We CANNOT Afford to Stop Traveling With The Attacks

With attacks in Turkey, Belgium, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Syria, Somalia, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Ivory Coast in just the last three months, there is the temptation to sign off on travel. I'll admit, I'm relieved that my brother changed his plans for living in Turkey this summer. I think we all want our family members near us when these things happen.

AT THE SAME TIME, I feel deep down in my heart that to stop traveling would be wrong.

More than wrong, it would be disastrous.

The world seems to be falling apart at the seams. Hate-filled rhetoric seems to be in every newspaper. Anti-Semitites are coming out of the woodwork. Anti-Muslims are being heralded as heroes.

But, I have to ask, what would happen if we stopped traveling?

Things would get worse.

We would have less respect for other nations. We would be afraid of learning from other cultures. We would have less relatability with other religions. We would stick our heads in the sand and assume that everyone 'out there' is out to get us.

We would have less reason to befriend our allies. We would fear letting in diverse people from around the world. We would have less tolerance for diversity among our own. We would be more likely to see the world as "us" versus "them".

Things would definitely get worse.

As terrible as these attacks are and as fearful as I am about the future, I'm more scared at how bad it will get if we stop traveling than the actual terrorism itself.

With travel comes understanding, friendshipping, and tolerance of differences. Travel helps us see the good in people. Travel expands our comfort zones. Travel teaches us more about the world around us. Travel shows us where we can best make a difference.

So I must beg, please do not stop traveling. Our nation, rather our world, cannot afford to not have you travel. In reality, the future of our world depends on you traveling.

You and I must continue to grow as global citizens.

Please share your positive and uplifting comments below.

Destiny

P.S. If you are nervous, that's okay - I found this article that gives great ideas on how to prepare:

Parents Speak Up on Rising Concerns of Terrorism and Study Abroad >>

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