Inspiration for accepting a culture entirely and traveling with a purpose.

I have always been fascinated with the word wanderlust. If you were to look up the definition, it means solely a "strong desire to travel." But, I feel like that definition is far too vague.

What does it mean to have a desire to travel? Does it mean I want to wander around a grassy field like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music? Does it mean to scroll through your social media feed and drool over photos of the Eiffel Tower or the Golden Gate Bridge? Or does is mean finding out more about yourself and the destination you are traveling to?

Everyone is allowed to have their own interpretation of what this desire for traveling really breaks down to--but to me I think it means deepening your understanding of yourself, expanding your knowledge of different cultures and beginning to find purpose in every little thing you do.

Traveling with purpose is something that could be challenging to understand. Am I saying you need to lay out every second of your trip and only stick to that plan the whole time? No, not at all. I think it's beneficial to compare traveling to how you organize your life. You don't want to be all over the place, not knowing what to do next in your everyday life. You want to have passions, goals, dreams, and desires. You set up a path for yourself. Of course, you may go off track sometimes and start a new path--but you never forget why you are going somewhere and why it is important to you. In an article by Laura Pattara titled "Why Traveling With a Purpose is the Best Way to Travel," she states that "Purpose is what makes for a more fulfilling life...you get out of bed for a reason, every morning, you work towards your goals and save towards your dreams."

So, now can you begin to see how this relates to travel? If you start to think of a clear purpose when you travel, the experience will become much more satisfying and more impactful. According to Pattara, that purpose can be anything to being "more socially environmentally conscious, learning about local religious and spiritual beliefs or being more interested in the local culture." That last point I think is the most crucial purpose to have in order to become a respectful traveler and refrain from cultural stereotypes. When you travel with a purpose, not only will you improve where you want to travel to, but you will also think more critically on the decisions you make while traveling. Whether it's being environmentally conscious in places like Antartica, buying souvenirs that go directly into the local economy, or just respecting the basic human rights of others, you will be able to not only create a more beneficial experience for yourself but also for the people who live there. Finding a purpose can eliminate any stereotypes you may be brewing in your mind and allow for a much more immersive experience.

Yes, being described as wanderlust, or full of this desire to travel, may mean driving down the highway with no plan except some good music and good company, but I see wanderlust as being a traveler who desires impact, soul-touching experiences that change their life. Those types of experiences are not fulfilled by holding onto an idea of Orientalism, but by traveling with a purpose to understand and gain knowledge from a culture.

Since I have spent a long time describing what traveling with a purpose means, you're probably wondering how you can actually implement or gain inspiration for traveling with a purpose. Well, excellent wonderment reader! I have compiled some Instagram accounts to show how doing your research before you travel to a place can spark you interest even more but also make you aware of the culture and how you should behave. So, feel free to peruse through these examples, gain some photo envy but also learn more about a place you have been dying to go to--it could make your desire to go there, or wanderlust, increase even more. Let's travel with a purpose people!

#1: @wearetravelgirls

This is one of my favorite Instagram accounts not only because of their mesmerizing photos, but also because of the content they provide for the reader to do a deep dive and learn more about a particular place or culture. This account, We Are Travel Girls, has created a community designed to "inspire, connect, educate and empower female travelers." Not only does this provide confidence to solo-female travelers, but it also a way for anyone to gain inspiration for places to travel to--which are not always stereotypical places to travel to. Sure, you will see photos of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Taj Mahal, but you will also see the captions of these photos filled with detail and other discoveries these women have made while in these places. We Are Travel Girls is a global community, which allows for perspectives from women of all different origins, race, etc--but they all think traveling with a particular focus on all aspects of a culture is crucial to a memorable trip. You will also find Pocket Guides that show not only the "basics" on what you should see while on a trip, but also their own personal recommendations and tips relating to the culture. For even more information, you can check out their website with detailed personal stories on these women's travel experiences and how they gained an understanding from different cultures.

Read more: https://wearetravelgirls.com/

#2: Matpia

This website is an excellent tool for someone who realizes they only focus on the stereotypes of foreign places or cultures, but in reality there is so much more to learn. Matpia is a travel blog that is a volunteer-run organization with dozens of photographers, writers and adventurers whose goal is to "foster empathy through storytelling." You can scroll through and see stories that are unique to the globe but also find stories in the Featured Places section that are dedicated to specific countries. For example, in the India section, you can find stories about the decline of the art of mahout, elephant behavior, look at how surrogacy is becoming popular and also how the 'Gulabi Gang,' a group of women wearing bright pink saris, strives to fight for equality and equal justice for Indian women. Just after looking at the articles and dazzling photos for a few minutes, believe me, you will know so much more about a culture and eagerly want to learn more.

#3: @prettylittlelondon

Pretty Little London was originally created as a website in 2015 to showcase the best and most exclusive places in London. But, after creating an Instagram shortly after, they gained a following and began posting photos of people who use the hashtag #prettylittlelondon. Their main audience is for people who are eager to travel to London but don't want to visit the tourist attractions. Anyone who truly wants to immerse themselves in the London culture should check out this account beforehand. Not only are the pictures gorgeous, but they also include fun facts about the city and secluded spots not most tourists hear about from their hotel concierge. This account is a great example of learning as much as you can about a particular place that interests you, allowing you to dissolve any stereotypes you may have before you depart. Sure, Londoners drink tea--but there is so much more to them.

For more: http://www.prettylittlelondon.com/

#4: Roads and Kingdoms

And finally, Roads and Kingdoms aligns perfectly with the idea of preparing before a trip and traveling with purpose. This website is dedicated to a very simple idea: "the more you know, the better you travel." Not only do they have award-winning journalists and photographers writing about what to know before you travel to different places, but they also include stories about individuals that have impacted a community of a certain culture. Learning about individuals in foreign places allows tourists to see these locals as people with meaningful lives that should not be objectified or treated like animals. They have also created guides for almost 20 different locations that include not only what to eat and drink, but also relevant articles and tours that are significant to the culture.