"Travel, of course, narrows the mind"

Malcolm Muggeridge’s assertion that “Travel, of course, narrows the mind” stands as a deliberate inversion of received wisdom. The common view is that travel broadens perspectives, exposes people to other cultures, and dissolves parochial prejudices. Muggeridge, known for his irony and skeptical outlook, provocatively suggests the opposite, casting doubt on the transformative value that travel is often credited with providing.

Such a phrase invites the reader to question their assumptions about mobility and cosmopolitanism. Rather than seeing travel as an unquestioned good, Muggeridge hints that it can reinforce certain biases, confirming preconceived notions rather than challenging them. Travelers, especially those who journey briefly or superficially, might experience foreign cultures through a lens colored by their own expectations and comfort. Instead of openness, there’s a risk of reducing the complexity of other places to caricature, novelty, or a source of personal anecdotes. The traveler becomes more convinced of their own worldview, seeing the unfamiliar as odd or inferior, rather than allowing themselves to be changed or unsettled.

Furthermore, Muggeridge’s words can be read as a critique of tourism as an industry and a social practice. Modern travel is often structured, commodified, and sanitized, herding visitors toward curated experiences that affirm familiar values and desires. Encounters are regimented and risk is minimized, so that the traveler remains at the center of the experience, buffered against the genuine unfamiliar. Rather than prompting humility, such travel can foster a kind of narcissism and complacency.

Ultimately, Muggeridge’s paradoxical statement is not a blanket condemnation of travel itself, but a challenge to the assumption that mere movement or passport stamps guarantee wisdom or growth. What broadens the mind is a willingness to be changed, to embrace discomfort and ambiguity; without this openness, travel may compound the narrowness it is supposed to cure.