchers that led this unique line of inquiry and developed the model. Follow this link to explore the research basis for the CQ model in more depth.
Got More Questions? I’ve Got Answers
What is the assessment like?
There are two things measured during an assessment. First, your cultural values will be measured (for example, individualism vs. collectivism). Second, the four dimensions of CQ will be measured. Those are CQ Drive (motivational CQ), CQ Knowledge (cognitive CQ), CQ Strategy (metacognitive CQ) and CQ Action (behavioral CQ). This is the actual measurement of your cultural intelligence that can grow with time and effort and predicts your intercultural effectiveness. Your results will be presented to you on a percentage scale, based on the hundreds of thousands of others who have taken the same assessment around the world. During our workshops and in debriefs we go into much more detail about these 4 dimensions of cultural intelligence, how they interplay and how to improve your scores.
Can’t I just figure it out on my own?
Sure! You can, and I did. But you’re risking not even knowing what sort of behaviors to look out for in yourself, accidentally hurting or offending someone casually, and completely missing out on opportunities that will contribute to incredible learning and growth about your host culture. I wish I had this training before I lived abroad, and I think you might agree with me.
Can’t I just read a book?
Sure! You can, and I do all the time. I have decades of experience in intercultural settings, including interpreting culturally informed behaviors and how cultural values can interact. I’ve traveled to 13 countries and worked with people from over 30 countries (from all continents except Antarctica). I read textbooks and scholarly articles for fun. I have helped an uncountable number of people open their eyes to their own cultural programming, leading to their ability to remain open to the lessons that the people of the world are trying to teach them. You get my support walking you through what can be a minefield of assumptions and confusion with dignity to all people and cultures, and patience for shaking loose from your own presumptions.
Investment: only $300
The world continues to become more interconnected, and cultural intelligence skills are the skill that we all need for the future. In gaining cultural intelligence skills, you gain an advantage for your future career, education, or wherever life takes you on this big, beautiful planet.
This knowledge is important for all of us, and I believe it must be accessible to more people.
This training is not right for someone who…
…expects people from other cultures to act the same as them.
…only wants to take glamorous pictures of food and landmarks while abroad.
…prefers to stay in their comfortable cultural bubble.
This training is perfect for someone who…
…is moving abroad.
…is a digital nomad.
…plans to travel internationally for the first or 50th time.
…works domestically with people from other cultural backgrounds.
…values genuine connection with people different from them and wants to be better.
Final Message From Renae
Take it from me, and learn from my mistakes: don’t ignore cultural preparations before going abroad. This is a life-long skill. You will build the foundation now, and continue to gain experience and perspective as you travel and meet more people from different places.
Some of you already know this is EXACTLY what you have been looking for to build the confidence you need to integrate into a country different from your own.
Don’t wait until you get abroad and violate the invisible, unspoken expectations as soon as you land… invest in yourself NOW to create the kind of life you want in another country.
Renae Ninneman
Founder of Beyond Tourism
renae@goingbeyondtourism.com