Hi everyone! My name is Nithipha, aka Nikki. I am originally from Thailand and now living in Pori. I am a SAMK first-year student of the international tourism management program. I made my decision to come to Finland for two main reasons: to return to my academic journey in the tourism field and to explore the countries in northern Europe where I haven’t ever been.
I arrived in Pori almost at the end of last July, and unfortunately, I missed the Pori Jazz Festival this year. After spending my first couple of days in Pori, I noticed that even in the summer season, this city was still too quiet compared to where I was from. I suddenly realized I would need plans for my weekend getaways sooner or later, even though I haven’t known much about Pori.
I had about two weeks free before my school started. I was supposed to spend time getting to know and familiarize myself with Pori, but I told myself, “No! Not now. I’d better go somewhere else first” because I would be in Pori 24/7 during the school semester.
Then, I opened the Google map and searched for where I would escape to. And I picked Tallinn, Estonia, and also Helsinki on my way back to Pori.
When I booked the rooms and bought the transportation tickets for my trip, I learned that “the earlier I plan, the less I pay”.
It seemed to be an exciting trip. Somehow, it also frustrated me because I know nothing about Tallinn and Helsinki besides that they are the capital cities of Estonia and Finland. Oh, No! – I also know that Helsinki has an architecturally stunning library named Oodi where I shouldn’t miss!
I spent four days in Tallinn, visiting the Old Town almost every day. It wasn’t because I’m particularly attracted in historical or heritage landmarks that much, but because I love the old city’s atmosphere and also enjoy learning about the local lifestyle.
However, one of the things I enjoyed the most was about the hotel my stayed. The cleanliness of the room, the friendly staff, and the homey food made me feel warmly welcomed. – I think, sometimes when I travel alone, I need to have feelings like this!
Then I spent another three days in Helsinki. As I mentioned earlier, I intended to visit the Oodi library, but I also wanted to check out other landmarks as well. Speaking about Oodi, when I visited there for real, I admired how it shifts my attitude toward the typical concept of a city public library. Even I actually have visited several well-known libraries in many countries, but the Oodi is totally different, and it is the most modern and attractive one in my mind.
Not only did I go to the Oodi library, but I also visited Suomenlinna, where I really enjoyed spending time at. If I had spent more time there, I would have learned more about Finland’s historical maritime military story.
If you read my story until this line, you might think my trip was somewhat enjoyable. Umm, I might not be reluctant to nod my head to agree with you. However, at the time I wrote my blog, it was almost the end of my first semester of the program. I would say that I’ve acquired critical changes in several aspects of my mindset from course to course about sustainable tourism.
If I reflect my recent travel experience which I just wrote above, I totally agreed that I was a typical traveler – whose behaviors barely support sustainable tourism. My visit didn’t contribute much to local, and I also didn’t feel deeply connected to anything. I kept wondering why I had those kinds of feeling, and now I understand why!
It’s because sustainable tourism needs travelers who are responsible— who I wasn’t even close to before. To my understanding, responsible travelers would prepare themselves before traveling to a place. They would learn about local customs, basic local language, and the brief history of the place. These are some easy ways to build understanding, connection, and respect with the community they visit. If I had prepared myself before, I would have enjoyed my time more meaningfully and would have had more information than just the names of places to write in my blog.
From now on, I promise myself that my recent trip was my last episode of being a typical traveler because I will soon become “a responsible traveler”. I will push myself to support sustainable travelling and make my moments in new places memorable and responsible for the communities I will visit. And I will respectfully learn new cultures and people.
Hey! Let’s not just cross your fingers for me. Let’s transform ourselves to a better version of travelers together!
Text and photos: Nithipha Chansa-Ing