The Trip of a Lifetime—to the Middle East
by Alan E. Lewis
Entry: June 2011
“As the traveler’s map is redrawn, parts in unsettling and tragic ways, voices might whisper, ‘Stay home.’ Don’t. There are opportunities to be had.”
Paul Theroux, Sunday New York Times, April 3, 2011
After decades of personal travel, and over a quarter century of leading a travel company responsible for sending hundreds of thousands of Americans to destinations spanning the globe, we usually find it impossible to single out any one trip as being truly beyond compare. But that changed when Harriet and I made a journey last month to the Middle East. We're home now and I can tell you, from my heart: This was the trip of a lifetime.
Tragedy in Japan—doing what we can to help
by Alan E. Lewis
Entry: June 2011
It seems that the world of late has been reeling from one tumultuous event after another—from political upheavals to all manner of natural and man-made disasters. And while global tourism has certainly been deeply affected, we should pause and consider something vastly more important: the people caught in the middle of these tragedies.
As the world is aware, on March 11 a devastating tsunami slammed into Japan’s eastern coast, the result of one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded. The ensuing television footage of people, cars, and homes being swept away, and fires burning out of control, left one with a profound sense of helplessness. These were heart-wrenching scenes to watch.