In Conversation With: Jaylen Patel - His Immersive Outlook on Long Term Travel

Jaylen(R) & I at a restaurant in Downtown Champaign, IL

Throughout our hour-long conversation, Jaylen shares the details about his travels and time studying in Vienna, Austria. We didn't dive into a particular destination or a trip. Instead, Jaylen provides us with his perspective on travel and shares tidbits from his time in Europe!

My understanding of Jaylen's views:

Jaylen has a view unique to most of us – every time he travels, he has a purpose behind it. This is based off the goal of assimilating into the culture daily as opposed to taking a solely tourist or holiday mentality to a trip and his travels. He does not always know what his actions are but, there is always the intent of expanding his knowledge further than what it was prior to embarking on a trip.

None of Jaylen’s trips were premeditated – they were based on his availability, connection to a resident individual, and ultimately the shared motivations of others in his travel group. The only purpose was to gain a takeaway beyond the idea of just physically traveling to a place. The idea was to uncover the story and narrative of each element of a destination - from a restaurant to a local student to a standalone shopkeeper – thereby transcending the idea of saying “Hey, I have been to X, Y, Z place!” This gives him the idea of what it means to be a native or resident in whichever city/town he finds himself in. Yes, you can look up pictures and read about the ins and outs but, Jaylen’s goal when traveling is to uncover everything from a solely first person perspective.

Here are some of Jaylen’s highlights from his trip to Europe:

· Ramadan in Morocco

· Dj’ing with fellow students at local bars in Vienna

· Running the Vienna half marathon

I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Jaylen and I hope you enjoy our conversation!

AS: Hi Jaylen, it is great to sit down with you! Before we dive into your travels, could you tell us a bit about who you are?

JP: Sure! I am a senior studying Actuarial Science at the University of Illinois. I have been heavily involved academic and cultural organizations on campus. I am originally from Schaumburg, Illinois (suburb of Chicago) and grown up as the oldest of 4. My grandparents have been been inspirational on shaping my values and goals. Following graduation, I look forward to working in Chicago and carrying that forward for my siblings as well.

AS: Why do you think your values and what has shaped you has made you so excited about travel?

JP: Going back to my grandparents and family, I have received advice to seize and explore every opportunity thrown my way. Travel is unique in the fact that you are expanding your horizons to something you have never seen or experienced before. The world is vast and limiting yourself to a bubble leads to your views and values shaped by that bubble. Travel lets you explore things beyond that regional or social bubble and that is why I ultimately chose to study abroad.

AS: Could you share where you travelled during your time in Europe and maybe run through what you did there?

JP: My time in Europe started with a layover in Madrid en route to Vienna. I visited a few friends from back home who had been studying in Madrid for about 4 weeks and that gave me a taste of what my next few months could look like. I think breaking up my time in Europe on the basis of the trips I embarked on would be a great way to go capture the essence of my experience.

Initial Footings: I spent a month and a half in Vienna familiarizing myself with the city, after which I went to Prague as an experimental trip. This was experimental in the fact that I could take what I learned about exploring a city and put this into action. I learned the value of walking a city, walking 20 miles in a day was amazing in regard to getting closer to the group I was traveling with but also looking back and saying we had a really fun, encompassing day. Some of the things to work on were to spend time at a slower pace: grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a local park but beyond it just enjoying the city for what it is beyond the culture and history being thrown at you.

Ireland: From there we went to Dublin & Killarney in Ireland. It was focused on connecting with Illinois kids studying abroad. Ireland is a country enriched with vivid greenery and extremely hospitable people. Our time in Dublin began with a traditional Irish breakfast (bean, eggs, hams, sausage, pudding) and started pub hopping at around 9am! A pint of Guinness at every pub with kids tagging along at each pub along the crawl. Exploring Killarney and staying with a friend's family was also a great way to explore the place through the eyes of locals.

Salzburg, Austria

Italy: Post Dublin is where the continuous trips began – I had friends visit me in Vienna, after showing them around for a couple of days, we journeyed to Italy: Rome, Naples, and Capri. I was very grateful to see my roommates from back home who did not have to do a trip like that and could have very much spent their spring break with family. I was really happy that they made the jump, and we were able to refine our friendship. Our highlight was on the last day we found an Italian thrift store, and all walked out with either a brand-new suit, jacket, or sweater, and no one paid more than $20 collectively.

Jaylen & our roommate, Shaan taking a dip off the island of Capri

Amsterdam: My most anticipated trip came after with my family. Amsterdam was a fantastic trip to do with family as it is such a bike-able city. We got to see pretty much every corner of the city. At night we got a chance to do a canal tour, it was 2 hours and saw some of the most beautiful scenes of Amsterdam. After my parents left, I spent 2 more days in Amsterdam with a friend and learned more about his social circle and got to meet people from Maine, Vermont, and different parts of the US also studying abroad. Amsterdam at the end of the day, is a bit of a fantasy land with not a lot of rules and regulations where a lot of things are accepted. Getting a chance to feel for that culture and feel comfortable at the same time was something quite special.

London: This was a trip to visit family and a city I would potentially want to live in. The idea was to get the experience from a family member (an uncle) who had had a secondary education in the US and then moved to another country, only to never look back. I enjoyed my 3-4 months in Europe thus far and wanted to speak to someone who had made the switch permanently and gain an understanding of what that entails. The hesitations and learnings of why my uncle chose to start a family and a career there, as once you start settling down in a place it eventually become your home.

Morocco: This was personally my favorite trip! Chose this destination primarily as a spring break vacation but did not truly understand the magnitude of how it would become an equally culturally and thrilling, eye-opening experience.

Coincidentally, visiting Morocco in April during Ramadan, I decided to participate in the celebration. This is following along with the idea of visiting a place as if you live there as opposed to as a tourist. The combination of choosing to cross the desert while fasting and breaking the fast with locals, was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Given the purpose of this celebration in a culture so vividly rich and historic, I felt that I wanted to participate in that.

Merzouga, Morocco

Tour of Austria: I was surprised that I had put this off for as long as I did. Given that this was my host country I would have thought that my travel learnings would have been in Vienna, and while that was partially the case – a good chunk of my learnings came from all the people I met in every other country. For the last sendoff I wanted to accumulate all my insights and channel it into exploring the country that redefined a lot of my future goals. This was also a trip for friends visiting from Spain and I wanted to present my perspective of Vienna and Austria to them in a short span of time. This does not mean taking them to the best places and sites the city has to offer, which is certainly an element of it but, instead taking the time to sit in a café where I have gotten to know the owner or in a park where I have made countless memories with classmates.

AS: Wow, so you seem to have made the most of your time in Europe and I’d love to chat more in depth about all these different places having been to a few of them myself. For now, though, could you maybe share some advice or travel tips for people navigating new cities and what approach they should be taking?

JP: Living in a place for a prolonged period of times gives you the opportunity to make a name for yourself. This gives you the chance to see what you are capable of in a completely unprecedented environment. Starting at 0 and quantifying where you are now, a measuring stick for growth through constant and consistent reflection.

These are some of the broad tips and suggestions I have for anyone embarking in long term travel:

· Experience a city as if you were living there rather than as a tourist

· Make it a goal to meet new people for X number of consecutive days, especially where organic conversations are possible

· Join a group activity with locals or other fellow travelers/students

· Find a structure which brings purpose to your day-day (school, work, community work)

· Balance between group & individual activities as each have their own purpose

· Push your boundaries far beyond your own preconceived capabilities and comfort

Jaylen's view of travel transcends the essence of a getaway or holiday. It goes beyond experiencing cultures and foods but touches on living and life (as we know it in our homes) in a place unfamiliar to us. For me, travel has always been about experiencing cultures and traditions while being fortunate enough to partake in activities or experiences that I otherwise may not be able to. My conversation with Jaylen has provided me with food for thought. I truly hope that you can use it as a point of reflection for your approach to travel as well!

Zell Am See, Austria