After meeting a family traveling around the world, my husband and I began to dream about taking our daughter out of high school and planning such a trip.  Our first step was to simply purchase a world map and tape it to the kitchen wall.  Each day we looked at it, morning, noon, and night we dreamed of travel and wondered, would it ever be possible?   The world grew smaller and smaller before our eyes; it had never before looked so small.  We began to select nations by sticking push pins in certain locations, and we strung purple yarn to connect the countries of our hearts’ desires. 

World globes began to appear from the most unlikely places; free piles beside the road, gifts from friends, and savaged from the dump.  By the end of summer, we had three globes.  We would sit on the couch and play, “spin the globe.” We would close our eyes, spin the globe, and see where our finger would land when the globe stopped.  We would “google” the nation or search through our large stack of National Geographic magazines. 

We are not the same people that we were; we have been transformed into world citizens.  Travelers have the power to influence and create positive change in the world community.  Most good ideas are simple and the concept of traveling as a World Citizen needs to be shared with other responsible travelers.  Traveling as a world citizen is more adventurous, satisfying, and fun than being a tourist.  Travelers can effectively create change by taking simple actions that will not only make their journey more meaningful, but will also improve the lives of local communities. Can travelers change the world?  Yes, I think so.

Sally's Quotes:

“Faith while traveling is essential – travel by faith and discover your interconnectedness to all beings.”

“We always have a choice of traveling with faith or fear.”

“Remember a smile is universal.”