A happy new year - and peaceful travel - to all who read this .. and to those who dont!

Have  you read the credo to be a peaceful travel - I found it on a website dedicated to promoting peace through tourism (http://www.iipt.org/) and thought it well worth reproducing.

"Grateful for the opportunity to travel and experience the world and because peace begins with the individual, I affirm my personal responsibility and commitment to:

• Journey with an open mind and gentle heart

• Accept with grace and gratitude the diversity I encounter
• Revere and protect the natural environment which sustains life
• Appreciate all cultures I discover
• Respect and thank my hosts for their welcome
• Offer my hand in friendship to everyone I meet
• Support travel service that share these views and act upon them and,
• By my spirit, words and actions, encourage others to travel the world in peace.

How easy it is to say.

Sometimes diversity is hard to understand, so hard to appreciate - after all I see the world through my eyes, coloured as they are by heritage, education and experiences. People - whether a fellow traveller or someone whose country is being travelled to - see me with their eyes, coloured by the same things. it is no wonder we see and talk past each other at times.
But now maybe its even more important for those of us travelling to follow the creed and spread it as far as possible.

My old reaction would have been, rubbish, I am only one person what can I do?

Well that’s exactly what I have, one person who can do one thing to make the world a better place. Working on the principle of what I can’t do alone, we can together.

There is little I can do about airlines flying or not flying; there is little I can do about the costs of security; however there is a lot I can do as a ‘peaceful traveler’ and so will attempt to follow the above creed as I am ‘grateful for the opportunity to travel and experience the world.’

Pohutukawa: the New Zealand Christmas tree .. isn't it fabulous!

PS: and an update for those of you  following my weight loss (for health reasons /diabetes).
 I still lost some weight over the holidays and today I'm off for an hour-long walk in my local park - Hagley Park  - NZ's largest city park right here int he centre of my city, Christchurch, and right on my doorstep.