Renae Ninneman, founder of Beyond Tourism (goingbeyondtourism.com), helps travelers prepare culturally for international travel and moving abroad.
Born in a Dutch enclave in western Michigan, Renae explains how living in Seoul, South Korea for a year teaching English without cultural preparation led her to focus on “below the iceberg” cultural expectations. Travelers often dismiss discomfort as “it’s the culture,” Renae says, instead of naming and exploring what’s happening and seeking a human connection. Stereotyping and ethnocentrism often play a role.
Renae contrasts differing expressions of kindness and friendliness in the U.S. compared with Germany and Latvia, and direct versus indirect communication, describing her approach as a mix of research and experience. She earned certification in the Cultural Intelligence Model (with four CQ dimensions, including CQ strategy for preparation and in-the-moment awareness and follow-up reflection).
The conversation touches on travel for missionary work, her parents’ initial opposition to South Korea and their later visits. She advises travelers to start with self-reflection on their own cultural values, then identify differences in others and, finally, to adapt behavior, noting that “kindness” does not always translate across cultures.
Renae shares some revealing stories of her own learning process, including a humiliating workplace gaff while she was working in the U.S. on refugee resettlement and the damage her collegial relationship suffered because of it.
Nearly arrested for jaywalking, she recounts a frightening incident in South Korea where she was confronted by a stranger, police were called, and she narrowly escaped what could have been a dire situation.
Timestamps
00:00 Moving Along
00:35 Introduction to Renae Ninneman
01:00 Beyond Tourism
02:16 Teaching English in South Korea
04:06 Cross-Cultural Disconnects
08:42 The Cultural Intelligence Model – Cultural Intelligence as a Skill
10:58 Cultural Intelligence Skills for Business Travel
12:25 Growing Up in Western Michigan’s Dutch Community
14:38 Learning the Language
15:32 Cross-Cultural Competence and the Most Humiliating Moment
20:11 When Being Direct Has Its Advantages
20:57 Direct and Indirect Communication Styles
22:45 Where to Start When Preparing to Travel or Move to Another Country
27:16 Kindness as a Universal Language?
29:22 Almost Arrested in Korea
35:15 Contact Renae and Going Beyond Tourism
Resources
Beyond Tourism
https://goingbeyondtourism.com
The Cultural Intelligence Center, https://culturalq.com/
The Culture Factor Group, Helsinki, https://www.theculturefactor.com/
Geert Hofstede (1928 – 2020), https://geerthofstede.com/
Erin Meyer, The Culture Map
David Livermore, Digital and Divided
Contract Renae Ninneman, founder of Beyond Tourism:
CREDITS
Host and creator: Christi Cassidy
Contact: christi@movingalongpodcast.com
Artwork by Phyllis Busell
Music by Eve’s Blue.
Post-production help from Auphonic.com.
Show notes written with assistance from Descript and Claude.ai.
LINKS:
More information and to listen to past episodes: https://movingalongpodcast.com
Past episodes are here too: https://moving-along.simplecast.com/
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