Why Travel?

A WebQuest designed for high school social studies students

       During my undergraduate studies at Central Michigan University, I found a striking brochure while strolling through Moore Hall.  On the cover was a beautiful white ship sailing across crystal blue waters.  Above the picture was the simple statement: "A Voyage of Discovery."  I took out a loan and enrolled at the University of Pittsburg the next semester to join the 1997, Spring Voyage on the S.S. Universe Explorer. 

    I had never flown over an ocean before, and when I looked down at the sea from my tiny window just north of the Bohemian Islands, I swore that all the crashing white caps covering the sea were dolphins.  We disembarked from Nassau to travel around the world.  Eight hundred of us from colleges and universities all over the US looking for something.  We screamed and cheered as our ship left port. 

    I made friends in Venezuela that I still keep in touch with today.  I caught the tail end of Carnival in Brazil and saw Ronaldo score a goal before he was the Ronaldo of today.  I stood in a dusty township in Cape Town, South Africa and listened to a 12 year old tell me how she was infected with AIDS, then I watched a lion kill a wildebeest in Kenya.  I was blessed by Mother Teresa in India and crawled through the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam. Finally, I stood in awe of Hong Kong just before it returned to Chinese control and then had my first taste of sushi in Japan.  I remember this all like it was yesterday, and I can honestly tell you that I learned more about myself and the world on this voyage then all of my combined years in school. Swear! 

    This WebQuest was designed to crack the window into the wonder and excitement of travel. I hope your virtual discoveries open a desire to learn and experience more about the world around you and to answer the question: Why Travel?

  To get started, click on Task.

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