Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
U.S. SERVAS
travel as a nontourist
ARCATA, CALIFORNIA
Instead of being a tourist, viewing everything from the outside in, I was
welcomed into the homes and culture of the country.
—Aaron Aftergood, Servas traveler
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Most of the listings in this chapter are about physical things—learning to surf or bike or
hike. But if you really want to “be well,” you have to open your heart and expand your hori-
zons in other areas, as well. Traveling with Servas is for people who know that just because
they've stayed in a high-rise hotel on a Mexican beach doesn't mean they understand how
Mexicans think, feel, and view the world—but who truly want to understand. It's for travelers
who want to go beyond sightseeing and get to know the people on a deeper, more personal
level.
Established in 1948 by Bob Luitweiler, who had studied at a Denmark folk school, Servas
is an international network of hosts and travelers building peace by providing opportunities for
mutually arranged individual visits, typically for two nights, between persons of diverse cul-
tures and backgrounds (U.S. Servas is a branch of the global coordinating body). Luitweiler
had witnessed the devastation of the World Wars and knew there had to be a better way to
build peace. By providing opportunities for contacts between people of different backgrounds,
peaceful bonds could be created one traveler at a time.
On a Servas vacation, you are invited into the homes of locals. At last count, there were
some 15,000 Servas hosts located in more than 130 countries on six continents. The United
States alone has roughly 1,700 hosts, from a farmer in Iowa who invites travelers to stay and
help make honey to an artist in New York who'll let you watch him paint. As a traveler, you'll
sleep in their homes (perhaps in the spare guest room or on the living room floor), share their
meals, run errands with them, and participate in their normal life.
Hosts are discouraged from altering their lifestyles in any way. Sure, they may have some
free time to show you around, to take you to meet their barber or to the school where they vo-
