Travel Teaches

(John) "I never left San Diego until I was 45," she said. My 10 year old mouth dropped to the concrete floor of the patio. Now, 30 years later, I still list that statement as one of the most shocking things I have ever heard in my life.

It was made by a family friend during a summer party at my childhood home. Mind you, I was no great world traveler! But I had been through the Midwest, and up and down the Pacific coast during family vacations. My experiences were as diverse as backpacking in the Sierra Nevada, a wealthy aunt's home on Russian Hill in San Francisco, a lakeside cabin in Minnesota, and RV trekking through British Columbia, not to mention visits to what is my current home on Puget Sound.

There are far too many American's who have never seen the world. I never want to be listed among those who are happy to stay at home. Such limited experience robs one of the opportunity to gain knowledge of different people, places, cultures, and belief systems. Even if one only travels within North America, there are a plethora of opportunities to gain insight. From Oaxaca Mexico, to Quebec Canada - folks are very different and yet all the same.

Now, in the middle of my life, I have seen many different places between the Atlantic and Pacific. In Mexico, I've been from the boarder towns of Juarez and Tijuana to the resort city of Puerto Vallarta. I've hiked through the Colorado Rockies, toured the patriotic sites around Boston, and sweated through the heat and humidity of South Carolina and Georgia. I've enjoyed the performing arts on Broadway and in Carnegie Hall, and I've herded cattle on a San Antonio ranch. I've also enjoyed the similar yet distinct culture and attitudes of western Canada. Finally, the tropical paradise of Hawaii, and the fun and fantasy of Florida are two of my favorite destinations.

Sadly, I have never been able to leave North America for Europe or Asia - never until now. In one week I will settle into a cramped coach seat on American Airlines for 12 hours. While my body will be uncomfortable for half a day, my perspective and my experience will finally broaden to include the continent that has had the most influence on my American life. I think I'll be a better man for the experience.