A Travel Writer Shares His Best Tips

Summary

Pico Aya, a seasoned travel writer with 45 years of experience, shares valuable tips for becoming a better traveler. He emphasizes the importance of walking to truly experience a place, observing the details around you, and reflecting on your experiences. Drawing from his extensive travels and unique encounters, including with the 14th Dalai Lama, Aya encourages travelers to approach their journeys with curiosity and mindfulness. His advice highlights the transformative power of travel, where observation and reflection can turn simple experiences into meaningful insights.

Takeaways

• 😀 Walk as much as possible to truly experience a place at a human pace, allowing it to introduce itself to you.
• 😀 Observation is key to becoming a better traveler. Pay attention to everything around you, even in everyday places like hotels.
• 😀 Traveling helps open your eyes to the world and its diverse stories, and observing the smallest details can lead to meaningful insights.
• 😀 Reflect on your experiences at the end of each day to turn observations into deeper understanding.
• 😀 Reflection transforms travel experiences into meaningful insights, much like how ingredients are turned into a meal.
• 😀 Walking allows time for reflection, helping you gather the pieces of your journey and process them thoughtfully.
• 😀 Hotels are mini-cities full of unfolding stories, providing a rich environment to observe human drama.
• 😀 Every journey holds the potential for a love story — both the travel itself and the emotional connection with the places and people you encounter.
• 😀 The best trips, like great love stories, never truly end. They continue to shape and influence you long after they’ve finished.
• 😀 A great travel writer constantly observes, reflects, and uses their experiences to share deeper meanings with others.
• 😀 The balance between walking, observing, and reflecting is essential to turning travel experiences into life-changing moments.

Q & A

What is Pico Aya's background as a travel writer?

Pico Aya is a travel writer who has been traveling the world and writing about his experiences since 1986. He has authored 15 books and over a thousand articles and has spent 45 years traveling and talking with the 14th Dalai Lama.

What is the first tip Pico Aya offers for becoming a better traveler?

Pico Aya's first tip is to walk. He emphasizes that walking allows a place to introduce itself at a human pace, offering time for reflection and observation, which enhances the travel experience.

Why does Pico Aya believe walking is essential in travel?

Pico Aya believes walking is essential because it allows for a more intimate, reflective experience. It lets you observe your surroundings at a human pace and offers a chance to process and connect with the culture you're experiencing.

How does Pico Aya describe Singapore in relation to walking?

Pico Aya describes Singapore as a perfect place for walking, where one can observe the blending of Eastern and Western cultures in unique and surprising ways. Walking in Singapore provides an opportunity to see cultural intersections and understand the place more deeply.

What does Pico Aya mean by 'observe' as a travel tip?

By 'observe,' Pico Aya means actively looking at everything around you to wake up and become more aware. He compares a hotel to a miniature city, where short stories unfold in every room and corridor. He encourages travelers to pay attention to the small, often unnoticed details of everyday life.

What example does Pico Aya give to illustrate his observation tip?

Pico Aya gives the example of a man twirling his straw and tossing his hair, which may signify a small but intriguing part of a larger, unfolding story. He urges travelers to notice such details and try to understand the hidden meaning behind actions and behaviors.

What does Pico Aya mean by 'reflect' in his travel tips?

Pico Aya encourages travelers to reflect on their experiences at the end of a busy day. Reflection, he explains, is how you turn the sights and experiences into deeper insights and meaning. It helps process what you’ve seen and learned during the day.

How does Pico Aya describe the process of turning travel experiences into insights?

Pico Aya compares reflection to making a meal. Walking and observing are like gathering ingredients, while reflection is the act of turning those ingredients into a meaningful meal—transforming experiences into understanding and wisdom.

What does Pico Aya mean when he says, 'All the great travel books are love stories'?

Pico Aya suggests that the best travel books, like great love stories, are deeply personal and transformative. They reflect the emotional and spiritual journey of the traveler, and much like love stories, they never truly end.

How does Pico Aya believe travel changes a person?

Pico Aya believes that by following his tips—walking, observing, and reflecting—travelers will return home as different people. He suggests that travel provides the opportunity to change, grow, and gain new perspectives on life.