Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
It was a thrill to be there. I was caught up in it. But then, as I looked around at the
other travelers up there with me, I realized that only some of us fully grasped what was
going on. Many tourists seemed so preoccupied with trivialities—forgotten camera bat-
teries, needing a Coke, the lack of air-conditioning—that they were missing out on this
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate a great moment with the German people. And
it saddened me. I thought, “I don't want to be part of a dumbed-down society.”
I worry that the mainstream tourism industry encourages us to be dumbed down. To
many people, travel is only about having fun in the sun, shopping duty-free, and cashing
in frequent-flyer miles. But to me, that stuff distracts us from the real thrills, rewards, and
value of travel. In our travels—and in our everyday lives—we should become more edu-
cated about and engaged with challenging issues, using the past to understand the present.
The more you know, and the more you strive to learn, the richer your travels and your life
become.
In my own realm as a travel teacher, when I have the opportunity to lead a tour, write
a guidebook, or make a TV show, I take it with the responsibility to respect and challenge
the intellect of my tour members, readers, or viewers. All of us will gain more from our
travels if we refuse to be dumbed down. Promise yourself and challenge your travel part-
ners to be engaged and grapple with the challenging issues while on the road. Your exper-
ience will be better for it.
Travel to faraway places has always come with a little fear. But, after 9/11, the US became
even more fearful…and more isolated. I remember when the standard farewell when I set
off on another trip was “Bon voyage!” But today, Americans tend to say “travel safe.”
Of course, there are serious risks that deserve our careful attention. But it's all too easy
to mistake fear for actual danger. Franklin D. Roosevelt's assertion that we have nothing
to fear but fear itself feels just as relevant today as when he first said it in 1933.
I'm hardly a fearless traveler. I can think of many times I've been afraid before a trip.
Years ago, I heard that in Egypt, the beggars were relentless, there were no maps, and it
was so hot that car tires melted to the streets. For three years, I had plane tickets to India
but bailed out, finding other places closer to my comfort zone. Before flying to Iran to film
a public television show, I was uneasy. And walking from Jerusalem through the Israeli
security barrier into Bethlehem in Palestine made me nervous. But in each case, when I
finally went to these places, I realized my fears were unfounded.
History is rife with examples of leaders who manipulate fear to distract, mislead, and
undermine the will of the very people who entrusted them with power. Our own recent
history is no exception. If you want to sell weapons to Colombia, exaggerate the threat
