| Upon re-examining our lives and the decisions we | | | | perspective. For when you travel, you're exposed to |
| made to get here, we wondered what it is about | | | | a greater range of experiences. Thus, you have a |
| travel that has changed us in so many ways. That | | | | more extensive library of experiences and knowledge |
| was when a cousin-in-law's mother hit the nail on the | | | | to call upon when you're confronted with a new |
| head when she told us at a family gathering (upon | | | | situation or issue. And given our expanded library, we |
| learning that we had been all over the world) that | | | | have the confidence to see the big picture, solve |
| travel is the best education you can get. Even though | | | | problems, not sweat the small stuff, believe in |
| my wife and I had already suspected this was the | | | | ourselves and what we know, understand people |
| case, here we had someone who actually lived it and | | | | better, judge character better, and look at things |
| confirmed our suspicions. | | | | more objectively. And through this awareness and |
| "I have memories that are still with me since I | | | | self-belief, we feel that we've broken through |
| traveled in the 60's and friends who still keep in | | | | barriers (many of which were self-imposed) regarding |
| touch," she said. "I've seen so much and learned so | | | | what we thought was possible. |
| much about things you'd never learn about in school | | | | Travel in general (at least the more enlightening |
| or watch on TV. Keep traveling while you still have | | | | customized types) is expensive, logistically difficult, |
| your legs. I congratulate you." | | | | and requires a lot of time, health, and energy to pull |
| And with those words of wisdom in mind, we're | | | | off. However, we've learned to overcome these |
| digging deep into our personal experiences to explain | | | | barriers while getting richly rewarded with the |
| why travel is the best education you can get. | | | | knowledge acquired as a result. And it was through |
| DEEP IMPRESSIONS | | | | our own time put into trip preparation and execution |
| It's one thing to see something on TV or read about | | | | that we broke through those mental barriers that |
| it in the newspaper (or internet or books or | | | | typically keep people from getting out there in the |
| whatever your media of choice is), but it's another | | | | first place; coming up with such excuses like it's too |
| thing to see and experience those things in person. | | | | expensive, too difficult, too much time to plan, etc. In |
| More often than not, when you're told about | | | | a way, it forces you to overcome complacency, step |
| something, you're unlikely to appreciate its message | | | | out into the real world, and acquire the intangibles |
| and more likely to react (or not) briefly and then | | | | that make you a better person as a whole. |
| forget about it not long thereafter. But if you've | | | | Through what we've learned, we are more able to |
| witnessed a bombing or were confronted with | | | | filter and process information (so we're no longer |
| beggars firsthand, these moments stick with you and | | | | slaved to what the media pushes or says), we are |
| you start to wonder why these things happen. | | | | better positioned to align our work (and consequently |
| For example, in school, you can try to teach students | | | | our lives) to our core values (my personal ethic is a |
| about revolutions by regurgitating what's in the | | | | sustainable future), we're less inclined to give into hot |
| history textbooks citing such factors like say the | | | | air and hypocrisy when it comes to political issues, |
| population had a 95% illiteracy rate, the rich got | | | | and we're more apt to be respectful of different |
| richer while the poor got poorer, and the populace | | | | people with different backgrounds (you never know |
| was oppressed with no opportunities to break out of | | | | what you can learn from them). |
| poverty. Sure the students might memorize some | | | | Indeed, travel has given us the tools we need |
| dates and some key figures in history, but it's | | | | (through exposure, education, and perspective) to |
| forgotten after the test or class is over and the | | | | take steps necessary to improve not only our lives, |
| implications of the cause and effect of the conditions | | | | but that of our children as well. We don't proclaim to |
| leading to the revolution are lost. | | | | know everything, but at least we can put things in |
| But if those students perhaps visited (or better yet | | | | perspective and act accordingly. |
| stayed with) a family with no running water, no | | | | CONCLUSION |
| electricity, no schools, and lack of food while working | | | | Even though we're saying that travel is the best |
| real hard to survive; all the while harboring deep | | | | education you can get, we're not suggesting that |
| resentment at the government for accepting bribes, | | | | you should forego a formal education nor does it |
| hoarding most of the country's wealth, and even | | | | mean it's the answer to all of our problems. We're |
| coming in and building dams or deforesting to mine | | | | just saying that travel will educate you in a way that |
| for coal (thereby putting more pressure on their own | | | | will bring you closer to a more meaningful, healthier, |
| lands and impacting their own means of survival), | | | | and happier life if you go in with an open mind and |
| then perhaps those students would be so deeply | | | | the right attitude. |
| moved by the experience that they can better | | | | However, there are different kinds of traveling and |
| understand why the people want to act and revolt | | | | we should point out that not all of them are |
| to improve their situation. | | | | conducive to learning. In fact, if you travel just to |
| That is the essence of why deep impressions, which | | | | consume (like only chill out at resorts, go golfing, or |
| you can only get by experiencing things firsthand | | | | do watersports [not that I condemn these activities]; |
| through travel, is one main reason why travel is the | | | | all without interacting with locals or experiencing what |
| best education you can get. Perhaps more | | | | the place has to offer in terms of authentic |
| importantly, such impressions stick with you to the | | | | experiences), then you'll only learn about consuming |
| extent that you're more inclined to want to take | | | | and little about local cultures, environments, and |
| action to change things for the better. | | | | peoples. You won't be able to expand your own |
| TESTING THEORIES | | | | horizons and acquiring travel's educational benefits. |
| We always believed that reality is the fastest and | | | | Speaking of consumption, we acknowledge that |
| most effective teacher. When you buy some | | | | travel is not environmentally sustainable (what with |
| knock-off at a deeply discounted price at some | | | | the greenhouse gases [GHGs] spewed into the upper |
| street market only to have the knock-off fall apart | | | | atmosphere by flying, planes being as close to |
| on you when you get home, you learn never to look | | | | energy efficient as they're going to get, and the |
| at knock-offs at street markets the same way again. | | | | environmental damage caused by wasting water at |
| But until you've had the bitter taste of being ripped | | | | resorts not to mention all the plastic bottle waste). |
| off, you'll always be looking for the next great deal | | | | However, we think if more people traveled to learn |
| no matter how dodgy the vendor is. | | | | and see or experience genuinely different things, |
| When you're out there traveling, you're more likely to | | | | they'd be more understanding, better able to put |
| witness places where socialism has been successful | | | | things in perspective, and take steps to make the |
| (and not as evil as gung-ho pro-capitalists and | | | | world a better place as well as more sustainable. So |
| industrialists would have you believe), you're more | | | | with that said, perhaps these same people would be |
| likely to appreciate how other people around the | | | | more willing to find a way to make travel (let alone |
| world (especially in Europe) don't worry as much | | | | their own lifestyle) less impactful while still benefitting |
| about health insurance and health care, and how | | | | society (especially the education you don't get in |
| locals in rural villages have found ways to adapt and | | | | school) as a whole. |
| live with their environment rather than trying to force | | | | And regarding school, I think travel can do wonders if |
| arbitrary and detrimental changes against Nature. | | | | you complement your education with worldly |
| Without travel, these lessons may never be learned. | | | | experiences. That way, you get the skills needed to |
| As a result, you're more likely to be swayed by bias | | | | earn a living through school, but you retain more of |
| from the media or from peers, which is not unlike | | | | what you learn (or even question some of it) through |
| kids learning bad habits by learning from undisciplined | | | | your experiences and observations while traveling. |
| peers (i.e. the so-called "bad influences") since they | | | | Besides, it'd also cause you to vote more intelligently |
| don't have the information needed to make wiser | | | | thereby producing better leaders. I dare say that |
| decisions. | | | | people who haven't expanded their horizons and |
| So it's with this in mind that we think travel has a | | | | don't have an open mind have been unable to stem |
| way of testing your theories and beliefs. You're | | | | the tide of corruption and poor leadership, which has |
| bound to run into different people, different cultures, | | | | resulted in much of the big problems we see around |
| different ways of doing things, different beliefs, and | | | | the world today. |
| different environments. Often times, these are | | | | So is travel the best education you can get? As far |
| contrary to what you're used to or what you've | | | | as we're concerned, you bet! |
| preconceived going into the trip. In that way, travel | | | | Even though our travels have caused us to dip well |
| expands your horizons and makes you more open to | | | | into our savings thereby delaying that home purchase |
| the tremendous diversity and variety on the planet | | | | that everyone (including our government through its |
| and its peoples. And by keeping an open mind about | | | | twisted tax laws) pushes for, we wouldn't trade it |
| things, you're more apt to learn from these | | | | for the world. We're not materially rich, but we have |
| differences and apply them in ways that would | | | | a lifetime of memories and moments as well as a |
| improve your own life (and hopefully others as well). | | | | few friends we've met along the way. We rekindled |
| And in the process, you'll develop greater respect for | | | | a deep urge to constantly discover new places using |
| other people while embracing differences instead of | | | | waterfalls as the excuse to see places both far and |
| alienating people who are different. | | | | near. We hope we can keep it going. For we never |
| PERSPECTIVE | | | | want to stop learning, improving ourselves, and |
| Perhaps one of the most important things that travel | | | | making a difference in the world. |
| has done for us is give us a greater sense of | | | | |