These days, I encounter a lot of friends and family concerned about international travel. Usually, they make a joke, such as “I’m going to Spain. Not that they even want us there.” But then that person often pauses, as if they are waiting for me to answer, and it’s clear that they really do want to know if they are welcome.
As travel advisors, you probably have conversations like this all the time. In a recent survey of advisors — part of TravelAge West’s Need to Know research series — 60% of agents say their clients are worried about how Americans will be treated abroad. As professionals who promote travel and believe in its power to bring people together, we can all agree this is an unfortunate situation.
In a recent survey of advisors, 60% of agents say their clients are worried about how Americans will be treated abroad.
In a recent survey of advisors, 60% of agents say their clients are worried about how Americans will be treated abroad.
While I have had many conversations where this fear is brought up, I have heard zero reports of travelers being targeted overseas because they are American. Occasionally you encounter someone who is rude — that’s true everywhere — but when I ask friends how their trips went, nobody has ever said they were made to feel uncomfortable because they are from the U.S. Maybe you have had a different experience, or maybe that will change over time, but it’s worth remembering that there is a lot of fear about traveling, and in general, those concerns often prove baseless.
In our new cover story, Executive Editor Emma Weissmann chronicles her recent trip to Rwanda. This is a destination that, to many people, is still known for a horrifying genocide, but as more travelers today are discovering, the country is much more than its tragic past. And, as you can read in the story, the wildlife encounters there are matched only by the warmth of the residents.
These are the stories that I choose to share with potential travelers. I can only hope these examples can counter some of their concerns and inspire them to go forward and experience more of the world.
