Travel As a Political Act

Travel As a Political Act

http://blog.newsok.com/bookmarking/2009/05/12/travel-as-a-political-act/

by chris carroll
on May 12, 2009

I observe a predictable set of rituals when preparing for any big
vacation, most of which involve overdosing on library books, DVDs,
and websites to make sure I don't miss any potentially life-changing
experiences along the way. As Mrs. Bookmarking and I are about to
embark on an intercontinental voyage, my collection of prep materials
has maxed out my library card, filled up my DVR's memory, and stacked
up all around the coffee table like the turrets of a medieval castle.

The collected works of Rick Steves are almost unavoidable in any
bookstore or library travel section, and I've usually considered him
a reliable-if-slightly-nerdy resource for basic travel
preparations. When I picked up his newest book after a glance at its
arresting title, the mild-mannered, gigantic
80's-glasses-frame-wearing PBS icon became my new personal hero by
the middle of the first chapter.

Travel As a Political Act is only one of five travel books Steves has
already published in 2009, but it is a particularly thoughtful
collection of essays illustrating the interconnectedness of world
cultures and the fundamental value of travel. Steves makes a
powerful argument about how travel can change the way we think about
the world, and his book suggests interesting ways travelers can
broaden their personal, cultural, and political perspectives.

Steves turns out to be way more of a radical hippie than I ever would
have imagined, and throughout the book he tells fascinating tales of
his own travel experiences to non-traditional vacation spots like the
Balkans, El Salvador, and Iran. He is a passionate advocate for the
value of travel as a humanizing force, and the book illustrates the
mind-expanding virtues of experiencing Muslim cultures, third world
villages, and other locales that challenge Americans' cultural norms.

An especially valuable section addresses the importance of overcoming
fear in order to gain an understanding of alien societies. Steves
advocates a "refusal to be terrorized by terrorists" in a passage
that aptly summarizes his book's theme:

"Every time I'm stuck in a long security line at the airport, I
reflect on one of the most disconcerting results of terrorism: The
very people who would benefit most from international travel­those
who needlessly fear people and places they don't understand­decide to
stay home. I believe the most powerful things an individual American
can do to fight terrorism are to travel a lot, learn about the world,
come home with a new perspective, and then work to help our country
fit more comfortably and less fearfully into this planet."

Steves also reflects on lessons that can be learned from visting
countries like Denmark, routinely listed as the happiest nation on
earth while operating with a rather different "formula for societal
success" than our own. He also visits the still smoldering nations
of the former Yugoslavia to observe the after-effects of a ruinous
war, and he considers alternative approaches to social problems like
drug abuse offered by Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Steves's travelogues and observations are like the lectures of an
engaging professor, enlightening without being preachy, and his book
is a thoughtful challenge to Americans to engage with the outside
world for our own good as well as the benefit of the planet. After
reading Travel As a Political Act, my personal pantheon of literary
heroes was re-shuffled to make room for the dude with the squeaky
voice, goofy grin, and greatly inspiring message.

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