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Travel
the World... |
Independent advice for |
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traveling the world |
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Photo courtesy of Jeff Booth
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Red Eye
By Jeff Booth
This much is obvious: Ask college students if they want something for free, and the answer will always be a resounding “Hell yeah!” But when we offered free travel gear to our readers recently, the response was overwhelming not only in terms of numbers but in who responded (check out the Gear spread for photos of the winners).
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Sure, some readers asked for a hookup by pleading poverty (but that’s pretty much all of us, isn’t it?), but most told us they were dreaming of Patagonia and of France, of visiting long-lost relatives in the Old Country, and of immersing themselves in Mandarin Chinese. I was inspired by how many people were working two jobs to save up for a Eurail pass or a ticket to Sydney. I was more impressed by those of you who are heading to Thailand to help with tsunami relief, to Pakistan and India to volunteer in the earthquake aftermath, or to the dozen other places you planned to travel and volunteer in (like with HIV clinics in Guinea, West Africa).
Though we only had enough gear to outfit four travelers, I wish we could have given schwag to every applicant—everyone deserved a little something to help them on their travels. Maybe we can do this again, but at the very least, keep writing me (jeff@studenttraveler.com) and telling me about your trips. We need your stories, and we need your inspiration. If we can’t give everyone a backpack as thanks, at the least, we want to keep giving you street-level travel insight and ideas. In the end, I learned two things reading through the applications: (1) Everyone wants an mp3 player, and (2) the world is a better place with all of you getting off your butts and hitting the road.
As one applicant said, “Live the adventure!” (When you believe it, it’s not cheesy.)
Jeff
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