Iran and Travel

I've seen a few episodes of Rick Steve's travel program and have listened to many more of his podcasts. Salon Magazine's interview of Rick paints a portrait of Iran that few U.S. citizens are ever exposed to. In addition, his perspective on travel and the necessity to understand the motivations of other peoples resonates loudly with me.

From Salon...

I was actually scared to go to Iran. We almost left our big camera in Athens and took our little sneak camera instead. I thought people would be throwing stones at us in the streets. And when I got there, I have never felt a more friendly welcome because I was an American. It was just incredible. I was in a traffic jam in Tehran, a city of 10 million people, and a guy in the next car saw me in the back seat and had my driver roll the window. He then handed over a bouquet of flowers and said, "Give this bouquet to the foreigner in your back seat and apologize for our traffic."

As a travel writer, I get to be the provocateur, the medieval jester. I go out there and learn what it's like and come home and tell people truth to their face. Sometimes they don't like it. But it's healthy and good for our country to have a better appreciation of what motivates other people. The flip side of fear is understanding. And you gain that through travel.

For a different take on Iran, check out Rick's presentation at the Commonwealth Club...