By: Shannon McMahon
Learning mesmerizing lessons from seasoned experts no longer has to be done in a classroom or workshop of any kind. The beauty of TED Talks is that they’re short, free, and concentrated doses of knowledge shared through storytelling that often ignite an interest in something new. This makes them perfect for travelers, and TED.com has lots to offer in terms of travel stories and insight.
Here are some of the most stirring TED Talks for the nomad in all of us.
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For More Tolerance, We Need More … Tourism?
In a short talk (under five minutes), a cultural educator for National Geographic Explorer, Aziz Abu Sarah, talks about how tourism can be a sustainable way to break down walls of intolerance between countries and cultures. Sarah uses his experiences as a Palestinian and as a co-founder of MEJDI Tours to talk about the importance of uniting travelers with locals, and the rewarding experiences tourists gain when they’re connected to authentic experiences beyond tours and hotels.
“This is not a photo profile for your Facebook, this is not disaster tourism. This is the future of travel,” Sarah says. “And I invite to join me … to change your travel.”
Where to Watch: TED.com
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This Is What LGBT Life Is Like Around The World…
“Living an ‘out’ life” beyond the western world is the topic of Jenni Chang and Lisa Dazol‘s documentary, Out & Around. The couple has visited 15 vibrant, developing areas in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America that have varying views of the LGBT community. They talked to gay and transgender citizens and activists along the way, and recorded everything.
Kenya’s first openly gay political candidate, a transgender Nepalese woman, and the first prince to come out as gay in India are just a sampling of the many locals with varying views Chang and Dazol talk to along the way. From Taipei to India to Argentina, interviews and amateur footage tell varying stories of equality and prejudice from various corners of the world.
Where to Watch: TED.com
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The Joy Of Surfing In Ice-Cold Water
Surf photographer Chris Burkard will make you want to run through a wall and try something new and challenging with his accounts and videos of surfers taking on the freezing, violently churning waters of the Arctic Circle. Burkard explores the importance of pain and reward in life’s adventures.
“Anything that is worth pursuing is going to require us to suffer, just a little bit,” Burkard says of his search to escape the mundane. “I gave a piece of myself in these places, and what I walked away with was a sense of fulfillment that I had always been looking for.”
Where to Watch: TED.com
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Where Is Home?
British novelist Pico Iyer—who is of Indian descent and has spent most of his time in Japan—breaks down how complicated it has become to communicate one’s origin as travel and globalization become more popular. The meaning of “home,” the thrill of travel, and the joy of standing still are deeply explored in this 14-minute talk.
Where to Watch: TED.com
RELATED: Travel Quotes to Inspire Your Next Adventure
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Deep Travel: Connecting On The Road And In Life…
Award-w
inning travel journalist Judith Fein shares stories from her many trips—Tunisia, Myanmar, Vanuatu—to explain that traveling to far-off places is not a one-way experience. Instead, she says, it’s an interactive experience that should require us to be anthropologists and storytellers, providing points of view that people may not get to see.
“Travel is not just go and see and experience and leave, but it’s a two way street. It’s an interactive experience,” Fein says. “People want to talk … we can ask them meaningful questions and then we can invite them to ask us, too.”
Where to Watch: TED.com