I will never forget my first experience abroad. I was in 10th grade, and I went on a school science trip to the Bahamas to study marine biology. The trip was organized by one of my high school’s science teachers (incidentally, my father), and though we weren’t far from the U.S., I knew I wasn’t in Kansas (er, Wisconsin) any more. I was a minority for the first time, I saw the Caribbean Sea for the first time, and I rode on the left side of the road for the first time (with a taxi driver named Flo with no apparent regard for passenger safety, but a flair for adventure).
That first experience gave me an appetite for travel. Like most World Language teachers, I love to visit other countries, get out of my comfort zone, and explore. And as an adult, I have come to love reading about people doing the same thing. Enter: Rick Steves, the leading voice in travel writing.
Steves’ Genius
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. – Rick Steves
Steves has traveled the world extensively, yet he lives in the U.S. This is a conscious choice that he makes. He is not here by default; rather, he is here because he knows about the world, and he has made an informed choice. How patriotic! He knows why he loves the U.S., and he doesn’t blindly assert superiority. He speaks and writes from a position of love. It’s like the proverbial coach who rides that one player on her team. Why? Because she sees potential. If potential wasn’t there, the coach would give less attention; she wouldn’t try as hard to develop that player. Steves actively pushes the U.S., its citizens, and its policies to be better because he sees potential.
I have long held that travel can be a powerful force for peace. Travel promotes understanding at the expense of fear. And understanding bridges conflicts between nations. – Rick Steves
Steves is particularly skilled in meeting Americans where they are at. He frequently gives examples of how he has changed as a travel leader over the years, what he used to do as opposed to what he does now. He readily admits his faulty thinking of the past and describes his own growth as a traveler, citizen of the world, and human. This humility–especially coming from someone moderately famous and presumably rich–is refreshing.
Taking the Right Angle
When we travel—whether to the “Axis of Evil” or just to a place where people yodel when they’re happy, or fight bulls to impress the girls, or can’t serve breakfast until today’s croissants arrive—we enrich our lives and better understand our place on this planet. We undercut groups that sow fear, hatred, and mistrust. People-to-people connections help us learn that we can disagree and still coexist peacefully. – Rick Steves
Steves knows, in writing this book and in his many speaking engagements, that not everyone is a bleeding-heart, liberal hippie like him. So what does he do? He takes the stance that travel–by everyone on the planet–is what can undercut the roots of terrorism. Steves asserts (effectively, I believe) that connecting with people across the planet makes us safer. He believes that if we’re going to bomb someone, we should at least know who they are first. It’s easy to hate ideas, regimes, and differences, but it’s substantially harder to hate people you’ve met, shared stories with, and connected to.
Structure
While seeing travel as a political act enables us to challenge our society to do better, it also shows us how much we have to be grateful for, to take responsibility for, and to protect. – Rick Steves
The bulk of Travel as a Political Act is seven chapters dedicated to different world locales: the former Yugoslavia, Europe, El Savador, Denmark, Turkey & Morocco, Europe (again…different topic), and Iran. Each one takes on a topic, in depth, and each one aspires to educate the reader on a different way of life. Steves relates how he travels to different places, meets the people, and learns about who they are as a culture. He applies those lessons to his identity as an American, and he urges the reader to ask questions. Steves isn’t necessarily about finding the “right” answers; rather, he is about the search. He wants readers to wonder: “What if we _____ in the United States?” Through this approach, he creates a sense of wonder and excitement about what we could be and how things could be better.
So many of the photos in this image-rich book look like they were taken by Steves himself, which helps the reader feel at home. “Hey, I could’ve taken that photo! I could do what he does!” The tales of travel are captivating and easy to read, and a sneaky by-product is that the book literally made me search for flights!
My Two Gripes
Steves includes a lot of statistics in this book, which I appreciate. They helped to underscore his assertions and provide context for some of the ideas presented. That said, they would’ve been more effective if he had cited his sources. I have seen similar statistics as Steves’ presented elsewhere, so I don’t doubt their validity, but for credibility purposes, sources would’ve been nice.
My second gripe is that there were multiple places in the book where Steves was telling fascinating travel stories…that included comments about women’s appearances and bodies. There weren’t parallel mentions for men, just women. The first time I didn’t think anything of it, but after a few mentions it started feeling icky to me.
Going Forward
Travel becomes a political act only if you actually do something with your broadened perspective once you return home. – Rick Steves
The final chapter of the book is all about coming home which, for Steves, is the Seattle area. I appreciated that the final chapter included a section called “Putting Your Global Perspective into Action at Home”, though I found myself thinking that that section could be an entire book in an of itself! I wanted more! Steves gave great ideas, and he included a reading list–multiple titles of which subsequently made it onto my reading list! That section, though, made me close the book feeling like I had so many more questions. I wanted more.
Travel as a Political Act was a worthwhile read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Steves’ stories about travel can easily be adopted into World Language classrooms, either on their own or as a model for sharing our own stories. The idea that travel can make the world a better place rings so true to me, and it was invigorating to read the ideas of a like-minded leader in travel and writing.
