Correspondence
Correspondence
Letters , photos , and more
History , culture , nature , human nature
I am about to embark on the Antarctic Circle Expedition , my fifth trip with O . A . T . As I started my packing , I stopped to reflect on all the other trips I have had with your company . I just had to stop to thank you .
My parents , Margaret and Bill Johnson , took quite a few trips with O . A . T . and always spoke highly about their experiences . My sister , Catherine Johnson , traveled with them and now travels with me . From our earliest memories our parents exposed us to the value of travel . They believed travel provided an invaluable education in history , nature , culture , and human nature .
The next morning , I received a thank you note from her , so beautifully written , one would never know English is her second language .
These are her words : “ You showed us the meaning of travel — to learn and experience different cultures with an open mind and open heart , to touch and be touched by the people on the road .” — Tina Li / Zhe Hou
This , for me , is a love letter to me , about me , and I love my friend for it ! I was so moved by what she wrote , and how she recognized this in my photos .
Linda Hawley San Diego , CA 21-time traveler
When I was able to start traveling abroad , I naturally looked at Overseas Adventure Travel . I continue to travel domestically ( I have visited 49 of our 50 states ). I love that O . A . T . has the same values as my parents . Each trip I have taken has presented the unique history , nature , culture , and human nature of the country I am visiting .
I have two more trips scheduled and I expect to schedule more in the future . I know that I will find the values I desire in each one .
Sarah E . Taylor Emmaus , PA 5-time traveler
The meaning of travel
Recently two friends came to our home for dinner . Both of them were born and raised in China and are now U . S . citizens . After dinner , we showed them our slide show of photos from our 2012 OAT trip to India , Bhutan , Nepal , and Tibet . Linjun had lived and worked in the Chinese military in Tibet . He was amazed to see how the cities had grown . His wife , Tina , saw something deeper : my insatiable love of travel , and why .
“ A heart for Africa ”
After our first visit to Kenya and Tanzania , some 16 years ago , that visit to Sub-Saharan Africa ended up as one of the very few places that we ’ ve visited that demanded a “ do-over ” of some kind . Such was the case last year when we took our three adult children , two daughters-in-law and four grandchildren for a “ Trip of a Lifetime ” ( as we called it ) to Zimbabwe and Botswana , to experience a piece of Africa and enjoy various safari adventures . After having gone through open-heart surgery two years earlier for Wally , the recognition that life was unpredictable and with no guarantees encouraged us to venture into one ( perhaps last ) major family “ hurrah .”
And an amazing and rewarding experience it was , not just from all the memories captured but also gleaning the
6 DISPATCHES • JUNE 2023