Citizens of the World {Travel}

Okay, so I'll just throw this out there... Lolo and I are not experts on travel. We don't have degrees in tourism, we haven't written any official dissertations on travel or countries, we haven't published any articles on the topic. The only reason why we feel we have something to say on the subject is because of our experience. Between the two of us we have literally traveled around the world. We have been to five of the seven continents, seen many of the ancient, medieval, and modern wonders of the world, taught ourselves languages, experienced culture, ate the most delicious as well as questionable food, lived in the homes of foreigners who we now consider family, and discovered a deep love for traveling even if it only means traveling to own backyards.

 

We never consider ourselves tourists; as the word "tourists" suggests an outsider looking at a culture from distance. A tourist is there to experience what a specific location may have to offer in the sense of "tourism" but not to actually become engulfed in a culture; a culture which will offer both the beautiful and the ugly, the interesting and the lackluster, the breathtaking and mundane, the inspiring and the uninspiring.  "Tourist" also suggests that you are a pasty white overweight man with cameras hanging around his neck, a book in his hand titled "Japan for Dummies" wearing Bermuda shorts, flip up glasses and socks with sandals. Oops, I forgot to mention the Hawaiian shirt, but I am sure you were all thinking it anyway, huh?  No. We'll steer away from that stereo type.

Instead we consider ourselves citizens of the world. We cross boarders without hesitation and refuse to recognize culture limitations (while still being socially responsible of course). We see foreigners as people and culture as opportunity.

(The pictures you see below are a taste of the places we've been and the photos were taken with our own cameras. There are two taken by YouthLINC participants.)

We are excited to share with you our experiences, stories, and tips to both travel easier and get the most out of your own world exploration and discovery.