This November, I've made two trips.
One on a seeking adventure through large cities and small towns, and another on a wandering stroll in a somewhat familiar place. I have mitigated the extremes in a sense, with extensive research and fact-finding before the trip to Japan, where I do not speak the language, and choosing a blank itinerary for Hong Kong, where I can get by sufficiently with speech.
Familiarity helps. Knowledge is necessary. It helps keep the eyes open, and prevents the senses from being overwhelmed.
We become conscious of ourselves in a foreign environment, suddenly realising how we are we, and how they are they. We need to first have an inkling of what others are like, so we can put these observations aside. Establish a basic reference, from which to enrich, shift, or obliterate altogether. That saves the effort of onerously building one in an unfamiliar city, where limited resources should be conserved.
Knowledge, must be packed for travels.
