At EUROLINES
Coach station in
PARIS (
FRANCE) / a young passenger tells us why she likes to travel and via Eurolines (NATIONAL
EXPRESS) as for a specific
Journey !
Why
Travel?
It's a Social
Issue With
Huge Consequences
Passports are relatively rare among US citizens, estimated to be as low as 20 to as high as 34 of the total population, quite low for a country which is for most of the world representing the idea of freedom, democracy and culture.
At one time, travel was considered more important than a formal education. Some still think it is (
Time abroad can be more formative than formal education)
Voltaire , the famous philosopher said that travel is part of youth education. : 'les voyages forment la jeunesse'.
Travel is important because other societies around the world have faced the same problems as we , as the US and western countries have--and they've often implemented somewhat different solutions to these problems. Some solutions work well for many, and some don't. Travel makes people understand their own culture better and how it related or is distinguished from other cultures
... it helps find your own roots too!. The open-minded traveller can no longer see "the other" as a strange tribe of incomprehensible people more dangerous and at the same time more naive than us.
Why is
Youth Travel so Important?
To travel is to discover that everyone is different and unique and valuable.
it shows us how we are also different. it shows at some
point that each culture has its strong points. it also shows we are sometimes wrong about other people. Travel makes us learn that anyone on earth is valuable and unique.
To society, enticing young people to travel and see the world should be a priority. These are our future leaders, after all.
Youth are resilient, resourceful, and looking to leave home in order to build relationships with others like them. They can make perfect travelers. While we old fogies muddle along on our bus tours, admiring the scenery and appreciating the architecture and the foie gras, young folks are interacting with the culture, often by necessity, one more wrap of tape on that battered horn.
Without the wealth that brings isolation in a luxury hotel, they're living abroad communally in hostels and sleeping in trains.
Along the way they're experiencing and debating the social controls and problem solving within a society having different politics and a different history; they're looking into the guts of an unfamiliar culture and acquiring a true and rounded education, skirting the perceived "dangers" by becoming fully informed through their social interactions.
Given a few years of seasoning and book learning, these are the people I want leading my country.
Youth Travel Activism
Ferne Arfin of UK Travel comments: "Even if (
European students) are going to
University, they may take a "gap year" first, to travel and work their way around
Australia,
America or the
Far East."
If you're a parent, why not consider letting your student taking a year off. If you're a concerned citizen, why not press Universities to make "gap year" travel a feature of a good education in the
United States?
Suggestion on Where to Go and What to Do
Anouk Zijma, About guide to
Africa for
Visitors encourages visits to
Turkey. "It's a wonderful example of
Islamic culture, the people are incredibly friendly, it's moderate, it's interesting and it will hopefully enlighten
American youth that not all
Islam = terrorism in the safest way."
How to best interact with the locals if you're not very socially oriented?
Kerry Kubilius of
Eastern Europe Travel suggests living with host families. Lots of language schools feature housing with host families throughout the world. You'll find links to some in
Europe below.
Another way students can see the world while building it is through volunteering.
Volunteer resources are also found in the boxes below.
VIDEO-NEWS REVIEW ©
2011. HDTVNEWS.
Video INTERVIEW (exclusive) by
Joelle RONDI for HDTVNEWS.
Eurolines
Launch
KentCountyCouncil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzmKQkweW-U&feature;=related
- published: 17 Sep 2010
- views: 1274