Culture Shock is a Thrill Ride

The most provocative, intense and rewarding part of travel is culture shock and with the right mindset, it can be an engagingly thrilling ride.

Culture shock is an adrenaline rush that should be treated like an action sport.

As a vagabond and perpetual world traveler, I’ve developed a taste for being culture shocked.

It’s a privilege to experience such awe and wonder in each new part of the world I venture. With all these exciting rides, the world really is like a playground.

It’s like skydiving for the first time… repeatedly.

There are many cultures, sub-societies and underworlds to be shocked by, but it is a finite number.

That fresh feeling of being culturally bombarded will never get old with each new region, but there is a near-surmountable end to these adrenalin filled rides.

Rides that are only good for a single experience per culture, per person. Many rides but each precious.

So while there are many flavors of culture shock to experience, each one is unique and often exotic.

Whatever the flavor and like any thrill ride, it can be nerve–racking causing your heart to beat faster as adrenaline sears through your veins.

If you embrace it, it’s a wonderful way to feel alive.

Culture shock should be embraced. Taking it all in and letting it take over from the very start while the culture around you is at its most potent and intriguing.

To the uninitiated or timid, culture shock is often a dreaded or even feared part of travel. But avoiding this initial exposure to a strange and new culture is like skipping the best ride at an amusement park.

Like roller coasters, it’s not for everyone. But the fact remains, culture shock is a hell of an experience.

If you want adventure travel,
there’s nothing else like it.

Culture shock is a thrilling ride.

[The featured photo was taken riding a rowboat through the Floating Village in Cambodia.]