How to Make Yourself Seem More Worldly

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: December 5, 2022 References

If you’re worldly, it means that you’re grounded, ambitions, and sophisticated in matters of life like travel and culture. Many aspire to become worldly in order to impress others with their experiences, achievements, knowledge, and taste. If you want to be the envy of others, concentrate on seeking unique or exclusive opportunities, as well as demonstrating how sophisticated you are. There are a variety of ways to become worldly, but becoming as worldly as you can boils down to your values, time and effort. In any case, we’ll walk through the various ways to become the worldliest version of yourself!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Building Your Experience

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Travel the world. To be a person of the world, you need to see as much of it as you can. Try to visit as many countries as you can, or as many places in your own country as possible. You can even become a local expert by getting to know your local area really well.^{[1]
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- Take vacations and visit new places whenever possible.
- Hit up as many of the hip global cities as you can -- Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Cape Town -- but try to step off the beaten path sometimes and visit some lesser-known places so that you can talk about unique experiences.
- Don’t just visit the major tourist destinations--try to have some unique experiences. For instance, if you visit Paris, don’t just go see the Eiffel Tower. Arrange an exclusive consultation with a sommelier in a historic restaurant so you can learn all about the best French wines.
- Keep a travel journal so that you can remember all of the fabulous adventures you have abroad.
- Post about your travels on social media while you are away.
- Don’t forget to take lots of pictures to show everyone where you’ve been and what you’ve done!
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Learn foreign languages. Nothing says “worldly” quite like being able to say it in another language. Brush up on your foreign language skills, or start learning a new language that you find interesting. You don’t have to become fluent--even knowing just a few phrases can be useful, impressive, and make you seem quite worldly.
- You can learn languages by taking classes, working with a private instructor or tutor, using language-learning apps like Duolingo, or trying self-study books and audio materials.
- Traveling to and studying in a country that speaks the language you are interested in is the best way to immerse yourself and learn.
- Spanish, Chinese, French, Arabic and Italian are all fashionable and useful languages to know, but you should study whichever language interests you, even if it’s a less common one like Finnish or Lithuanian.
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Keep up with world events. A worldly person will know something about the issues of the day. Make sure you are prepared to say something about the top news stories, and major political and social topics. You can stay abreast of what’s going on in the world by:^{[2]
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- Reading the news daily (via a website, news app, or newspaper)
- Subscribing to and listening to podcasts that cover major trends and topics
- Surrounding yourself with a diversity of opinions, including those that differ from your own, so that you stay knowledgeable and worldly.
- Following a variety of news sources, from in-depth economic analysis to pop news. Keeping up with world politics is important, but a worldly person will also know something about fashion trends, entertainment news, and sports.
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Read widely. The benefits to being an avid reader are enormous: you can increase your vocabulary, expand your knowledge of important topics, and build up a pool of interesting stories. Set aside time to read regularly, and you will impress those around you with your worldly knowledge.^{[3]
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- Start by reading deeply in a topic you are interested in, whether it’s the history of Russia, modern technology, or ethnic cuisines. Seek to become an expert in your chosen field.
- At the same time, challenge yourself to read about new topics, and ones you are less familiar with. There’s no better time than now to start learning French, or how to make sushi! This way, you’ll be able to talk with others about a wide range of topics, making you seem very worldly.
- Books, newspapers, magazine, and quality websites are all good reading material.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Appearing Sophisticated

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Talk about unique experiences you’ve had. If you want to impress people with your worldliness, be prepared to show that you’ve done amazing, exciting, once-in-a-lifetime things. As you travel or interact with people in your area, seek out new and interesting things to do. Stock up on stories you’ll be able to drop in conversations and impress people with. For instance:
- Don’t just tell people you’ve visited Tuscany. Tell them about the time you met some locals in a bar in Florence who invited you to hop a train to Naples, climb Mt. Vesuvius, pick grapes from a centuries-old vineyard, and sample wine on a sunlit terrace.
- Seize the opportunity to be an extra in a film. While you might have to stand in line for hours in the cold waiting to be called up, it will be worth it when you can brag about appearing in the film, and taking a selfie with Hollywood’s biggest star.
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Showcase your talents and knowledge. Maybe you have a special skill, like vocal chops or the ability to play all of Beethoven’s piano concertos. Maybe you know everything there is to know about modern art, or tech startups. Make sure to mention this to others whenever you can, or show them off in some way, like performing at a community event. The more exclusive and elite your talent or expertise is, the more others will be impressed by your worldliness.
- There’s a fine line between seeming worldly and bragging. It’s fine to show off your talents, but don’t do it in an obnoxious way.
- If someone strikes up a conversation about music with you, don’t just blurt out right away that you know how to play all of Beethoven’s piano concertos. Wait for a natural point in the conversation. If they ask about your repertoire, you can say something like “Actually, I’m quite familiar with Beethoven’s works…”
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Name-drop to suggest your worldly experiences. If your goal is to convince people that you are worldly, you need to share your life. Make sure to casually drop information about your experiences into conversations. For example, if someone mentions that they’ve always wanted to go to Europe, you could follow up with something like “Oh, when I lived in Spain for a year, I loved the convenience of European railways. I was able to visit so many places.”
- If you are careful, you will be able to imply that you’ve had exciting, enviable experiences -- even if you haven’t actually -- without really lying. Drop places or peoples’ names into conversation as though you’ve been there or know them, even if you don’t. For instance, you might say something like “All the big stars in Hollywood go to Republique for brunch.”
- Be cautious if someone calls you ought or asks for more information. If a friend asks “Oh, so you’ve been to Republique? Who did you see there?” you have the choice of either trying to invent a story about seeing Brad Pitt there, or just admitting “No, but I’ve read about it.”
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Speak confidently and clearly. Talk slowly, avoid filling what you say with words like “um” and “uh,” and think about what you want to say before you speak. This will project confidence and convince others that you know what you are talking about.^{[4]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Concentrating on Worldly Values

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Join or contribute to organizations. Getting involved in a charity, community organization, or professional association isn’t just a way to show others that you are worldly and sophisticated. It’s also a way to take a talent, interest, or value that you have and make an impact in the world.
- Volunteer time with a community organization to show that you want to share your worldliness with others in your area.
- Donate to a charity supporting a cause you believe in to show that you are worldly enough to help others.
- Get involved in your field’s professional organization to connect with colleagues and mentor the next generation.
2
Throw yourself into your work. Worldly people strive to be successful in their professions. If you put your heart into your work, it can show how much you value it, and that you draw something meaningful from it. This will impress others. To show that you love your job and approach your work in a worldly way:^{[5]
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- Avoid complaining excessively about your job.
- Seek opportunities for advancement, to gain new skills, or to work with new teams.
- Jump on any opportunities your job offers for travel. It will impress people when you tell them you’ve got to go catch a flight to Jakarta for business, and you will increase your knowledge of the world at the same time.
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Appreciate the finer things in life. One of the benefits of being a worldly person is getting to experience life beyond the mundane. Familiarize yourself with fine wine, exotic cuisine, and high fashion. Learn about modern art and the latest trends in interior design. Visit the orchestra for the season opener gala, or stop by your local museum to see the latest exhibit. Whether it’s fancy cars, exclusive society, or high art, savor the best of what life has to offer!^{[6]
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Don’t overdo it. Worldliness won’t replace less tangible values that are even more important, like being loved and accepted, caring for others, mindfulness, or spirituality. Make sure that you are also staying focused on having good relationships with the people around you, accomplishing things that truly matter to you, and bettering yourself. That way, you’ll impress others with your worldliness, but also be true to who you are.^{[7]
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- Signs that you are taking it too far include feeling stressed or anxious about constantly trying to impress people, or suffering financially because you are overspending on luxury items or travel.
- If you have authentic relationships with your friends, on the other hand, you'll be able let your hair down around them, and be happy just spending time with them watching Netflix, grabbing a pizza, or goofing off in whatever way you all enjoy.