[pf] ethics of travel

by Sharon Flesher

18 December 2000 17:39 UTC

I've had this idea in my head for about a year, and I'd like to get some
feedback about it from anyone who can spare a few minutes to chip in an
opinion.

The idea is to take a year (or more) off from regular middle-class American
life and take our children on a journey around the world (or at least the
hemisphere). I have several motivations for doing this, which are:

* The community in which we live is extremely homogeneous, at least in terms
of race and ethnicity. I worry that my children will grow up with a
narrow-minded view of the world and its people, despite my best efforts to
teach them otherwise. Experience (or the lack thereof) is so much more
powerful than lectures.

* I believe that low-budget travel is one of the most effective ways to
expand the mind and touch the soul.

* The children would learn more from this experience than they could learn
in 10 years of school.

* This experience would give my husband and I an opportunity to evaluate
possible changes in our livelihoods.

* I have been feeling a inexplicable tug (a calling, if you will) to go to
Latin America. This is especially strange because I don't speak a word of
Spanish, and, until earlier this year, had no more than a passing interest
in visiting Latin America (aside from the usual winter fantasy of lying on a
Mexican beach instead of shoveling last night's snow from my sidewalk). My
husband doesn't share this urge, but is intrigued by it.

* I want to research/write a book, and travel in the way I envision it would
be key to the research. I already have compiled a list of cities to visit
for this project.

* Finally, the shallowest (but perhaps the strongest) motivation is that
we're both in a rut right now after nearly 9 years in the same place with
the same occupations.

To minimize the negative impact of the travel on the planet and our
children, we would have a few ground rules:

* Surface transportation only, using public transport whenever possible.
Buses would probably be our primary mode of long-distance transport, with
walking being our daily mode. If we wait a few years until the children are
capable, we could make it a bike journey.

* We would "home-base" for at least a month at a time, and explore a region
from a central spot where we would rent a room or small apartment. This
would be much easier on the children than moving every few days or so. If
the trip were confined to Latin America, we might spend 3 months in Mexico,
3 months in Nicaragua, 3 months in Ecuador, and 3 months in Chile, for
example.

* In every location, we would volunteer our services and skills with a local
organization. I've identified dozens of possibilities already, including (my
favorite) an organic farm and eco-learning center in Ecuador that exchanges
room and board for volunteer services.

The more I think about this plan, the more I wonder if it's the *right*
thing to do, regardless of whether it's the *desirable* thing to do. The
cons:

* The only way we could possibly afford to do this (assuming we could at
all) is to spend most of our time in poor countries where our strong
American dollar goes a long way. Even if we go to great lengths to ensure
that we purchase goods and services in a "fair trade" manner, would we still
be participating in a form of exploitation?

* Considering that most of the people on this planet do not have adequate
food and shelter, is a trip such as this morally justifiable? If we have
extra money to kick around, shouldn't we just donate it to a worthy cause?

* Is it possible for travel ever to be environmentally/socially/culturally
benign? No matter how good our intentions, would we be contributing to the
pollution of a place just by being there?

* How likely is it that our children would get malaria or something?

Comments welcome!

Sharon Flesher
CarSharing Traverse, Inc.
Traverse City, Mich.
sflesher@traverse.net

"Be the change you wish to see." M.K. Gandhi