Carl Turnley & Travel

Working in a field like telecommunications that witnesses such unprecedented amounts of change and innovation, Carl Turnley cites traveling as the antidote to a closed mind. For his business arrangements and personal reasons, Turnley travels at least twice a month, giving him an opportunity to nourish himself with the understanding of foreign cultures. He believes immersion in a society other than one’s own provides the greatest source of multicultural competence and empathy for the perspectives of others. Carl stresses the importance of both small trips away from home, and longer extended stays, noting both have sharpened his awareness of both cultural and communal nuances.

While travel often takes him to continents far away, Turnley also tours the country for fresh experiences at home.  One of Carl’s most enjoyable and relaxing ventures involves going out west to California where he relaxes on the waterfront. (One can imagine the inspiration to succeed that emanates from the physically fit at Muscle Beach!) His favorite place that he has visited is London, England seeing the city as a paradoxical mix of a home away from home and an otherworldly experience. He notes the unique mix of familiarity with an English-speaking metropolis and the tourist’s fascination with dialectical changes and driving on the other side of the road. Each time he travels to London he makes sure to capture different sights to expand his knowledge base. He has seen Big Ben, toured the parliamentary building, and walked through Buckingham Palace, all of which have supplied him a sense for the ways England’s government works. Traveling not only quenches the thirst for adventure, it also creates new interests that could not have been born without exposure to elements different from one’s own.

Turnley has also traveled to Italy and enjoyed the historicity of cities like Rome, Venice, and Florence. He has seen both the original and the replicas of Michelangelo’s David in Florence and Rome respectively, and claims there is no substitute for being in the presence of such an impressive and powerful work of art. Being so close to grand works of art fills Turnley with motivation that he brings back to his work and personal life in the states. Motivated and driven by the art and artists of the past who have quite literally helped to shape the face of humankind’s artistic endeavors is, in a word, inspirational.

After returning home from his travels, Carl Turnley welcomes a newfound appreciation for his own culture. Opening his eyes to new cultures abroad allows Carl to see home from a fresher perspective than he could before traveling. He reiterates the importance of learning about a culture from a foreigner’s perspective, and says coming back home after extended traveling offers him the opportunity to do just that. While it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day of life, Carl is a firm believer that stepping back and soaking in rich new experiences–whether they’re new cultures, new travel, new countries or new people–can have profound experience on what becomes of your day to day life.