Franci Neely on Making Human Connections Beyond Language Around the World
Drishti Bablani, a philanthropist and author, stated, “Never underestimate the empowering effect of human connection.” Franci Neely can concur. The Houston-based retired lawyer and philanthropist, credits international travel with helping her better understand the power of a person-to-person bond. She’s currently making strides toward accomplishing her goal of visiting all 195 countries on Earth.
“Around the world, one can have human connections that are significant even if you don’t share a single word in common,” says Franci Neely. “When you make a connection, you can see it in the eyes.” While exploring Nigeria, Neely experienced that kind of memorable synergy with a group of youths on a sightseeing excursion. Despite being from different parts of the world, she says sharing that affinity with someone “shows the curiosity of people in a good way.”
Franci Neely continues, “I very much believe that when one experiences different peoples, different cultures, one has a greater understanding of the universal humanity that we share and that really none of us are strangers if we look at each other in an open, accepting, sharing way — nonjudgmentally. And it’s very life-affirming to me to do that.”
There are real benefits to that kind of bond. Scientific research confirms a correlation between social connection and mental and emotional well-being, and physical health. Those who feel more in tune with others have lower levels of anxiety and depression.
Meaningful Travel Experiences: Learning From Local Citizens About Their Cultures
In his humorous travelogue Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe, Bill Bryson wrote, “The glory of foreign travel, as far as I am concerned, I don’t want to know what people are talking about. I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are 5 years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, and you can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.”
Neely can relate and immensely enjoys navigating the language barriers. “I love to explore other cultures, other areas of the world, ways of living, history. So I’m very curious about that, and I care about it very much,” she says.
To make the most of every trip, Franci Neely shares that she and fellow Americans traveling abroad can have richer experiences when they remain open-minded to the differences between people and cultures across the globe. Throughout her international travels, she strives to communicate with the locals through words or actions. She wants them to know that she cares about their well-being. “I’m not trying to be a teacher to them because that connotes I am superior in some way,” she stresses. “I don’t want to do that. It isn’t my goal.”
Being receptive to new experiences and cultures makes travel more meaningful. Neely says, “I have a lot to learn, and maybe we can teach each other, [or] share with each other. It’s reciprocity that I’m interested in. I’m not trying to teach them. I’d rather they teach me.”
She continues, “I want [the people I meet] to come away and say, ‘She’s open, she cared, she was generous, spirited, nonjudgmental, and wanted to know about us. She wanted us to teach her.’ That makes my eyes see more and opens my heart. So I’m trying to communicate with people as equals in some way.”
The philanthropist never travels without her camera. She has little interest in keeping a travel journal filled with humdrum snapshots of her standing in front of iconic landmarks and foreign landscapes; instead, she cherishes the encounters she has with others on her journeys all over the globe and reflects fondly on those photographic souvenirs. Although the memorable meetings are often brief, Neely says, “Those momentary connections live inside me. They do.”
However, she does see the benefits of knowing at least rudimentary parts of the language spoken wherever she’s visiting. “That helps you dive into that culture better. The language of a particular culture tells you so much about the way that that culture thinks,” she shares.
Franci Neely: ‘Traveling Is an Incredible Learning Experience’
In 2023, global tourism is expected to rebound to near pre-pandemic levels. The United Nations World Tourism Organization found that it could reach approximately 80% to 95% of 2019 levels. On the other hand, a survey from Longwoods International, a tourism marketing research firm, found that half of all United States travelers confirmed that concerns over their personal finances heavily impact their upcoming travel decisions. However, 9 out of 10 survey respondents confirmed that they had travel plans on the horizon.
That’s good news, because global travel helps people evolve into more enlightened beings.
“That’s one of the things that’s so rich about travel,” Neely says, adding it’s “an incredible learning experience for me [that has] opened my mind and my heart and my eyes.”
“There are lots of ways to be caring and giving,” she continues. Sometimes Neely feels so emotionally connected to or moved by an individual that she gives them the clothes right off her back. “[Occasionally] If someone, in particular, touched my heart, I have given them something I was wearing,” she says. “That happens when there is a really deep, personal connection without the prior intention of doing so.”
That happened in the Philippines while exploring the Banaue Rice Terraces. The ancestors of the Igorot people carved these lush platforms into the Cordillera Central mountains at approximately 4,900 feet above sea level in Ifugao. While touring the spot, often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world, Neely felt an immediate connection to a woman she had never met before named Virginia.
“She doesn’t speak English. But, we looked at each other, and I felt like she was my sister,” recalls Neely. She felt a powerful attachment to Virginia and felt compelled to take off her silver necklace and place it on Virginia’s neck.
That’s an example of how foreign travel can forge deep human connections and break down the language barrier. Franci Neely and Virginia are pen pals. Her daughter writes the letters to Neely on Virginia’s behalf.
“Everywhere I go has an impact on my life,” says Neely, who is already planning her next transformative adventure.
