Thursday, August 31, 2006

Are You A 'Nervous' Traveler?

By 'nervous traveler' I don't mean a fear of flying or going to foreign places. No, I am talking about being nervous because of what's been happening around the world.

Scary things, that would make anyone think twice about packing up and heading out into possible dangers. Things like Avian (Bird) flu, terrorists, restrictive airport security measures, Mad Cow disease. These fears are indeed valid, and should give any rational person pause for thought.

I know they cross my mind, and often, and I travel a lot. I would travel more, money and time permitting. But there are a lot of places that I just don't feel comfortable traveling to. I won't list them, as everyone has their own list and I won't bore you with mine. But it breaks my heart to know that I may never see such places as the 'Cedars of Lebanon', or the Wailing Wall, or Port-Au-Prince or . . . The list seems to get longer with every update from CNN.

So I will be selective about where I travel, and consider what is currently happening before I book any tickets or hotels. And I think this is a good time to go back to Chile, and Argentina and Uruguay.

I know I was there less than a year ago, but what struck me then sticks in my mind: For the first time in many a trip, I relaxed. I could drink the water, I didn't have to worry about possible pandemics, the people were most friendly, no hurricanes or typhoons, the exchange rate was most favorable and all was calm among the populace.

Since I first visited in the South American Springtime, this time I am going in Fall -- March, I think. At that time of year, I will be heartily sick of Canada's winter weather.

So for goodness' sake, Chile et al: Please don't change anything until after I have come and gone!