My grandmother has been a traveler all her life. She and my grandfather, Alan Priestley, followed the philosophy that the world is meant to be seen and experienced, and that traveling and gaining new experiences and new understanding about other places and other people is a necessary part of a well-spent life.
My mother once related the story to me of when she was a young girl, and the family didn't have a television set because Grandma and Grandpa felt it was more important to travel than to sit at home and accumulate things. She was embarassed that they were the only ones on the street without a television, and asked Grandpa if they couldn't just buy an aerial, to make it look like they had a television.
During their travels together, my grandparents visted countries on every continent except Antarctica. After Alan died, Ruth continued their tradition by visiting Alaska, China, and the Galapagos Islands.
On my eighth birthday, my grandparents took me with them for their annual midwinter trip to St. Lucia, where I experienced the tropical climate of the Caribbean islands. I also learned about the people who lived there and their situations, as well as the island's bloody history. It was an experienced that changed me quite a lot.
This trip was originally my grandmother's idea. When she told the family about it, I was excited by the idea of going to a place that few others have ever been. We are thrilled to be able to visit a place on Earth that is still nearly untouched by humanity and our destructive inclinations. Two years later, we're finally going!