The Amazing Race 35, Episode 11

Dublin (Ireland) - SeaTac, WA (USA) - Seattle, WA (USA) - Kenmore, WA (USA) - Redmond, WA (USA)

For their final challenge, the contestants on The Amazing Race 35 had to arrange catch phrases representing the things they had done in each country they visited, and photos of the local people who had greeted them at the end of each leg of the race (this part of the challenge was edited out of the TV broadcast), in the order of their trip and labeled by country.

It was a task similar to that of arranging the photos you took on a trip into a timeline, without having a smartphone or app to help you, as the contestants on The Amazing Race 26 had to do as their final challenge a few years ago.

The repeated appearance of challenges like this in the final episode of season after season of The Amazing Race reflects the persistence of the assumption that “Where did you go?”, “What did you see?”, and “What did you do?” are the most important questions to ask and things to remember about a trip.

In the real world, however, as distinct from the world of “reality” television, “been there” and “done that” — important though they may be — are rarely the things that matter most about a trip like this. Especially in the long term, what tends to matter more is what you’ve learned and how you, and your perspective on the world, have changed.

To their credit, the producers of The Amazing Race, including on-screen master of ceremonies and behind-the-scenes co-producer Phil Keoghan, ask the cast members about more than where they went and what they did.

From the start, the producers of The Amazing Race have conceived of and cast the show more as a “relationship” show than as a “travel” show. Phil asks each of the racers who make it to the finish line what they learned about their partner and their relationship with their partner, and how the race has changed that relationship.

These are good questions, and they highlight the reality that a trip for two around the world can be a relationship stress-test, couples therapy, or both.

But what you learn about your traveling companion isn’t necessarily any more important then where you went or what you did. More often, what people have told me are the most significant and valuable outcomes of a trip around the world are (1) the people they met (something you hardly have time for if you’re in a race or plan your trip to see and do as much as possible in a limited time), (2) what they learned about themselves, and (3) the ways that the trip changed their perspective on the world.

What questions do you ask someone who has just completed a trip around the world? What do you ask yourself after such a trip?

What have you learned about the world from travel? What have you learned about yourself? How have you changed?