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September 14, 2009
There’s No Place Like Home
If you’ve joined us before on a Grand Circle vacation, chances are you’ve participated in one of our home-hosted events. Maybe you’ve learned about cultural traditions in Swaziland during a visit to a local umphakatsi (tribal homestead) … joined the owners of a horse ranch in Patagonia for a traditional barbecue dinner … or stayed up late chatting with a "Kiwi" family during an overnight stay in their New Zealand home.
To me, personal encounters like these—and the connections they allow us to make with the people we meet—are what travel is all about. And that’s why home visits are included on almost every Grand Circle itinerary. After all, opening your home to strangers can be seen as an extraordinary leap of faith. But it’s one that can prove infinitely rewarding, as the parties involved realize they have far more in common than they ever dreamed possible.
But you don’t have to take my word for it: You can ask Larry Kavanaugh, a 9-time traveler from Rocklin, California. Larry recently sent me a story about his home-hosted experiences with us, and I was so touched by what he’d written that I just had to share it with all of you. After reading his story, I’m sure you’ll agree that home is truly where the heart is.
Harriet Lewis