The Temporary European Quotes

“In some ways, I’m jealous of non-foodies. It would be so liberating simply not to care about what I’m eating. I can’t imagine all the time and money I’d save. Instead, I obsess over every meal as an opportunity for a cultural experience . . . and when I settle for something easy and generic, I feel regret and a little shame.”
― Cameron Hewitt, The Temporary European: Lessons and Confessions of a Professional Traveler

“Clichés aren’t necessarily the antithesis of authenticity. Sometimes a cliché is a distillation of culture. It’s concentrated—usually too much so, as nuance and rationale get simmered out. But it contains aspects of truth.”
― Cameron Hewitt, The Temporary European: Lessons and Confessions of a Professional Traveler

“The phrase “hospitality industry” implies that hospitality means “making money from travelers.” It should be “making travelers happy.”
― Cameron Hewitt, The Temporary European: Lessons and Confessions of a Professional Traveler

“I learned a powerful lesson about traveler’s narcissism. Subconsciously, I believed all those things I’d experienced only mattered if validated by other people. But of course, travel is intensely personal. What each traveler takes home from each trip is unique. All these years later, I’m still telling travel tales—but now I’m motivated by the simple joy of sharing my passion. And I respect that my listeners may draw their own conclusions.”
― Cameron Hewitt, The Temporary European: Lessons and Confessions of a Professional Traveler

“Europeans are astute: They can spot the difference between the bucket-list tourist and the listen-to-the-church bells traveler.”
― Cameron Hewitt, The Temporary European: Lessons and Confessions of a Professional Traveler

“But there are moments when travel does even more: It exposes you to raw realities. It assaults your assumptions, confronts your privilege, challenges you to develop empathy in spite of yourself, and teaches you that the more of the world you experience, the less frightening it becomes. It subverts fear by providing real context for the news (and the “news”). And it reminds you that, at the end of the day, we’re all human.”
― Cameron Hewitt, The Temporary European: Lessons and Confessions of a Professional Traveler