Top 3 Course Insights

The More You Know

Over the period of about a month, I was able to cram more information than I ever knew possible in that time period into my brain. The first thing I learned about was my passion for sustainable tourism and its impact on local communities. I have always tried my best to be a conscientious tourist. However, I have never really considered the impact that tourism makes on both the environment and local communities. This was first emphasized throughout certain parts of Bruce Poon Tip's Looptail book when discussing Planeterra. But the best part of doing field work is seeing textbook concepts and learning things in a hands on way. The more time I spent observing other people's travelling habits, the more I realized how important it was to me that tourists make only a positive impact on the places they visit. Whether this means not picking flowers in a national park, to not feeding wild animals, to staying in family-owned local hotels, the tourism industry has such a large effect on a large population. 

My second important takeaway is about the customer experience. I had never considered the numerous elements that can so easily make or break the customer experience, or the methods used to evaluate them. I had touched upon some of this in my intro to tourism class. Specifically, customer journey mapping or participant observation. However, this course took me one step further and I learned not only about what these methods were, but also how to appropriately utilize them to substantiate a hypothesis. I learned about the importance of quantifying and supporting claims with data collected in the field. Before this class, I had not put much thought into the intense, higher world of tourism academia. Most importantly, I learned about credibility and how to gain it when evaluating a seemingly completely objective experience.

The last insight I will discuss is in regards to group dynamic. It is important to manage your own expectations or perceptions of people, and embrace the value that a diverse group brings to the table. We had the opportunity to travel and work alongside a fairly diverse group. Most of the people being graduate students, some majoring in accounting or tourism, and a difference in ethnicity. We had a very eclectic mix of students. Initially, I was a bit nervous to go on this trip not knowing anyone prior to the first class. However, as I spent time with my new classmates I learned to appreciate differences in an unexpected way. For example, I thought I would not be able to befriend or relate people so much older than me (no offense Jill, EJ, or Sharon!). But I ended up receiving a load of valuable life and relationship advice from these new classmates. It is always a great experience when you get a non-academic takeaway in addition to classroom material. Overall, it was a fun trip and I was able to make some new friends, cooking coaches, or even stand-in older sisters/moms. Cultivating new relationships is one of the most valuable things you can get out of a class like this.

Tchau Brazil!

The Final Farewell

I have never been great with goodbyes, so it's a little strange I chose to write about our farewell dinner in Rio de Janeiro. On the last night of our 10 day long adventure, our group had the opportunity to celebrate at one of the most lively restaurants in the city called Rio Scenarium Pavilhao da Cultura.

Outside view of Rio Scenarium

Clocks everywhere

 Our amazing guide, Federico, chose this perfect spot for our customer experience based class's last group dinner. The three story building contained the perfect mix of culture and entertainment. The top two floors had a museum-like feel, featuring eclectic, antique decor that easily distracted from the waiting time between drinks and meals. In addition to this, the first floor welcomed dancers of all skill-levels and ethnicity, while various musicians entertained the crowd with jazz-infused samba. Jill, Stuart, Yi, Nina, Kaixin, and I took advantage of the dance floor and showed off our skill (in Stuart's case) or sad lack of samba moves (in my case). Here, lies my first insight. I was not blessed with rhythm, but it's never too late to learn something new. Thankfully, a couple of seemingly local women took it upon themselves to teach me a couple simple steps that I couldn't butcher too badly. With their help (and some from Jill and Stuart), I discovered a hidden interest in the possibility of learning to dance. Like real dance, not the "millennial dancing" that one learns on an 8th grade dance floor. Despite my devastating lack of samba experience, I really enjoyed my time Rio Scenarium. It was a fantastic nightclub/bar vibe that perfectly highlighted the lively Brazilian nightlife so many tourists are looking to experience.

Umbrella collection

New Brazilian friend

In terms of cuisine, our table ordered a large spectrum of appetizers that ranged from shrimp puffs, to chicken kabebs, to a sampler of traditional northeast Brazilian food. For main dishes, there was a mix of orders between various meat dishes, fish, and pasta/risotto. The dishes were all amazing, but quite large. Insight number two: take every opportunity to experience the local culture. Often, these opportunities are presented in the form of food. I have learned throughout my 21 years of traveling that your experience becomes so much more authentic when you set aside your expectations and trust in the local taste.  

My last insight from this farewell dinner is in regards to the price. Understanding this a highly recommended tourist favorite hangout spot, the experience is not cheap. Being a tourist comes with a price when you want to visit a popular attraction, because you pay for quality. Rio Scenarium charged a 50 real cover fee in addition to the 11+ real drinks, 29-56 real appetizers, and 34+ real main dishes. And should you still have room for it, this does not include dessert. As a college student traveler, fiscal responsibility when travelling is important to me. However, sometimes it's worth it to splurge on a great experience.