As human beings, we’re naturally inclined to take care of ourselves and our immediate family. This is the center of our circles of concern.
As Stoics, of course, we believe we can extend our sense of care and belonging (oikeiosis) to also include our community, country, and the rest of the world.
I believe travel is one of the best ways to practice oikeiosis.
This is why I’m sharing part of an interview I did on my podcast Live Without Borders. I’m speaking with my friend Zlatina, a Bulgarian native on the expansive power of travel.
Head over to the Live Without Borders podcast to listen to the whole episode – including Zlatina’s best travel advice on her home country.
Zlatina and I love Bulgaria so much that we’re hosting a very special travel experience for you May 15-21, 2024.
We’re keeping this trip very small – max 10 travelers. When you're on the waitlist, you get first priority to come and access to our early-bird rate.
We’ll announce the full itinerary to the waitlist in the next two weeks, so register your interest in the Bulgaria trip now so you don’t miss out.
Meanwhile, you can listen to my Live Without Borders interview with Zlatina to learn more about the breathtaking sites you’ll see in Plovdiv and beyond.
Let’s continue the conversation. Head on over to my blog on Substack for more content on how to thrive through better communication, Stoicism, and global exploration. That’s right, blogging is cool again. Over on the Substack platform, you can chat with me in the comments and I have plenty of bonuses for paid subscribers. Or, you can read new posts for free.
Welcome to Stoic Wellbeing. I'm your host, sarah Micutel, an American in England who uses stoicism and other techniques to help my coaching clients become more present, productive and open-hearted. I am here to help you too. Visit stoicwellbeingcom to learn more. As humans, we are naturally inclined to take care of ourselves and our immediate family. This is the center of our circles of concern. As Stoics, of course, we believe that we can extend our sense of care and belonging. This is why I am sharing part of an interview I did. I'm also sharing my experience of being a part of a community, country and the rest of the world.
Speaker 1:
I believe that travel is one of the very best and most fun ways that we can practice oikiosis. When you travel, you leave the familiar and you immerse yourself in new cultures, environments, communities. These experiences can challenge our worldview, stretch us out of our comfort zones and, at the same time, connect us to new people. This is why I am sharing part of an interview I did on my other podcast, live Without Worders. I'm speaking with my friend Latina, who is a Bulgarian native, and we talk about the expansive power of travel, how meaningful it can be to us as citizens of the world, to listen to our entire conversation, which includes all of Latina's advice on how to best experience her home country when you're traveling there. Head on over to the Live Without Worders podcast.
Speaker 1:
I visited Bulgaria for the first time this summer and I loved it so much that Latina and I are teaming up to host a very special Bulgarian experience in May 2024. That's right, we are taking a small group of world travelers to Bulgaria in May. I cannot wait. If you love ancient history, fabulous food, hidden gems, unforgettable experiences, you need to come with us. Sign up for the waitlist today. There's a link in the episode notes and this will give you priority to come on the trip with us and an early bird offer. Come, expand your circle of concern with us May 2024, let's go Now. Let's jump into the conversation I am having with my friend Latina.
Speaker 2:
When we go out we like to share food and people are very often they're a little bit shocked by the size of salads and main courses we love sharing food Okay, so people generally like order some things and then share it. Yes, it somehow unites. You have you noticed that when you have something and somebody is like oh, that looks really really yummy, so people share. You feel like you belong to something bigger than yourself.
Speaker 1:
Oh nice, yeah, I mean, that's a good cultural tip to mention, because, yeah, not all cultures are like that. It's like yes, I get my dish, you get yours. Maybe you can try a bite.
Speaker 2:
Yes, no, we absolutely love, and, yeah, it's more like sharing food. Sharing is caring. The other thing which I would recommend when you travel to Bulgaria and to the Balkans is to travel with an open heart, as quite often you might find our customer service slightly different than what one would expect. People have occasionally a little bit of straight face, and I wouldn't necessarily call it being rude, but you might have a little sense, especially coming from the UK where everyone is overly polite. That's a bit of a culture of difference. I'm not sure how to put it exactly in words. I guess that's part of our also socialist time when you couldn't trust much anyone. People were, although they felt safe and secure on some levels and they thought they're equal, but on a psychological level they couldn't trust much others.
Speaker 1:
So was this kind of like keeping a straight face, kind of like not showing your cards, maybe?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, just looking a bit serious in a way that not necessarily it's not a sign of, oh, I don't want to talk to you. It's more of a sign of, oh, I have my own things going on and I'm not in a super happy place. I've noticed that when I organize tours and I go with friends and they say, oh, this person was a little bit way too serious and I thought, oh, imagine how many things are happening in their life. So it's a culture of difference, for sure.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, it's a very good thing to be mindful of, because when you're going into and I would say especially for Americans, where we're quite can often be quite open and smiling to people we don't know, necessarily when that's not reciprocated, that can feel quite rude and so you can be mindful of oh, this is just a different culture and they're not not necessarily trying to Be rude, has nothing to do with that. You, it's just how they are. Then I think that can Help you have a better experience because you're not sort of obsessing about what could be going wrong.
Speaker 2:
Yes, totally no, it's traveling with an open heart. I just love love. This expression allows you to be less Judgmental and to connect with with other human beings more, as we all live on the same planet earth. But everything is so different think about it even even in the states, the difference from one state to another, although you're united by the same culture. But still, people here do that and people there don't do that, and you know little things like that.
Speaker 1:
But yeah, it's, it's just being open and Well, something that I find very fascinating is, you know, countries tend to have different overall cultures, but of course we are all individual people and Sometimes it just seems like people are born into the wrong place and if they were somewhere else they would be so much more understood. Like, the Dutch culture is known to be quite direct and frank and like honest and they're not trying to be rude. But if you're not from that culture it can seem quite shocking how blunt they can be. But I know I've heard people in the US who are like that, or even some neurodivergent people who that's just how their brain Works, to be quite direct, and they're like oh, I should have been born in this other country. But yeah, like to your point, it's a big world and if we can just be more open-minded about where different people are coming from, I think that just helps everybody get along better.
Speaker 2:
Oh, totally, you couldn't say it more beautiful than this. Yes, and that's the beauty of travel you realize that not everyone is like you, not everyone comes from the same how to. How to say, like not social status, but from from the same starting point, and To me, it helps me to generate a sense of gratitude for, for everything that I've had the opportunity to experience, as traveling really, really opens your mind and, yes, you never come back the same.
Speaker 1:
Would you agree? Yeah, a hundred percent. It's also like helpful to know people's History as well. I mean as a culture, their history like. Before you go to a country, learn a little bit about what people May have gone through like, especially over here in Europe, where there were a lot of countries that were have been in war in our Lifetimes, or you know I just as an aside I met I was on a walk this morning here in Folkstem and I met this guy from Croatia and he seemed maybe late 40s, early 50s, and we just had a pleasant casual chat. But later I was thinking I wonder if you were, like, if you were in the war and we often don't give people that grace to think of like, wow, you must have been through a lot, you know Mm-hmm totally.
Speaker 1:
Yes, Travel brings you into contact with people from all over the world, and this reinforces the idea that we are part of a larger, interconnected whole. This aligns with the stoic idea that we should view ourselves as citizens of the world, as cosmopolitan, rather than just members of our specific city or nation or household. Are you ready to expand your view of the world with an unforgettable trip to Bulgaria? Let me just list a few of the amazing things you will experience. We're going to the capital, Sofia, where you will explore thousands of years of architecture and history. We are going to Plovdiv. You are going to see all the hidden gems there. You're going to the Rose Valley. You're going to visit the oldest threshing spa in the world. So imagine rolling rose oil on your skin as you are soaking in a warm bath. You will be sipping wine and wandering around the ancient ruins. We'll be eating Shapska salad together and trying the local coffee. You will be in great company. We will have tons of laughs.
Speaker 1:
This is a small group, not a massive tour bus experience. We are creating something so special for you, so click the link in the episode notes to get on the waitlist right now. We will be announcing the full itinerary soon and if you get on the waitlist, then you are going to get priority to come on the trip and will be offered a special early bird rate. Again, this is a small group that we're taking and solo travelers are especially encouraged to come along. This trip will change your life. Join us in Bulgaria May 2024, get on the waitlist now and again. If you want a little taste, go to the Live With Outboarders podcast and listen to the episode on Klobdiv, Bulgaria.