The Lure of Travel






I love to travel! To see new places, meet new people, and experience other cultures is exhilarating to me. I grew up in north Alabama and rarely traveled in my childhood, except for our visits to north Georgia for family reunions. I remember how exciting it was, when I played HS football, to go to such exotic places as Cullman, Arab, Scottsboro, Ft. Payne, Gadsden, Jacksonville, and all the way down to Sylacauga. Well, they were new places to me! I never dreamed I would get the opportunity to go to all the places I have been fortunate enough to visit. As a high schooler, when I heard Jo Stafford sing "see the pyramids along the Nile..." I could not in my wildest dreams imagine actually seeing those pyramids. But I did visit there, not just once but twice! Life is indeed strange and wonderful.






I am not sure why this urge to travel is so strong in some people, and utterly non-existent in others, but that seems to be the case. While teaching at Auburn University, I took a year's leave and taught for Boston University in their overseas program in Europe. (I have often remarked that the year in Europe may have been my best year at Auburn!) Boston U. offered a Masters in Management taught at U.S. military bases in several countries in Europe. This afforded me, my wife and daughter, a full year of paid travel to many parts of Europe. Great deal, huh?! Well, some folks thought so, of course, but I was shocked when several friends said, with great consternation, "why are you doing this?!" Part of the reaction was due to ignorance of all things "not American". We had bright, educated friends express concern for us about the availability and quality of food, water, transportation, mail, medical care, etc. as if the U.S. was the only country that actually had those things readily available. They seemed to think Europe was "third world" when in fact we found the opposite to be true. I could write a long blog just on this subject! Suffice it to say, we Americans--at least some of us--tend to be xenophobic, and in fact many parts of this world are quite advanced. That is one advantage of travel. It can be an eye-opener, and a mind-opener.







I have enjoyed travel in my own country, of course. I think I have visited around forty of our fifty states, including the two most remote, Hawaii and Alaska. We have many beautiful and interesting cities and sites. I have especially enjoyed visiting our cities that are more unique, such as "before-Katrina" New Orleans and the very historic Boston and surrounding areas. But we are such a young country that we offer a very different group of sites and places than can be found in most other parts of the world. Let's face it, most places in the U.S. simply pale in comparison with the pyramids of Egypt, St. Peters cathedral and the Sistine chapel in Rome, the Biblical sites of Israel, etc.







Most of the great sites around the world have such a longer and more interesting history than ours. I was especially struck by all the history that had washed over any site/location we visited while we were in Israel. Each location had experienced several thousand years of historic events and people! It was overwhelming to consider. You can actually walk on some existing stone steps in Jerusalem that Jesus more than likely walked on, and for sure be in very specific places where he lived out his earthly life among us. Not only for Jesus, of course, but also places where Abraham, or Moses, or David, or Paul, or so many other notable Bible characters lived, and where events of great magnitude occurred. It is an awesome experience.






I am grateful that travel is so much easier and accessible now than in earlier times. Only a very small percentage of people, mostly the idle rich, traveled internationally until post-WW II times, due to costs and other factors. Nowadays many ordinary people travel each year to many parts of the world. Some even travel to the Arctic or Antarctica! H-m-m-m, that's a thought! Well, maybe not for me. But it is fascinating where some folks choose to travel nowadays. I still have some places in mind that I haven't seen and hope to visit--actually lots of places. I also enjoy going back on "sentimental journeys" to places I visited or lived earlier in life. Actually, almost anywhere I have ever been has been great; virtually no bad experiences. My daughter and I often laughed at my wife during our year in Europe, as we visited each new city. Predictably, sometime during the visit, she would pause reflectively and declare "you know, I think this is my favorite city!" She had several "favorite" cities.






I believe all this international travel has also had some great side effects. All peoples and nations seem to be more aware, less ignorant, and therefore more tolerant of different peoples, cultures, ideas, and actions than might have been the case in earlier times. That can only be good in lowering tensions between nations and promoting peaceful resolution of differences. As I indicated in my blog on racial tensions, getting to know someone or group of another race or culture on a more personal basis is the path to true acceptance and reduction of prejudice. More international travel and more international trade have led to a far greater level of understanding among peoples. This has also made it more difficult for politicians to use ignorance and prejudice to fan emotions and manipulate the populace to their selfish ends. They are still trying those tactics, of course. It's just more difficult to make their case if the public is more knowledgeable and informed. To use the popular parlance, this travel thing is just a win/win situation!