Why Travel Makes Us Wiser

Kurt Vonnegut -- a well-traveled writer himself -- once declared that "travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God." I can't improve on his imagery, but I can bear witness to the ways that trips both big and small will make us wiser.

On a business trip to Lubbock, years ago, I accidentally discovered the joys and quiet struggles of minor-league baseball. Watching the Lubbock Crickets play before a few dozen fans on a lovely summer evening was something special. It reconnected me with sports at their simplest, which is cruelly hidden from us if we follow only major-league action.

Hiking with our sons a decade ago, I defined myself as the robust papa who carried their backpacks up steep trails so they could keep pace. We still hike together, now that they're on the cusp of adulthood. But the baton has passed. Halfway up a volcano in Indonesia, losing traction in the rain, I was the one who made us turn back, because I couldn't climb any higher even if they could. As we descended together, I realized that the lesson of the hike wasn't about my failings -- it was about their new strengths.

This week, I've been sharing copies of a new travel book, One Sip at a Time, with a variety of friends. It's an ingenious collection of small tales about an American couple settling into the south of France for months at a time. Only after a while do we realize that the baguette story isn't just about food; the getting-lost story isn't just about road signs. Slowly, Keith and Val become more tolerant, more resilient -- and more fun to be around.

I'd share more of the book, but I wouldn't want to spoil it. If you've ever wondered what it's like to immerse in another culture -- especially in your 40s or 50s -- One Sip at a Time conveys the confusion, delights and deep satisfaction of sustained travel very well. If you've spent time in France, particularly Provence, you'll enjoy the local touches.

Finally, if you've got a point of view in the great, long-running argument about whether France or the USA is the superior culture, check out the book, too. It will make you laugh, regardless of which side you're on. The book is available in paperback here, and as a Kindle e-book.