Travel Reference
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Bank stir sentiment there as much as terrorism stirs sentiment in Israel. And by traveling
there, I can understand an unintended consequence of the wall Israel built in the name of
security: keeping the younger generations on both sides unable to connect and, therefore,
saddled only with their parents' outlook and baggage.
I come away from experiences like this one not suddenly convinced of an opposing
viewpoint…but with a creeping discomfort about my confidence in the way I've always
viewed the world. Whether reading the Bible through the eyes of Christians from other
cultures, or having your hometown blinders wedged open by looking at another religion a
new way, travel can be a powerfully spiritual experience.
I've long been enthusiastic about how travel can broaden your perspective. But I didn't al-
ways preach this gospel very smartly. Back in the 1970s, in my early days as a tour organ-
izer and guide, I drove fifty or so people each year around Europe in little minibus tours. I
had a passion for getting my travelers beyond their comfort zones. Looking back, I cringe
at the crudeness, or even cruelty, of my techniques.
As a 25-year-old hippie-backpacker-turned-tour-organizer, I had a notion that soft and
spoiled American travelers would benefit from a little hardship. I'd run tours with no hotel
reservations and observe the irony of my tour members (who I cynically suspected were
unconcerned about homelessness issues in their own communities) being nervous at the
prospect of a night without a bed. If, by mid-afternoon, I hadn't arranged for a hotel, they
couldn't focus on my guided town walks. In a wrong-headed attempt to force empathy on
my flock, I made a point to let them feel the anxiety of the real possibility of no roof over
their heads.
Back when I was almost always younger than anyone on my tour, I made my groups
sleep in Munich's huge hippie circus tent. With simple mattresses on a wooden floor and
400 roommates, it was like a cross between Woodstock and a slumber party. One night I
was stirred out of my sleep by a woman sitting up and sobbing. With the sound of back-
packers rutting in the distance, she whispered, apologetically, “Rick, I'm not taking this
so very well.”
Of course, I eventually learned that you can't just force people into a rough situation
and expect it to be constructive. Today, I am still driven to get people out of their comfort
zones and into the real world. But I've learned to do it more gently and in a way that keeps
our travelers coming back for more.
For me, seeing towering stacks of wood in Belfast destined to be anti-Catholic bon-
fires and talking with locals about sectarian hatred helps make a trip to Ireland more than
just Guinness and traditional music sessions in pubs. Taking groups to Turkey during the
