Things to note as you travel

Some things to note as you begin to travel far from home again:

• Climate varies dramatically based on distance from the equator and leads people to want to use spaces in different ways.For example, in the far North, when there are long stretches of cold every year, people often enjoy being outside whenever the weather is at all temperate – so you may find people eating outside in Stockholm in Sweden’s summer months (and under lap blankets during spring and fall) in temperatures that would send someone from Miami inside restaurants at any time of the year.
• As we get closer to the North and South Poles sunlight becomes cooler and weaker, particular during each zones winter months. Also, as you get further North from the equator, less and less light finds its way into windows on the North side of buildings (compared to the South side of the building) and the reverse is true in the Southern Hemisphere as a person gets closer to the South Pole.
• Compromised cognitive performance has been found at higher altitudes, say 3450 meters, and there are tourist destinations at these elevations.
• Languages spoken influence how we think about and experience physical environments, as discussed in this article.
• Personal spaces are different in different parts of the world; generally speaking, people from colder countries are likely to maintain larger distances from strangers than people from warmer ones.
• People from Western Europe are likely to be much more positive about making and maintaining eye contact that East Asians.