The Questions We Don’t Ask – And Why They Matter, Part 5

When Dr. Stein suggested the following question:

Do you travel much? Why? Why not?

I don’t think he was looking for a quick answer like, “Yes, I travel a lot because I love to visit new places,” or “No, I don’t travel much because I’m afraid of airplanes and I don’t have money.” Those are answers for sure, but they don’t go very deep into the journey of knowing oneself.

To answer the question, I went back and re-read his post to find a connection. In his post, he made the following statement:

“Humans, including the most intelligent, also hide shortcomings from themselves. Intelligence counts for little in such matters. Our species defends against recognizing its flaws.”

Even the smartest people are not immune to self-deception. We all tend to avoid acknowledging our weaknesses, faults, or mistakes. Traveling and experiencing other cultures can help fine-tune our worldview and help us avoid the pitfall of forming uninformed opinions, or simply trusting what others say without verifying the information.

I know a lot of people are unable to travel because of financial situations, health reasons, or fear of flying. But I also know people who have never been out of their state or country. The fact that some people spend their whole lives in one place could be one reason our judgment can be biased. Of course, many other factors—such as the environment a person grew up in, their financial status, or even race—can shape judgment. But not traveling, even within your own state or country, limits your interactions with others and causes you to miss out on the richness and diversity that surrounds us.

This question made me reflect on my own travel experiences. I remembered my trips to other towns and cities in Puerto Rico and how shocking it was driving for the first time in our capital, San Juan. Of course, that changed when I first drove around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and later when I switched sides in the UK. It was terrifying, to say the least. I learned how different Puerto Ricans can be, and how we even have different names for the same things, even though our island is only about 3,424 square miles (8,868 square kilometers) or as we learned in school, the island is 100 miles long and 35 miles wide.

Then I remembered the first time I visited California, Florida, Georgia, New York, Texas, and many other states. The diversity in each of those places was breathtaking. To this day, I’ve visited 32 out of the 50 states.

I also reflected on my three years living in Belgium and the opportunity I had to travel across Europe, experiencing different cultures and walking the grounds of many places I had only read about in history books. Visiting places that existed centuries before the United States was founded was a humbling experience.

Then it dawned on me that I had spent approximately three years in the Middle East, which was a tremendous educational experience. It opened my eyes to another side of the narrative we often hear in this country.

So, I guess my answer to Dr. Stein’s question is: yes, I travel a lot, and I plan to continue doing so for as long as I can. After all, I still have 18 more states to visit to reach my goal of seeing all 50, and there are many other countries on my list. I’ve only visited 44 so far, so I have plenty left.

The why is simple: I love learning about other countries and experiencing their cultures and people. It also feels good to respond when someone says terrible things about a particular country or its people with, “Yeah, that’s not true. I was in that country, and you’re definitely wrong.” Of course, there are places I won’t be able to visit for personal reasons, and I’ll have to rely on books to learn about those. But aside from those, I want to visit many more places, learn as much as I can, and hopefully keep broadening the way I see the world.

Previous Questions:

Part 1: Are you as happy as you appear to be?
Part 2: What single moment in your life would you repeat?
Part 3: If you conclude that the afterlife you believe in isn’t real, how would you alter the way you live?
Part 4: How do you determine what is right and good in a moral sense? To what degree do you depend on sacred texts or clerics?

100 thoughts on “The Questions We Don’t Ask – And Why They Matter, Part 5”

  1. This article brings a perspective I hadn’t considered before, really refreshing:The section about common mistakes was surprisingly useful, I’ve made a few of those myself:The explanation is clear and grounded, not just theory thrown around:The argument isn’t perfect but it genuinely made me think in a different way:I appreciate the practical angle, it gives the topic real-world value:The examples help a lot, they make everything easier to understand:The approach is original, not the usual recycled content you see everywhere:I actually learned something new here, thanks for that:The way you simplify the complex parts without dumbing them down is impressive:The article flows well and keeps attention without overwhelming details:The nuance you bring is exactly what most articles on this topic miss:Your comparison with current practices really adds clarity:The insight feels authentic, like it’s based on actual experience:The structure makes sense from start to finish, very easy to follow:The tone is calm and constructive, which makes the reading enjoyable:Thanks for putting the topic in context, that’s often skipped elsewhere:Interesting angle, I hadn’t looked at it like that before:The reminder of the basics was helpful even for someone who knows a bit:The ending section was particularly strong, very actionable insights:The way you raise the right questions at the right time is well done:The part about limitations is great, most people ignore that perspective:I like that you’re not pushing conclusions too fast, it feels balanced:The content is dense but still easy to digest, which is rare:Your explanation genuinely motivates digging deeper into the topic:Great job simplifying without oversimplifying, that’s not easy:A solid synthesis that goes straight to the point without fluff:I didn’t expect to agree with it, but the reasoning holds up:The misconception clarifications are extremely useful to avoid mistakes:The writing is clean and thoughtful, you clearly know the subject:This helped me organize thoughts I had but couldn’t articulate:The argumentation is logical and consistent throughout:Thanks for offering a different angle, it broadens the discussion:The concrete examples make this way more effective than abstract theory:A simple but insightful read, no unnecessary complexity:I appreciate that you let readers form their own view without pressure:The real-world impact explanation is particularly well done:Nice to see something precise and fact-based instead of vague opinions:The reflection is sharp and avoids falling into black-and-white thinking:You highlight a point that most people gloss over entirely:Crystal clear writing, every sentence adds value:Useful read, I actually saved it to come back to it later:The reasoning is structured and easy to follow, well done:This helped clarify something I never fully understood before:You can tell there’s real pedagogy behind this, not just content writing:The way you break down the topic makes it much easier to grasp:A clean, effective read backed by solid explanation:You point out something I didn’t even realize I was missing:Concrete insights, not just big statements, I appreciate that:A strong article that avoids clichés and delivers substance:This genuinely taught me something, thanks for sharing.

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  2. You’ve been blessed, my friend. Your career offered many opportunities to experience the world. And you’re right, so many people stay within their own state for so long, that they have robbed themselves of the beauty in America’s diversity.

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    1. You’re absolutely right about missing out on diversity, and I would add that it’s also a missed opportunity to challenge their biases. If you stay in one place too long, you’re going to adopt a similar line of thinking unless you’re proactively seeking to understand other views.

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  5. I also had a goal to visit all 50 states but then after going on another road trip of the Northeastern states for the last 10 days, we decided that we just wanted to see what we wanted to see. One thing we enjoy is seeing the Thomas Dambo Trolls, we have seen all the ones in Washington state and the one in Oregon, now we have seen all 5 in Rhode Island, they are pretty darn cool! Great article Edward!

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    1. Yes, I think you’re right about travelers with closed minds who only stay in controlled environments, such as going on tours. I mentioned to someone else that with so many all-inclusive hotels nowadays, a lot of people go straight from the airport to the hotel, stay there for several days, and leave the country without ever really interacting with the people. Of course, there are some places where you need to do that for security reasons, but not everywhere. It’s good to walk around the town or city center, enjoy a nice cup of coffee, say hi to people, and even engage in a conversation with them.

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  8. You have certainly travelled a lot and it does indeed broaden the mind, though travellers don’t have a monopoly on wisdom. My late brother-in-law hardly travelled at all, but he was satisfied with his humble lot and and his family and was wise about life.

    I also recall my mother always saying when we lived in Perth, Western Australia she could always tell Australians who had ‘travelled’. Travelling and really living in places, meeting locals, not flying to sunbathe in a hotel, that is the key.

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    1. You are absolutely right that travelers don’t have a monopoly on wisdom. Our government is full of well-traveled people with not much wisdom. I’ve never been to Africa, but I’ve read enough to have a basic understanding of what’s happening there and try to stay open-minded. I really like what you said at the end about meeting the locals. We miss a huge opportunity if we go to another country and just stay in the hotel the whole time, especially in those all-inclusive resorts.

      Thank you for reading and commenting.

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  9. From experience of having travelled fairly widely any suggestions from me would be to travel while you can. Husband and I are fortunate in approaching our 80’s but we no longer have the same energy to explore and so replace with our ‘happy places’. We regret never visiting South America – the only continent, apart from Antarctica, we haven’t visited. We continue to travel widely in our minds … 🙂

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    1. I hear you. A lot of people in Puerto Rico have similar experiences. When I was stationed in Hawaii, we went to the Big Island and met an older gentleman who had never been to Oahu and the capital. It was just too expensive, even though the flight was only about 30 minutes.

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  13. Staying on the move in our bodies and traveling definitely adds to the breadth of our inner world keeping us open and awake, Edward! I laughed out loud and nodded reading this “It also feels good to respond when someone says terrible things about a particular country or its people with, “Yeah, that’s not true. I was in that country, and you’re definitely wrong.”
    It’s soooo true! I too love that about travel. Wow, you’ve gone a lot of places! My list is shrinking since I don’t do well with adjusting to loooong travel times but I’m not folding my tent either. Hugs and love! ❤️

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  15. You’re very fortunate, Edward. I don’t think the answer is cut and dry. Everyone’s personal and financial situation is different. We’ve done some traveling, but there are more places on our bucket list both in the U.S. and out of our country that we want to visit. Unfortunately, as we get older, flying becomes less exciting and more nerve-wracking, especially for me. 🙂 We fly to see our son and daughter who live in CO. and TN. and they visit too, of course. But otherwise, we’re just not fans. However, we’ll hop on an airplane in order to check off some of those boxes. I like what Michele said about blogging too. In the 15 years that I’ve blogged, I’ve met so many wonderful people all over the world. It’s incredible. This ties into what you said about traveling, “…learning about other countries and experiencing their cultures and people.”

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    1. I agree with you, Lauren. I know that sometimes travel isn’t an option for many reasons, but blogging, like Michele said, does more than any social media to bridge the gap by making those connections with people around the world possible. I don’t think you can do the same with Facebook or Twitter/X. You mentioned how things get more nerve-wracking as we get older, and I told Brad that I’m having those same issues. Crazy how the human body works. Now I’m basically forcing myself onto the airplane, and it’s not a fun venture anymore with the turbulence and all the hassles. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, and I hope you have a great weekend.

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      1. Hi Edward, I agree with you about Facebook, Twitter (I’m not on), or even Instagram. And you described the nerve-wracking perfectly. I have to really focus on ‘calm’ and ‘knowing’ all will be fine on the flight. It’s mind over matter. You’re so welcome, and hope you have a great weekend too.

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  16. Visiting “32 out of the 50 states” is fantastic and 44 countries sounds like a lot to me! I enjoyed reading about your travels and mindset about it. Until a few years ago, my traveling was just through books. Taking steps to see more of the world has been mind expanding and life-changing for me. The same can be said about blogging… interacting with people around the world and learning about different cultures and regions. Both blogging and traveling, I hope to continue. Thank you for the share, Edward.

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    1. You’re so right about blogging. I wasn’t expecting this level of interaction with people from other countries when I started. I think that in itself makes blogging worthwhile. I’m learning so much from others. Just the other day, I had a wonderful discussion about politics in Australia, and I learned a ton from that interaction. Yes, let’s keep doing both, blogging and traveling as much as we can. Thank you for reading, my friend.

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  21. Love how you dug deep into this question, Edward. And “Traveling and experiencing other cultures can help fine-tune our worldview and help us avoid the pitfall of forming uninformed opinions, or simply trusting what others say without verifying the information.”

    You are so right – it’s such a great education. Here’s to continuing to expand our worldview!

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  22. Good answer, Edward. There is one other perspective embedded in the question. Do you consider man made climate change to which travelers add by traveling with the customary fuels?

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    1. I didn’t take that into account, but I was planning to add my experience with transportation in Europe. We took the Eurostar from Belgium to London, and I like to think that trip was better on the environment than driving or flying. I wish we did more to protect the environment in this country, but even a simple bike ride from my house to downtown is nearly impossible without risking your life.

      I’m not sure what the solution is with so many people opposed to mass transit, electric vehicles, and other renewable energy options. I’m taking the Amtrak to Chicago this weekend—a three-hour trip that takes about two and a half hours by car. In Europe, that same distance would probably take just 30 minutes. I really wish we could make traveling more environmentally friendly.

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  24. Great post, Edward! Travel is “the” best education, and those of us who are fortunate enough to do it, have a responsibility to take in everything we can about the places we visit and the people who call those places home. A further responsibility is to share what we’ve learned with those who can’t or won’t travel – especially when we see that their opinions are guided by misinformation.

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    1. Thank you, Terry! I really like your take on responsibility. Traveling gives us a chance to share what we’ve learned and to see things thoughtfully and objectively. Too often, people experienced a single bad experience from an otherwise great trip and blow it up, reinforcing a negative view of a country. Those of us with experience have a responsibility to counter that whenever we can.

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  25. You are so right about how travel broadens our knowledge and fine-tunes our world view. Like Lori, I love to read about settings in different countries. But reading about it and seeing it is very different. I remember reading about the Eiffel Tower and dreaming of visiting it. But I’ll never forget the extreme bliss of actually climbing the stairs when I finally made it there! We’ve been to 35 states at last tally. I’m excited to finish our quest to see them all.

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    1. It’s an extraordinary experience when you can see something like that in person. When I visited Normandy and thought about those men during WWII and the movie Saving Private Ryan, the feeling was overwhelming. It’s a completely different experience when you’re at that beach, picturing what happened there.

      I bought a journal called Let’s Go See All 50! and I’m working my way through it, filling the pages with information about the states I’ve visited so far. I’m looking forward to completing the journal.

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  26. I like this post. As someone who doesn’t travel much or enjoy one-on-one interactions, I find this a good challenge.

    I try to bridge that gap through reading and watching international shows.

    But after reading this, I think experiencing it firsthand adds more depth to our world perspective.

    I’m keen to check out other posts in this series—it’s quite eye-opening.

    Thanks.

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    1. Thank you, Hannah. I’m an introvert, and I don’t enjoy group settings very much. But you can start small: drive to a nearby city and just walk, taking a few pictures along the way. Maybe sit at a café for a quick drink or even lunch and just enjoy the surroundings. Most of the time, you can do that without any interaction with the locals. Thank you for checking out the previous posts.

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  27. Hi Edward
    We don’t like travelling any more. Travelling lost its magic. Mass tourism has destroyed this magic. We travelled a lot before, but nowadays we love to stay at home, where we have everything we need in beautiful surroundings, and it’s more sustainable.
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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    1. I hear you, and I have noticed some of that lately. On our last trip to Central America, I felt overwhelmed by people trying to sell me something. I just wanted to walk and sit in the plaza and enjoy a cup of coffee, but the locals were all over the tourists, and that destroyed the magic of the day. I think big corporations and tourist agencies are doing a poor job of working with countries and changing the way tourism is managed. I think that’s why Spain was pushing so hard last year and protesting, it feels like foreigners want to take over a country instead of just enjoying it without affecting the locals’ quality of life.

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  28. yes, I so agree and thing is, that even if you don’t have much money, you can travel by visiting places not far from where you live that you have never visited or doing something you’ve never tried with people who are new to you from a culture you are not familiar with or….. the possibilities are endless

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    1. Absolutely! I’m always surprised by the things I learn on those short trips. This past weekend, while in Milwaukee, I reminded my son about Lake Michigan. Many students learn about the Great Lakes in school, but few have the opportunity to see them in person.

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  29. Indeed, Edward, traveling is tremendously enriching, to say the least. Exposure to different scenarios and cultures helps us go beyond our inner limitations, whether self-imposed or crafted by our background. It is truly mind- and heart-opening! The first word that comes to my mind after traveling is “growth.” We grow at all levels! Thank you, my friend, for another great question and post. Wonderful for reflection! Much light and many blessings your way, today and always! 🙏✨🌞

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    1. Thank you, Susana. I really like that word, “growth.” It fits so well and really feels like the end goal of any travel experience. I appreciate your presence here, and many blessings to you as well. 🙏🏼

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  30. I really appreciate how you connected the idea of self-deception with the value of travel. It’s so true that staying in one place can narrow our perspective without us even realizing it. Your experiences show how travel isn’t just about seeing new places, but about humbling ourselves, broadening our worldview, and learning to challenge stereotypes. I love how you framed it—not just “going somewhere,” but allowing each trip to shape the way you see people and the world.👍

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  31. Those are words of wisdom and I agree, traveling can really open our eyes and make us less judgemental and more interested in the world around us. I’ve met so many people that harbor really strange prejudices, often because they have not travelled much. They judge everything from their own narrow tribal perspective. Like you say, “Even the smartest people are not immune to self-deception.”

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    1. Thank you, and absolutely. I’ve also met plenty of people where, after just a few minutes of talking, you realize their views come from something they saw on TV or heard on the radio or a podcast. And that’s fine, as long as they keep an open mind and understand there might be another side to the story. If not, like you said, the ideology turns tribal, and that’s when it gets really dangerous.

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  32. Hi Edward. I agree with you that travel does broaden one’s perspective. Your experiences traveling are very impressive. Of course, the Military does provide more opportunity for travel. I have not traveled as much as I wanted to. But I do travel in my studies. I did get the opportunity to visit Germany and really enjoyed that trip. Other than that, Yes, Mexico and Canada — then a few states on the east coast growing up and a few states here in the Southwest. One of these days … maybe … time, money, and responsibilities allowing ….

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    1. The military definitely helped me achieve most of my travel goals. I was quite surprised to learn that many military personnel don’t travel when they’re stationed in Europe. Instead, they stay local and prefer spending their time at bars or shopping rather than going on tours. Something we discovered early on was going on cruises. You can visit several countries during a week- or week-and-a-half-long cruise and learn so much. I hear you, money is a big factor. Most of the time, we just jump in the car and visit cities within a few hours of our home, saving up for the big trips. Thank you, Joni, for reading and commenting.

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  33. I agree with you completely, Edward! I have often had to substitute reading novels or nonfiction books set in other countries for the actual experience of traveling abroad, and that has given me a lot of the sense of being in those places, but I still love it when I actually get the opportunity to visit in person. I hope to travel more frequently in the future. Another thing that helped shape me and gave me the gift of loving people from other cultures was that my stepfather brought several of his family members to live with us when I was a child. We lived in a small rented one bathroom house but somehow we managed to get along and learn from each other and care for each other. They were Spanish speakers and my mom and brother and I only spoke English. My stepfather translated for us when he was home but we always found a way to communicate. And it was a wonderful gift.

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    1. Thank you for sharing that wonderful experience with us, Lori. It reminded me of our interactions with our landlord in Belgium, a wonderful connection we made with that family, even though we did our best to communicate in English and French. My wife is still in contact with them, even after more than 13 years since we last saw them. You’re right, those experiences are a gift.

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    1. Thank you, my friend. That’s a great and important point. I think getting feedback from citizens of other countries is valuable, as long as we keep an open mind and don’t get offended, which I’ve seen happen far too often.

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  35. Terrific answer, Edward. I’m biased in that I’ve been lucky to have travelled widely throughout my life, and lived in the UK twice. I agree, travelling really does open your eyes and your heart to the diversity the world offers in terms of cultures and landscapes, but also of what we all share in common. Keep travelling while you can!

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    1. Thank you, Jane. Great point about what we share in common, which I forgot to mention. Yes, we’ll keep traveling, hopefully to Alaska next summer, unless something happens and I need to move to Canada… well, if you all will accept us there, of course. 😁

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  37. Well, we travel a lot since we live in our motor home but its all US travel. Still, the US has so many fabulous places. I’m a southern girl, but we recently visited a couple of places up north which does let you know new landscapes, accents, and ways of living.

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    1. Kim, the US is huge, so there are plenty of places to go. There are definitely a lot of different accents around the country. We keep talking about getting a towable RV because it’s easier to travel with pets, so maybe that’ll be our next big purchase.

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      1. You will love it! There is something to be said for wanting ng up to a different backyard every few months! We travel with our two shorkies, and they do fine. They are in fact, rotten!
        The weather has been beautiful this week in southwestern Colorado and I’m looking forward to being back in Arizona for the winter.

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    1. Thank you, Brad. You know, I’ve noticed that as I get older, I’m having more trouble dealing with turbulence. Not sure if it’s just me, but it feels like it’s getting worse. I guess I need to start taking something to keep me calm during flights.

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        1. Understandable. I usually go on quick trips to nearby cities. This past weekend, we visited Milwaukee. It was my first time there, and it was great. There was a time when I avoided going back home, but now I know that when I visit family, I’ll need some time after returning from the trip to process everything and get back into balance.

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