The other side of the fence.

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Today while I was at a women in business networking luncheon, I had the opportunity to discuss travel with some of the people present. I explained my approach to travel as being a way to bridge cultural gaps by offering up real and authentic cultural experiences. One woman proceeded to tell me about her experience while on a cruise through the Caribbean and in Honduras.

She mentioned to me that she had gone on a cruise to the Caribbean with her husband and one of the ports of call was in Honduras. They were advised to not go "beyond the fence" as it was deemed not safe for tourists. She explained to me that she was bored with the port shops and canned experiences that they discovered at every port of call and didn't really get a chance to explore the people or the culture of the destination as she'd wanted to. She had heard of a local cooperative on the other side of the "fence" that segregated the people of Honduras from the tourists and she felt compelled to visit it. She purchased some locally crafted jewelry that supported the local economy and had a great time interacting with the people on the "other side". When she returned to the cruise ship, people asked her in shock, " You went  on the other side of the fence? Are you crazy? It's not safe over there." She felt neither crazy nor shocked by anything she experienced on the other side but instead was inspired and enlightened by her experience and felt that those who did not explore more really were the ones who were the ones missing out.

Cruise ships are great and so are the experiences one can have while on them however this experience got me thinking about the great divide that happens when hoards of tourists invade a destination and see only the touristy spots. The divide that becomes an us versus them sort of mentality. From the luxury of their ship, they can sail in and out of a destination, spending only moments in pre-fabricated tourist experiences that do not leave them with a sense of understanding of the destination nor of the people who call that place their home and then they board their luxury ship and discuss how the much poverty they saw from the other side of the fence.

Some people do not want to experience such dramatically different ways of living and therefore prefer to live in their bubble of their comfort zone. That's fine, to each their own. Travel has the power to change lives, both for the traveler and for the country and it's people that you are visiting. If we continually decide to turn the other cheek to see only what we want to see in life then we are not growing and we are not helping to break down cultural barriers, fears or misconceptions.




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