Boss of my sister, who’s an American lady, visited my country. Just on that base I could tell she’s left leaning, because I don’t think republican would want to visit India. It might sound trivial, but I really thought, how much do Americans really have a choice in election? No, it’s much harder to do it here, tell someone’s political leaning just by looking at their lifestyle.
I visited Thailand for a few reasons, but definitely being able to afford a lavish vacation was part of the draw. But as it turned out, I got to know a few locals and really fell in love with the country. Sadly, I haven’t had a chance to go back because the flight is so long and expensive.
I was on a sort of cultural tour. Yeah, we visited a clothier and a jewelry store and super-upscale restaurants, but we also visited roadside booths, temples, a school, a Karen tribe, and walking markets. And I’m a bit of an introvert, but I made a real effort to interact with and get to know some of the locals.
Going there changed me. Not in any way that is easy to describe. I didn’t go a nazi and come back a communist or anything. But that experience has kinda echoed forward through the rest of my life. It has reframed my thinking about some things.
Anyway, I would just suggest that while you’re probably largely right, sometimes folks get enlightened by the experience through no intent of their own.
I was just saying that there are motivations to go to poorer countries outside of cultural experiences and that those draw conservatives and just about everyone else.