A trip to Europe
Southern London from the view of the London Eye.
This was an incredible trip for the books I will never forget. My spouse, parents, and I had the opportunity to take a trek across Western Europe back at the beginning of November!
After spending time in London, Paris, and Frankfurt, I can definitely say that it has opened my eyes to seeing how other people around the world live. The differences in culture, mindsets, and lifestyles has been fascinating to see and helped open my perspective into how we all as humans have more in common than we think, how global perspectives can help create a better future for all, and even how I can make lifestyle adjustments for the enhancement of my own health and wellbeing.
A few notes of the most interesting things I noticed while traveling:
1. Single-use plastics have almost been completely eradicated in Europe. Every to-go beverage comes in a glass bottle, all straws are paper, and wooden cutlery is the norm for takeout. Styrofoam? Doesn't exist. Plastic fork? Never heard of it. Recycling bins were more prevalent than trash bins - including in public spaces.
2. Traditional, 100% gas-powered vehicles are a minority in Europe. Every city we went to, we were surrounded by traditional hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and fully electric vehicles. City buses were all hybrids or fully electric (including London's famous double deckers now), and charging stations were more prevalent than gas stations. The result? Better air quality in urban environments. As someone who lives with asthma, I never had any issues breathing in any of these mega-cities compared to when I've visited Houston or LA.
3. Europeans have shown me it's okay to slow down and enjoy the little things. The US has a very heavy "hustle culture" mentality where we constantly need to be on the move, living in the fast lane, juggling multiple phone calls and priorities, and continuously looking to move on to our next assignment or objective. Multi-hour lunches were the norm and coffee is meant to be enjoyed while sitting in a cafe rather than during your commute.
4. It's better to value quality over quantity. I hardly noticed any residents across these cities wearing name-brand clothing, items with heavy logos/branding, or fast fashion, and people were just as happy. Clothing in general was more expensive in Europe, but of higher quality, made of more organic and natural materials, and cleaner cuts.
5. As the saying goes, "you are what you eat." EU food standards are MUCH stricter compared to the US, and additives and preservatives are minimal even in processed foods. Every pre-packaged item comes with a "health score" on the front of the packaging, and pretty much everything we bought had half the calories and sugar of comparable items in the U.S. I will definitely be more attentive to what I buy and consume now that I'm back home in Oklahoma. Additionally, I've learned I need to ease up on the fried foods - I've had more energy overall and am feeling much better in general.
6. Europeans are not nearly as glued to screens as we are in America. Every person I observed was much more present in day-to-day moments, and in-person connections with others seemed to matter much more than Instagrammable posts and 90-second soundbites. People were carrying and reading books in public (which I've honestly hardly seen outside of college campuses the past few years here at home) and phones largely remained out of sight. And to be honest - they're probably better off because of it. 24/7 access to news and media has resulted in numerous studies showing it can be bad for our long-term mental health. I plan to try and limit my own screen time moving forward - and maybe even deleting some apps off my phone I don't need on a regular basis.
A passport full of stamps.
It's nice to finally have some stamps in my passport. As you can imagine, it's now a life goal of mine to visit Europe as much as I can. Fingers crossed for another trip across the Atlantic soon!