I love hearing about travelers who overcame preconceptions or skepticism about certain destinations and decided to make the journey. It happens with Vietnam, India, Israel, and many more countries for many different reasons—and when travelers return with expanded horizons, they find their lives are changed for the better. Such was definitely the case for Severino S., who had doubts about Tunisia but now wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
At first, we were skeptical to take this trip: Tunisia: From the Mediterranean to the Sahara. But after reading the itinerary—places to see and explore, and things to discover, we took a chance of taking the trip. Lo and behold, after exploring Tunisia’s capital and its surroundings, and meeting the friendly locals, we knew we were going to have a wonderful trip.
We visited the Bardo Museum, Tunisia’s national museum of archaeology; viewed North Africa American Cemetery (very moving); took the Red Lizard Train through spectacular 9-mile-long Seldja Gorge (it was enormous); crossed the Chott El Jerid (the largest salt flats in Saharan Africa) ... just to mention a few. And touring Douz on camelback is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The Sahara oasis camp is something we cannot forget in our lifetime. The camelback ride on a caravan thru the sand dunes, the picnic in the middle of the desert in a tent, watching the Berber making the bread for our lunch, and they are still doing it like in the olden days, pretty amazing.
Taking an OAT trip is unique.
Severino S.
11-time traveler & Vacation Ambassador
Seattle, WA
A couple of weeks ago, many of you may have received an email from me containing an inspirational quotation from Mother Teresa. I was thrilled to hear from so many travelers who adore the saying as much as I do, including Lynne W.
Dear Harriet,
Thank you for sending the lovely sentiments from Mother Teresa. I have added them to my list of sayings that I try—but don’t often succeed—to live by. We are eagerly looking forward to our trip to India in December. We will be celebrating Ed’s 80th birthday in India on January 14.
One favorite saying of mine is “All that is necessary for Evil to triumph, Is for Good men to do Nothing.”
Lynne W.
3-time traveler
Highland Park, IL
Lynne, I don’t think any of us can honestly say that we hold every moment of our lives to the irreproachable standards of Mother Teresa … but the important thing is that we try. I hope you love India as much as I do, and a very happy birthday to Ed!
By the way, that wonderful quote in your email is often attributed to Edmund Burke … but scholars believe that it’s actually just paraphrased from Burke’s writings and ideas. Conveniently enough, a few savvy travelers (correctly) wrote in with similar observations about the quote in my email … though we all seem to agree that the sentiment is more important than the author.
Dear Harriet,
I understand this was actually written by Keith M. Kent. Here’s the full text.
It is still a great quote.
Sandra S.
2-time traveler
Tallahassee, FL
Sandra, you’re absolutely right—though I had no idea it was as ambiguous as that website suggests! To be honest, I consciously chose to gloss over the issue in my email by stating that the quote was “attributed to” Mother Teresa—and leaving it at that. I felt that an explanation would have detracted from the words themselves. Thank you, however, for giving me the opportunity to explain here.