Hi Palms,

What a great thought-provoking thread! I think that my initial blog was based more on the travel experience itself while you rated more on the depth of destination experience. That's a good take on it. I liked your observations on missionaries and backpackers. While the missionaries go the deepest into a destination to know and understand the culture, they are usually focused on that one region, often their entire lives, so they don't travel much to other places. I love the backpacker style of travel and really enjoy staying in youth hostels, taking public transportation and finding the local dives and hang-outs. I've never been able to do it for an extended time. I guess my dream would be a whole month backpacking around Europe. That's not happening for me in the foreseeable future.

Thinking about the missionaries and the backpackers reminded me of a minister whose books I read years ago. He started a night club on sunset strip in the 60s to minister to the youth in the area. He went around with long hair and sandals passing out psychedelic new testament bibles. Then he felt that God was calling him to take the big cross down off the wall of the night club and carry it across the US. Since then he's carried it in every nation of the world - a life sized one, and on foot!

My all time number one Creme de la Creme Travel award for an individual traveler goes to Arthur Blessitt:

(from his website...)

A world traveler, world record holder, and a follower of Jesus Christ has accomplished the following with the help of God and the love he has for all the people of the world.

* Walked around the world since Christmas Day, December 25, 1969 carrying a 12 foot cross for Jesus.
* Now 38,102 miles (61,319 k.m.).
* 315 countries, Island Groups and Territories.
* Walked on all seven Continents including Antarctica.
* Been through 52 countries at war.
* Arrested or jailed 24 times (Not for Crimes)
* Listed in the Guinness World Records for the 'World's longest walk'.
* Arthur says, "I Love God, I love people, I try to keep it simple".
* Of the journey he says, "Jesus did it, I give Him all the glory".
* He has traveled constantly with his wife, Denise, since their marriage in 1990.

A couple of other interesting points I remembered from his books... the place he's been jailed the most for carrying the cross is the U.S. and in all the times he's sought a place to stay or put the cross, he's been turned down multiple times by churches but never by a bar or night club.

He's got a website at http://www.blessitt.com/