The Power of Travel

In the March 2008 issue of National Geographic's Traveler, Keith Bellows shares some insightful dialogue from his interview with travel writer Andrew Harper.  When Bellows asks, "How do you feel about the power of travel?"  Harper replies:

"If I had a choice between sending someone to travel the world and sending him to college, I would send him around the wolrd.  You will learn far more about the world by traveling, far more about your own life, what the future of this world is.  More solutions to problems like global warming, poverty and war would result if people did more traveling, because that is how you find out that others are just like you.  They want peace.  They want decent jobs.  They want to make the world a better place for their children.  Having traveled all these years, I've concluded that the citizens of the world are far more open and tolerant and hospitable than governments, overall.   Most people are kind, generous and open-hearted.  They really want to welcome you.  What is interesting is that the poorer the country, the more generous the people.  That is one of those remarkable things in life."