Enhancing Global Awareness

21 Takeaways

The following 21 takeaways are designed to enhance your global awareness. Hopefully, these takeaways will stir travelers to travel deeper, with more insight, and with fresh eyes. Denise Ames

  • #1 Traveling Deeper

    Traveling deeper to gain an enhanced understanding of global awareness.

    Dubrovnik, Croatia, photo Dense Ames

  • #2 Thinking Differently

    Recognizing that not everyone thinks as we do.


    Abyaneh Village, Iran, photo Denise Ames

  • #3 Studying a Holistic World History

    Studying a “big picture, Holistic World History and seeing how the past connects to the present and future.

    Roman ruins, Lebanon, photo Dense Ames

  • #4 Integrating Well-Being

    Integrating personal growth and well-being through the act of travel.

    Christiantown, Copenhagen, Denmark, photo Denise Ames

  • #5 Negotiating Differences

    Acquiring more confidence and skills to negotiate cultural differences.

    Shaman figures, Seoul, South Korea, photo Denise Ames

  • #6 Recognizing Worldviews

    Realizing our worldview influences our views of issues, situations, and people.

    German workers, photo Denise Ames

  • #7 Forming Relationships

    Establishing meaningful relationships using global awareness tools and skills.

    A school in China, photo Denise Ames

  • #8 Appreciating our World

    Appreciating that we are part of an interconnected world community.

    Flags in a Turkish office, photo Denise Ames

  • #9 Learning About Ourselves

    Learning about ourselves is the first step in learning about and from others.

    Students in Lebanon, photo Denise Ames

  • #10 Impacting Others

    Knowing that our actions as travelers impact others.

    Recycling in China, photo Denise Ames

  • #11 Expanding our Mindset

    Expanding our mindset to see other points of view; “to walk in another person’s shoes.”

    Abyaneh Villge, Iran, photo Denise Ames

  • #12 Sharpening our Senses

    Sharpening our senses by seeing with new eyes, hearing diverse perspectives, tasting new foods, and feeling the earth.

    Flowers, Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, NY, USA, photo Denise Ames

  • #13 Using a Cross-Cultural Organizer

    Understanding other cultures, people, and ourselves by using a Cross-Cultural Awareness Organizer.

    Growing cabbage, Korea, photo Denise Ames

  • #14 Improving the State of the Planet

    Improving the state of the planet by studying significant global issues and taking appropriate action.

    Tallinn, Estonia, photo Denise Ames

  • #15 Cultivating Global Perspectives

    Broadening our viewpoints beyond our conventional culture—without abandoning it—to a global view.

    Students, Shanghai China photo Dense Ames

  • #16 Connecting with Nature

    Appreciating and connecting with the beauty of nature during our travels.

    Nature Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA, photo Denise Ames

  • #17 Defining our Life Purpose

    Exploring and defining our inward and outward purpose in life through travel.

    Klaipeda, Lithuania, photo Denise Ames

  • #18 Applying Lessons of Travel

    Applying and implementing the lessons travel offers us to our daily lives.

    Damascus, Syria, bazaar, photo Denise Ames

  • #19 Envisioning a Mythic Journey


    Envisioning and playing out our travels as a mythic journey.

    Argostoli, Greece, photo Denise Ames

  • #20 Aligning Expectations to Travel Realities

    Aligning our expectations to the realities of travel.


    St. Petersburg Palace, Russia, photo Denise Ames

  • #21 Opening to the Sublime


    Opening to the sublime and/or spirit during our travels.

    Grand Mosque, United Arab Emirates, photo Denise Ames

A Few Final Thoughts…

My intent in creating this website is to reach engaged, curious, and reflective lifelong learners—people of all ages, backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities, and religions—who are eager to learn more about their own community and the wider world through all the wonders travel has to offer. The website’s purpose—learning new ideas, seeing with new eyes, and reflecting upon one’s purpose in the grand scheme of life—is to intensify our awareness of our own life and the lives of others, as well as to ponder how we may make thoughtful contributions to the wider community and world.

 Finding meaning and purpose is a vital part of the travel experience. Reflecting upon one’s purpose in the grand scheme of life includes a heightened awareness about our own life and our contributions to the wider community and world. This heightened global awareness will hopefully give us all a greater sense of the relationships we share each other and the community of life.      

As I have said before, “Your journey lies before you and will be what you make it.” I hope my observations, experiences, and research about global awareness can help enhance your travel experiences. Happy Travels! DRA



Burj Khalifa, Abu Dhabi, UAE, (tallest building in the world), photo Denise Ames