Be a traveler, not a tourist

The two month countdown has begun. In less than two months, I'll say goodbye to the blustery Rochester winter and forge ahead on my lifelong dream of circumnavigating the world. Our itinerary will take us along ancient trade routes with modern and ancient wonders such as the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China. Beginning in the touristy Carribbean islands, the Bahamas, we set sail aboard the M.V. Explorer for Puerto Rico, Brazil, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China and Japan, finally arriving back April 28 in San Diego, USA. 3.5 months of an experience that will no doubt change my life and the way I see the world.

Of course there are dangers. We live at a time when global trade, technology and big business are shrinking the world we live. The four letter word Bush has become synomous with war. Terrorism and hatred across the world fan the flames of genocide. Nearly a billion people a day are hungry. 1.5 billion people earn less than $1 a day. How do we solve these problems and what is the role of the developing world and the US? Simply put, we live in a turbulent, fast-paced and unpredictable world. When we fully immerse ourselves in this planet Earth and its many unique facets, we begin to understand there are no easy answers, only complex problems. But we are a unique, creative and fascinating life--within ourselves lies the solution.

One question I have started to ask myself: Will this be a whirlwind tourist trip and vacation or a study into the world and it's most complex intracacies like poverty? Do I run around and see the world's top tourist locations at all cost or simply enjoy the port cities and the culture, the food, the way of life and the worldview to the fullest? In the past I have done both. My first trip to Morroco in 2000 was both an eye awaking and stimulating experience. I wanted to see every part of this unique land all at once, and I whisked around to each city like a pinball in a machine. Tangier, Fes, Marrakech, Cassablanca, Agadir and back again. Upon my return to Spain, I pondered what I had learned, what I had taken away from this trip. Lots of pictures and knickknacks or a new understanding of the world and connection with its peoples? Tourist fatigue or a renewed energy in learning? I was lucky and thankful to return to Morocco and I chose not to make the same error. Another voyage led me to the land of the Pharaohs, Egypt. Over the course of 1 month, I visited only 5 cities, and what I brought back to my home in Spain was much more than pictures, it was friendships and a renewed fascination in travel education. This voyage aboard Semester at Sea I plan on being a traveler, not a tourist.