How Escape Room Made Me A Better Traveler

Gunjan thakurFebruary 10, 2022

A thin thread connects the sense of excitement I feel while playing escape rooms and traveling. We all know that learning opportunities come from the most unexpected sources in real life. And escape rooms are the best examples that come to mind in this case. As I started to participate in more escape experiences, the more I noticed myself upgrading the same skills that I needed while traveling. Escape rooms are not just about skills or codes, it is also keen observation and raw instinct that has polished me into a better traveler overall.

1.  Into the unknown

Escape rooms mostly provide me with artificial situations designed to put me in a tizzy. Similarly, traveling is also an out-of-ordinary journey. Both of them stretch me beyond my normal world and show how vibrant the places lying outside of my comfort zone can be.

The basic principle of traveling and escape rooms is the same: to embrace the unknown. Just like a curious traveler exploring the public transit without knowing the local language, a player of the escape room is a tourist too. In a way, escape rooms prepared me to face new possibilities and expand my perception of this world.

2.  An organized itinerary

The irony is I was never good at solving puzzles during my childhood. The moment I looked at any logical puzzle, my brain would begin to swirl with anxiety and panic. But as I grew up and started to attempt new escape rooms, I learned to break down the puzzle, which gradually made me realize that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

After attempting many escape rooms all around the globe, I understood that having a logical strategy is the key, which also applies to traveling. Both traveling and escape room has a clear path to finish it. If I wasn’t an escape room enthusiast, I really believe that planning for a 3 days Paris trip would never have been as easy as it was for me in 2019.

Pro tip- Always try to explore local escape rooms that showcase that particular place’s culture, traditions, and heritage sites. This allows you to get familiar with the new culture and appreciate the local history.

3.  Added sensitivity and attention to surroundings

Escape rooms require a lot of attention to detail in order to play the game properly. Every move can lead you to an unexpected turn and throw you into a new problem altogether. And the only way to get out is to keep a close eye on the surrounding objects to find the clue. Traveling comes with similar unpredictable curveballs. You can come across unforeseen situations at any time. At that moment, quick wit and an eye for detail come in super handy to get out of unfavorable situations.

During my trip to Moscow, the minute I stepped out of the restaurant, a local cab driver began to chat with me. He seemed very friendly at a glance, and he inquired about my plans. Later, I realized that he was convincing us not to enter any other chocolate shop in the local market. He soon realized that I caught him trying to scam us by manipulating me to buy fake Swiss chocolates, which were overpriced, he stepped back and ran away. A woman who witnessed this incident explained that it was normal to extract information from foreigners and exploit and squeeze all their money. Fortunately for me, playing escape rooms helped me to notice a tiny crack in his behavior, which saved me a fortune.

4.  Getting to know co-travelers better

It wasn’t until I went for an escape experience during a date night that I realized escape games are scarily efficient in bringing out the real self of people. Usually, I would play escape rooms with people I am already close with- either family or friends. When put under the pressure of time into a puzzling situation, it becomes hard to pretend to be someone else.

As someone who often travels with a group of strangers (it isn’t as dangerous as it sounds, I promise), I tend to look for opportunities to play escape rooms at least once during the entire trip with my co-travelers. One time, in an escape room in New York City, all of us were locked in the vault, and the actors were also a part of the puzzle. This escape room had a small key stuck inside a clown’s bushy hair, which would have helped us open a crucial door.

One of my co-travelers, Jack, who had been pretty quiet and reserved the whole time up until then, suddenly leaped forward, fists ready to snatch the clown wig, and finished the job in the blink of an eye, all the while yelling, “this is Sparta!”. It’s no exaggeration- everyone on the team and the actor himself had their mouths open for a few good seconds, just because of how abruptly it happened.  I still wonder if any of us would have ever guessed that Jack had that side to him had we not been inside that escape room together.

5.  Interacting with locals made easier

When I’m traveling to a new place, I try to visit the local escape rooms instead of the national chains. This gives me unique opportunities to interact with locals in a safe environment. The owners of smaller escape rooms are often present at the facility and love to have conversations with tourists. If you don’t have a group to accompany you to the game, you can always choose to play with a local group and mingle with them. I have made many friends all across the globe just through playing escape rooms, who have, in turn, showed me some unexplored sides of their hometown that I otherwise would have never gotten to see.

While I inherently have a good problem-solving ability, my journey through various escape rooms assisted me in fine-tuning my abilities and sub-consciously developing a new set of skills that helped me enjoy my traveling journey better than a traveler who hasn’t experienced escape rooms at least once in their lifetime. This situation demands you to trust your decisions and intuitions with limited time and supplies. Whether I am trying to come out of an escape room or to enjoy the most out of my trip, all it takes to achieve both are logical thinking, keen observations, and a sense of adventure.