The Kerid Crater in Iceland is an epic vacation hole. Photo courtesy of senior Dylan Shaouat.
Far too many students have never left the state, let alone the country, and that needs to change. Students at San Luis Obispo High School don’t travel enough and they need to be more educated in different cultures around the world.
“All cultures are interesting and anyone who says otherwise is a propagandist for their own culture,” said senior Marcus Rudnick.
Everywhere that you visit you will see how different people’s everyday lives are compared to what you are used to here in America.
Personally, both of my parents are immigrants, being from Europe and the Middle East, so growing up I have had my fair share of traveling the world. Every break from school my family would take a trip to either go somewhere new, or go visit somewhere we have already been. This allowed me to grow up seeing all the different types of cultures and places that most people have never viewed in person.
However, this has made it so that I take traveling for granted, and I do understand that a majority of people who haven’t traveled before do have the desire to do so but may just be unable to.
A poll done on 2,000 Americans from all across the country showed that forty percent of those questioned have never left the country and eleven percent have never left their state. Again I understand that most of these people are simply unable to travel even though they have the urge to, but nevertheless, this data shows how uncultured Americans really are.
Senior Joel Schloss brings up the widespread issue with American food as well.
“Americans have very bad eating habits and not the best ideologies. When I visited Israel, I saw noticeable differences in my body by the end of the two months that I was there without working out. The food is not chemical loaded like it is in the US,” said Schloss.
Countries from around the globe look at America as a place full of fast food places selling junk. After seeing other countries myself, I agree, but there is so much more to America than just that, as there is to every country. The only way to see that though, would be to travel here from those distant countries.
Summer is approaching and a handful of students are most likely going to stay in SLO for their two month break, but I believe that it is time to step out of your boundaries for once and do something you’ll never regret.
“Anyone who hasn’t traveled, as much as it costs and takes a great deal of planning, it’s one of the most important things anyone can experience in their life,” said Rudnick.
So go on and travel the world!
Sources: forbes.com
