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“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.”

–Maya Angelou

I love this quote and the truth it carries. Travel reminds us of our shared humanity—our commonalities, not just our differences. Backgrounds, languages, and cultures may vary, but at our core we are more alike than we often realize. That’s one of the greatest gifts travel offers: as we explore the unfamiliar, we recognize something of ourselves in the people we meet.

On my first trip to Brazil, I went to visit some friends who were from there. They showed me around, introducing me to family and friends, and weaving me into their daily routines.

Truthfully, I was nervous. Brazil felt so big, so different from what I knew. I had learned a few basic phrases in Portuguese, but I worried about saying the wrong thing or accidentally offending someone. More than anything, I didn’t want to embarrass my friends.

But then something unexpected happened. Each time I met someone new, they would offer the one or two words they knew in English, and I would respond with the handful of Portuguese words I had learned. It wasn’t a real conversation—just an exchange of sounds and smiles. Then someone mentioned the name of an American TV show, and I lit up: I love that show too! We laughed, hugged, and in that small moment, a bond was formed.

Later, I learned that they had felt just as nervous about meeting me. They worried that their lives would seem too small or too different, that they might misstep or disappoint. We were both relieved to realize that the other felt the same way.

Travel may not erase misconceptions, but it certainly softens them once you meet face to face. It’s so much easier to understand someone when you see that they worry, laugh, love, and dream just as you do. This quote is a beautiful reminder: beneath the surface differences, we are all walking through life with the same hopes and fears. And when we choose kindness, we build bridges that words alone cannot.