The word every traveller relates to
Sometimes, English just doesn’t have the words to express how you really feel.
Everyone has heard the legend that the Eskimos have 50 different words for snow. They will say “aqilokoq” to describe “softly falling snow” and “piegnartoq” for “the snow [that is] good for driving sled”. We need to use a whole sentence to capture what they can say eloquently in just a single world. It’s remarkable how some languages and cultures manage to capture a unique concept, feeling or desire so perfectly with a word that almost defies translation.
So here's your new favourite word – depaysement. It’s a French term that literally means something like “to be uncountried”, though in practice it is used to refer to the feeling of disorientation that arises when you are not in your home country. But even that doesn’t really capture its essence. It’s that indescribable feeling of being a foreigner, of being out of your comfort zone or of being a long way from home.
It’s worth noting that depaysement is not intrinsically positive or negative. For some people, the feeling can be exhilarating. They love the uncertainty and strangeness of travel – it’s one of the main reasons that they hit the road. This feeling of disorientation challenges them and gives them the opportunity to learn about themselves and their destination. In fact, you could consider depaysment as one of the key elements of that other elusive concept – the travel bug.
If you’re the kind of traveller who craves depaysment, you’ll get itchy feet almost as soon as you return home. You’re always planning your next trip, reliving the memories, comparing notes and looking for your next thrill.
Then there are the people on the other side. Depaysment can be downright terrifying, making you feel lost and alone in a foreign city. Instead of seeing it as a challenge to be met, it is something to be avoided at all costs. If you’re this kind of traveller, journeys closer to home could be more your style.