The Christmas presents are all unwrapped. The holiday feast is over, and now the focus shifts to New Year's and the annual resolutions for the coming year. Hmmm...Should I lose weight?...Should I exercise more?...Should I make an effort to be a better person? Rather than trying to live up to these familiar, difficult resolutions, why not try a new resolution this year that is both enjoyable and will enrich your life - travel outside your country's borders.
Yes, I realize there are many wonderful things to see within one's own borders, but a journey to another land allows a traveler to experience different languages, foods, customs, cultures and ways of thinking. To me, there's no greater thrill than occasionally stripping off everything that is familiar and comfortable in one's own culture and plunging into the depths of the unknown.
A person can't help but learn more about himself and others by delving into such waters, and often, the effects remain long after the trip is over. In 1986, I had a chance to visit Russia, which, at the time, was considered to be THE enemy of the United States. After a few days in Moscow getting to know the people who lived there, I could no more think of a Russian as an enemy as I could a person back home. As Mark Twain put it, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."
As part of a New Year's international travel resolution, you might also want to add an additional element that will further enrich the trip, while at the same time helping others - volunteer. Numerous companies now sell "volunteer vacation" packages, which can cost thousands of dollars, but you can set up your own international volunteer experience for little to no money.
Last summer when I visited Peru, I spent a week volunteering with the organization Aldea Yanapay, which I found through the website IndependentVolunteer.org. I’ve also read good things about the websites Volunteers for Peace and Service Civil International. I didn't pay a cent to volunteer with Aldea Yanapay, although I did pay a modest amount for room and board to live with a family associated with the program. In addition to the satisfaction of helping children in Peru, volunteering enabled me to immerse myself in the culture and get to know people in a way I never could have by just backpacking.
As the days wind down in 2009, I want to thank all of you who have read my blog and encouraged me with this endeavor. If you haven't already done so, please vote on where you'd like me to visit this summer, and please vote on which charities should receive any leftover funds.
Have a great 2010, and seriously consider a resolution to get outside of your own borders. You will forever be grateful that you did.
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