Our ability to empathize is one of humanity’s defining and most rewarding qualities. Whether we’re learning about another person’s experience or another country’s heritage, travel is essential to achieving deeper levels of understanding and appreciation. In this episode, we head to Panama City, Panama — and the InterContinental Miramar Panama — to meet three people who prove the value of empathy: a chef injecting passion and authenticity into Panamanian cuisine, a tour guide inviting travelers to venture off the beaten path, and a cultural ambassador who uses art to inspire empathy in people of all ages.

We’re all citizens of the world, but how many of us truly embrace that liberating, inspiring identity? In this episode, we journey to the international hub of Montreal to meet three people who embody worldly sophistication: a multi-lingual tour guide, an exquisitely chic fashion journalist and a globe-trotting jazz artist at the InterContinental Montreal.

Whether it happens during a meal, in a taxi, through art, or over a cocktail, connecting with new people, places and ideas is one of the most enlightening experiences we have as humans. In this episode, we travel to Washington, DC, to meet three people whose stories reveal the power and importance of connection: an Ethiopian restaurant owner who brings people together over communal dining, a Mexican-born artist whose work reflects an intimate relationship with the city, and a veteran bartender at the historic InterContinental The Willard Washington, DC.

Experiencing a genuine connection, whether it’s to a place, person or culture, is a catalyst that can spark introspection, ignite new purpose and leave you forever changed. Katherine Gibson visits the InterContinental Cartagena de Indias to present three powerful and unique stories about connections that inspire new perspectives. From the heart of a Colombian prison, to the soul of music in Cartagena, to the mind of a traveler discovering a new city, we’ll explore how these connections reveal themselves, and what they reveal about us as well. For more on the power of connection, visit intercontinental.com/life.

The more we learn about other people, the more we enrich our own lives. Join us for three stories that demonstrate how connecting with other people and cultures can deepen our own connection to the world. We start with the internationally celebrated Chef Martha Ortiz, who’s on the verge of opening a new restaurant in the InterContinental London Park Lane that will bring the soul of Mexican cuisine to the heart of the United Kingdom. Next, Bianca takes a stroll through London’s luxurious Mayfair neighborhood, to learn from Master Tailor Kathryn Sargent about what it takes to be the first woman to open her own store in Savile Row, and how she connects with her clients to make garments that are truly bespoke. Finally we return to the hotel to chat with a pair of philosophy experts about the rewards of empathy in our daily lives.

Worldliness is the highest form of sophistication. It means feeling at home no matter where you are in the world. In these stories, we travel to Beijing, China, to discover a global outlook everywhere we go. Bianca begins our episode at the new InterContinental Beijing Sanlitun in a conversation with Peter Hessler, staff writer at The New Yorker magazine and author of the acclaimed “China Trilogy.” Next up is an exploration of nighttime Beijing’s quieter side, to experience the dream of luxury travel at half-speed – from the sidecar of a vintage motorcycle. Finally Bianca returns to the hotel to visit the famous 798 Arts District, to learn how contemporary art offers a window into where our global society is going next.

The more interested we are in the world, the more interesting we become. Our episode starts with a fascinating secret hidden beneath the InterContinental New York Barclay hotel: an underground city where wealthy travelers used to shop and mingle. Next, we learn what it’s like to experience fascination from a new perspective, when Bianca joins renowned blind musician Frank Senior to “see” Central Park without the use of her eyes. Finally, we join New York Times bestselling author Julie Klam in the InterContinental New York Barclay’s new Gin Parlour to learn why humans become fascinated in the first place and how it improves our daily lives.