By: Jacqueline Woo

Lake Kivu, on the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a serene, shimmering water body that belies both nations’ histories of conflict. After my husband and I braved a rocky drive from Nyungewe forest to Kivu, we beheld the lake in relief. Yet despite this once-in-a-lifetime experience, I found myself unable to muster a sense of wonder. My thoughts drifted to what I might have experienced in Kenya, Uganda, or any other African country but Rwanda. Why could I not stay in the present? Weren’t travel and nature supposed to take you out of yourself and change your perspective?

I spent my summer internship in Rwanda and my husband flew in from the US to spend time with me over the Rwandan public holiday. It was the first time either of us had been on the continent, and while I had always yearned to visit, I felt bored.  Underneath the superficial differences—the colorful fabrics, the motorbike taxis weaving through traffic—Kigali reminded me of my hometown, Singapore. In fact, Rwanda has intentionally styled itself as the “Singapore of Africa” to aid its rise on the international stage. I left Singapore twelve years ago and then I felt like I had traveled around the world to wind up in  the same spot. 

Despite my ambivalence about my experience, my travel to Rwanda invites expressions of envy from my peers. A large reason for this reaction is the glamorization of travel. In recent years, the travel industry has expanded, boosted by a growing global middle class and encouraged by travel influencers’ soft-focus #wanderlust snapshots. Recent studies have popularized the idea that nature and panoramic views inspire awe, giving us a sense of something larger than ourselves. In pursuit of this wanderlust, many people make it their goal to visit as many places as possible: famous travel bloggers Mike and Anne Howard of HoneyTrek.com left the US in 2012 and have since traveled to more than 60 countries. In 2018, The New York Times added to the trend with “52 Places to Go;” an annual list of noteworthy places to visit each year, with weekly dispatches from their “52 Places” traveler, who visited each of those places throughout the year. 

Yet even as travel is becoming easier and more popular, there are good reasons for being more selective about travelling. Overcrowding of tourist destinations exacerbates conservation challenges. In 2018, The Guardian reported an increase in sewage and traffic troubles at US National Parks due to a sharp rise in visitors. Air travel, which contributes to 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions, is also projected to increase.  While this number seems low, it excludes emissions from other activities like transporting fuel and manufacturing airplanes. The Guardian estimates that air travel’s impact in the UK is actually 10 – 15% of total emissions.

In addition to environmental impacts, a mindset that views the world as a limitless playground can be dangerous. Our generation has moved away from consuming goods towards investing in experiences in an attempt to derive more meaning from our lives. Research supports this: compared to material things, experiences allow us to connect more deeply with others, enrich our lives more, and create stronger memories. Yet experiences are still purchases, travel is an industry, and with sites like BuzzFeed churning out posts like “18 Travel Experiences to Add to Your Bucket List in 2020”, we risk viewing travel as just another thing “to do” to keep up with everyone else. The last thing we need is to revert to consuming experiences the same way we consume things. 

At SIPA, where 51 countries are represented in the MPA Class of 2021 alone, there can be an implicit pressure to travel and explore. It is unrealistic to expect us to completely eliminate travel, but we should think more carefully about how we can reap the benefits of travel while minimizing its costs. We should honestly examine why we wish to visit a place, what we hope to learn, and how this connects to our preexisting interests. I knew while applying for internships that I wanted to be in East Africa; I wanted to understand the challenges faced by a continent that still bears the legacy of colonialism. However, I wasn’t honest with myself when I was offered the internship in Rwanda. Deep down, I knew I wasn’t interested in that particular country because of its parallels with Singapore. 

Last semester, my husband and I traveled again and we faced a decision.  We planned to visit family in Singapore and Malaysia. We knew that afterwards, we would need time to ourselves. We wanted a place that would be easy to explore, was close by, and that we could both enjoy in a few days. We chose Penang, Malaysia — a UNESCO World Heritage Site preserving the culture and architecture of the Peranakan people. Peranakan culture developed through the intermingling of Chinese traders and indigenous populations in Penang, Malacca, and Singapore. My maternal grandmother was Peranakan and I had always enjoyed looking at her kebayas, colorful embroidered traditional Peranakan blouses.

As we wandered through the shop-houses and gazed at the brightly-colored dragons and phoenixes christening each clan house, I felt wonder and awe. Here was a place that helped me understand more about my family, fed into my existing interest in urban policy, and heightened my sense of aesthetics. This was a place worth traveling to.

Jacqueline Woo (MPA ’20) is originally from Singapore but has lived in the US for more than a decade. She is an Urban and Social Policy concentrator and enjoys visiting colorful, bold, architecturally interesting buildings while travelling.