Rick Steves' Travel as a Political Act Blog - Putting Your Global Perspective into Action at Home, Part 4

Putting Your Global Perspective into Action at Home, Part 4

Remember that many would love to travel and gain a broader perspective, but cannot. Find creative ways to bring home the value of travel by giving presentations to groups of curious people not likely to have passports. I did this in my twenties by hosting a monthly “World Travelers' Slide Club,” and do essentially the same thing on a bigger scale today by producing a radio show that I offer free to our nation's network of public radio stations.

Consider an “educational tour” for your next trip (see, for example, Augsburg College's Center for Global Education, www.augsburg.edu/global). Even if you normally wouldn't take a tour, visiting trouble zones with a well-connected organization is safe, makes you an insider, and greatly increases your opportunities for learning. I've taken three such tours, and each has been powerfully educational and inspirational. Educational tourism is a small yet thriving part of the tourism industry, and offers a world of options.

Find ways to translate your new global passions to local needs. Like the bumper sticker says: Think globally…act locally. Travel has taught me the reality of homelessness. After talking with a proud and noble woman like Beatriz in El Salvador — which does more to humanize the reality of poverty than reading a library of great books on the subject — inspires you to action once back home. Thinking creatively, my wife and I took our retirement savings and purchased a small apartment complex that we loaned to the YWCA to use to house local homeless mothers. Now, rather than collect taxable interest, we climb into our warm and secure bed each night knowing that 25 struggling moms and their kids do as well. When you can learn to vicariously enjoy someone else's consumption who's dealing with more basic needs than you are], you are richer for it. With this outlook, helping to provide housing to people in need is simply smarter, more practical, and more gratifying than owning a big yacht. (This can be done on a smaller scale with much less equity, too. For more on this, see www.ricksteves.com/politicalact.)

Find creative ways to humanize our planet while comfortably nestled into your workaday home life. Sweat with the tropics, see developing-world debt as the slavery of the 21st century, and feel the pain of “enemy losses” along with the pain of American losses. Do things — even if only symbolic — in solidarity with people on the front lines of struggles you care about.

Put your money where your ideals are. Know your options for local consumption and personal responsibility. Don't be bullied by non-sustainable cultural norms. You can pay more for your bread to buy it from the person who baked it. You can buy seasonal produce in a way that supports family farms. You can, as a matter of principle, shun things you don't want to support (bottled water, disposable goods, sweatshop imports, and so on). You can use public transit or drive a greener car. Consume as if your patronage helps shapes our future. It does.

About This Entry

You are reading "Putting Your Global Perspective into Action at Home, Part 4", an entry posted on 05 May 2010 by Rick Steves.

6 replies to this entry. Add your comment below.

Previous Entry, Putting Your Global Perspective into Action at Home, Part 3, posted May 03 2010

Next Entry, Putting Your Global Perspective into Action at Home, Part 5, posted May 07 2010

Comments [ top ]

Rick...bottled water is a personal choice.....for me it is better than drinking sugary drinks with food colouring...to each his own....and it is very healthy for you and keeps weight gain down....

Posted by: Bill27 - May 05, 2010 12:50 PM

Who could disagree? But why not help your own country first? Sort of in the spirit of put on your own oxygen mask first, then you can better help others. So those of you who live in affluent US communities and bring home incomes sufficient to make some of it disposable and discretionary (five and ten and fifteen thousand dollar travel trips)why not think of the poor native American in South Dakota, the United Negro College Fund, the destitute in rural Alabama or Mississippi?

Posted by: w - May 05, 2010 1:44 PM

It is interesting how many freebies Rick gives away and how freely he voices political opinions that can be controversial, yet his business seems to thrive more than ever. It is a good thing to help poor single mothers. Better child support collection and enforcement could also do a lot to help.

Posted by: bill - May 06, 2010 9:02 AM

I first moved to reusing my purchased bottle of water. Then my company stopped stocking water at our meeting and handed out water bottles. Then they said bring your water bottle to the next meeting. Now I use a re-usable bottle all the time. I also started using my own bags. I remember thinking that I would never do that. Now it feels weird to use a paper bag. It's all about developing new habits.

Posted by: Pam - May 06, 2010 8:18 PM

I refill my purchased water bottles a few times. You have to throw them out after a few refills as they become bacteria problems......I use my own bags for shopping, avoiding plastic and I prefer it....paper bags make no sense for carrying things in ..no handles....I would drink TAP water most of the time BUT the water from the tap is scary often, not clear and I will shower and do dishes with it but DRINKING IT - I just can't....the bottled water is expensive but safe in that instance....will drink TAP during the time windows where it appears normal looking and tasting.....

Posted by: Bill27 - May 07, 2010 9:41 AM

"Developing World debt" is the "Slavery of the 21st Century"? Who's responsible for the debt? The "Developing World" shouldn't get a pass on corruption, mismanagement or incompetence in government, simply because of the stage of their economy. As for classifying Third World debt as "slavery", ALL public debt in ALL countries is slavery and for that matter, all public spending is slavery. The higher percentage of GNP as government spending, the less freedom. It makes no difference if the voting majority choose the policy; the tyranny of the majority is still tyranny, regardless of the size and scope of a country's wealth or their form of government.

Posted by: Lysander - Jul 18, 2011 7:58 AM