Of our interests, probably traveling is the most well represented on this homepage. I wouldn't say that this gives it the distinction of being the most important thing in our lives, but we definitely do enjoy it and try to get out there whenever we can. Leaving your normal surroundings and discovering new things is a great thing. The only way to learn is to expose yourself to things you didn't know before. This could apply to reading, or studying, or your job, but also to traveling. Traveling brings you to a good understanding of what is out there. You can't come to that understanding by reading about a place, looking at pictures of it, or even watching video. Those are mere snapshots. Nothing can homepage to being surrounded 360 degrees, by the climate, food, language, and culture of a new place.

Today the number of travelers is growing by leaps and bounds. Airplane tickets have become much more affordable and people are taking advantage of this by traveling further and more often. This is great. It is an exciting world we live in. But with the increase in travel has also come some undesirable consequences.

1. Travel has become an escape.

2. Travel sometimes hurts the people that are accommodating the traveler. Cultures can be broken down and sometimes people in touristed areas have no choice but to work in jobs that are degrading, but are what tourists are looking for. The sex industry in a lot of poorer countries is a very sad and disturbing example. For a thorough report on the effects of tourism on local people check out this informative report published by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

3. Travelers see travel as a time they can be less responsible for their actions then when at home.

4. Travelers take on an attitude when they travel. I am paying for this and so I own this place or this experience.

So there are positives and negatives to traveling. I wouldn't want to say that one outweighs the other and it seems like that is beside the point. Traveling is a way of life and it is not going to change, certainly not for the negatives listed above. In fact, the negatives points mentioned could easily be seen as a reason to going traveling for some people.

I guess how we approach our interest in traveling is we can only be concerned with ourselves. We can only control our choices and actions. So we try to travel in a way that is as responsible as possible. Some ways you can do this are

1. Take pictures respectfully. That is a real person you might be photographing. Don't treat them like a zoo animal.

2. Expand your comfort zone. You might not be comfortable talking to the locals, or eating the food etc. but push yourself. You learn most when you are doing things that are not normal for you.

3. Research the place you are going before you go there. You learn a lot more when you are there if you have done a little preparation. You don't have to be able to list every historical dynasty, or emperor, but a rough idea of the country's history will be helpful as you hear the details that fill in the gaps.

Well, these are just a few ideas. Our experience though has been that traveling is an excellent way to learn about a place. When I get back home and read a newspaper article, or see a TV report, from a place we have been I feel so much more able to understand the situation. And also you really get a feel for what a beautiful world this is. There are so many different kinds of natural beauty. God sure has the eye of an artist.