Bethany Isenberg, 50, began travelling as soon as she got a passport at the age of 15. She and her family originally came from Ukraine, but her parents immigrated when she was young to New Hampshire, where she grew up. Since little, Isenberg always dreamed of moving away and discovering new countries. She used books to feed her passion for travelling and read about diverse cultures.
How did you start travelling?
From the age of eight, I knew I wanted to get into the United States Peace Corps (USPC) because of the opportunity it gave me to travel around the world and assist those in need. The first country I lived in after signing my contract with the USPC was Egypt, for almost a year.
I then moved to Belgium where I was lucky enough to go travelling at least three or four times a year outside of Europe. Everytime I came back from a trip I felt the need to go back and experience more cultures as it was the only way to nourish my growing curiosity. I feel very fortunate to have been able to travel extensively and see the majority of the world in a time where nothing was electronic yet.
How do you think travelling has changed for this generation, now that everything is digital?
I think in some ways it is less spontaneous and you have to be more organised. But it’s also much easier now as you have higher accessibility to inform yourself of where you are going. When I was travelling initially, you not only had to carry all your tickets, maps, cash, etc but you also needed to buy and read books about the places you were going to. Books were more so about the cultures and how to respect them rather than “the trendy places to be”. I believe the purpose of travelling is to discover the sites when you get there and not before.
Do you think that increased social media exposure in today’s generation has changed the real purpose of travelling?
Definitely, not the entirety of it, but I would say that it leaves your mind less creative when you get to the place you have travelled to. Through social media, you have automatically created for yourself a preconceived idea of what it is supposed to be. This is unfortunate because there is not as much surprise. On the other hand it is beautiful because you can stay connected with your family and friends and distance doesn’t separate you.
What made you fall in love with travelling?
I initially fell in love with travelling because I got to see things that were so foreign to me and unfortunately, with the rising globalisation of the world things have become less authentic.
You can still travel with a lore of the unknown, but people are travelling so much now that almost everything has been exposed. Knowing what to expect gives you more control, but I’m not sure control means freedom in the long run.
You express a lot of freedom when reminiscing about the times you used to travel. Do you think it would still be there if you were to experience this lifestyle in today’s generation?
I would feel much less enchanted about the world now than I did when I first travelled because so much of the world has been globalised so you go to a far stretch in the world and see people that are dressed similarly, you see things that are very Westernised which was not the case. There are still many of the places in the world which are still authentic even here in Africa, but they are just much more exposed then they were years ago.
