Travel Isn’t Just Visiting Places. It’s Understanding Culture

You can perform a culture without ever understanding it.

When we first moved to Scotland, one thing surprised me.

Every January, my children came home from primary school learning Burns poems by heart. They could recite verses perfectly. Confidently. Proudly.

There was just one problem.

When asked, 'Do you understand what you just recited?.... They just said:"No"

They didn’t understand a word of it.

They weren’t Scottish. We had just arrived. The language, the rhythm, the references. It was all foreign. And yet, they learned the poems. They performed them. They stood on stage and did exactly what was expected.

At the time, it felt odd. Impressive. But disconnected.

Only later did I realise how normal that is.

Exposure Comes Before Understanding

Looking back, those early Burns Weeks weren’t about comprehension. They were about exposure.

The poems came first.The meaning came later.

Years passed. Scotland became home. Context slowly filled the gaps. Words started to carry weight. References made sense. What once felt ceremonial became familiar.

And recently, something happened that made it all click.

My middle son mentioned, almost casually, that he now really appreciates Burns Night. Not just the food or the poems, but what it represents. He told me that those early school years finally make sense.

This year, he’s organising a Burns Night with his international friends. Not as a performance. But as a way to share why it matters. The humour. The pride. The stories. The sense of belonging Scotland carries with it.

That moment stopped me.

Because it’s exactly how travel works too.

Travelling Without Understanding Is Easy. And Common.

Most people travel the way my children learned those poems.

They follow the ritual. They repeat what they’re told matters. They take part.

But they don’t always understand why.

They visit countries, eat the “local dish”, attend the “traditional night”, tick the cultural box. Sometimes beautifully. Sometimes enthusiastically. Sometimes without context.

That doesn’t make them bad travellers. It makes them human.

Understanding almost always comes after exposure.

The problem is, many trips end before that second part ever happens.

When Travel Becomes Performance

This is where travel quietly misses something.

When travel becomes a checklist, culture turns into performance.

You can attend Burns Night and miss what it represents.

You can visit Egypt and eat only grilled chicken and fries.

You can be surrounded by difference without ever engaging with it.

Not because you don’t care.

But because no one helped you ask the right questions.

Asking Better Questions Changes Everything

This is where travel planning deserves more care.

Not more information but more intention.

Today, tools like AI make it incredibly easy to ask simple but powerful questions before you travel.

Not “what should I see?”

But:

• What matters to people here?

• What do they celebrate and why?

• What would I misunderstand if I only stayed on the surface?

• What feels normal here that isn’t normal to me?

Those questions don’t replace experience. They prepare you for it.

Just like those early Burns poems prepared my children for understanding that came years later.

Travel Isn’t About Performing Culture

It’s about slowly making sense of it.

You don’t need to understand everything immediately. But you do need to care enough to try.

Whether it’s Burns Night in Scotland or a meal shared somewhere far from home, the difference between seeing and understanding is intention.

And intention is something you can plan for.

This way of thinking sits at the heart of AI Smart Traveller. Not faster trips. Not fuller itineraries.But a deeper understanding, supported by better questions.

In pieces about why most AI itineraries feel generic, why planning with intention matters more than speed, and how asking better questions changes the entire travel experience. Not as hacks or shortcuts, but as quiet shifts in how we prepare to meet a place on its own terms.

I’m also finishing a simple blueprint that brings this approach together. Not a tool to plan faster, but a framework to think more clearly before you go.

Because travel doesn’t need more lists.It needs more understanding.

And that’s something worth slowing down for.

👉 If you want to explore more, discover :

Ever Felt Like You Needed a Holiday from Planning Your Holiday?

How to Use AI for Travel Planning. Fix Generic Itineraries

Let’s explore the world your way! 🧡🌍

👋 About Nath

Travel observer. AI experimenter. Culture-first planner.

I’m Nath, founder of AI Smart Traveller. I use AI not to rush trips, but to help people think better about them.

I’ve lived across countries, cultures, and languages, and I’ve learned that the most meaningful travel doesn’t start with lists. It starts with intention. With better questions. With curiosity about how life works somewhere else.

I explore how tools like ChatGPT and Gemini can help travellers plan in a way that feels more personal, more thoughtful, and more human. Whether you’re travelling solo, with family, or rediscovering travel later in life.

Because planning shouldn’t feel like admin. It should feel like the first step of the journey.

💛 → Learn more about me

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