The Importance of Travel

I wanted to take a step back from the usual rigor of intense religious or political debates to talk about something that everyone can relate to: vacations. I am an avid internet traveler, meaning I spend hours upon hours searching the web for various travel deals and putting together vacations that I would love to go on, if only I had the time or money. The thought of traveling the world gets me so excited, I want to fly somewhere right now! As a whole, I think our society should travel more, as it gives people an opporutunity to see how life goes on outside our borders. There are a myriad of languages to be learned, foods to be tasted, and sights to be seen, and there is always somethign to be learned by visiting another country.

There are so many different cultures and societies in the world, it is really too bad that we can't see them all. But you can try, and I myself am trying to put together some kind of European vacation next summer. One of the resources I came across while searching the web for vacation deals was Help Exchange Net, which gives people an opporunity to stay in a foreign country for free, living with the locals and helping them out with various chores. Many people need help fixing up their house, or taking care of their children during the summer, or helping run their farm that they will often room and board in exchange for 4-5 hours of work per day. This gives the traveler an opportunity to really experience the other culture, as well as plenty of free time to do all the typical vacation type stuff. This idea really appeals to me, and I will hopefully take advantage of this next summer. I'm a big cheapo, and I look for any way possible to save money. The idea of staying with another family, getting to know them and working alongside them, and then having time to see the sights and enjoy the foreign culture alone combines all the best parts of traveling.

In today's society, where we see so much hatred and intolerance of other nationalities, the need is greater than ever to get out of your own country and explore the world! I think the reason people have always felt scared of or threatened by foreigners is because they do not know about. Why are children afraid of the dark? Because they don't know whats in it. For that same reason, people are weary of other cultures. It is time to shed these fears and get out and dive right into another culture, as we can always learn more about others, ourselves, and the world that we all share.