This is one of the most important reasons to travel. My Dad was military and we lived in Panama from the time I was 10 up to age 14. There was a lot of poverty there. Living in a less-developed country as a child changed the rest of my life. It gave me an awareness of the world I would not have had otherwise, and I am sure it changed the trajectory of my choices as an adult. I am grateful for the experience.
This is hands down the most important video you’ve ever done. Thinking of all the times we traveled with my grandparents when we were children: every time we went somewhere, my grandparents took us to every part of the destination, not just the sights tourists visit. The sides of town or locations where the impoverished people lived, particularly. From a Sicilian immigrant grandfather to his grandchildren his message was always how privileged we are and to never forget how MOST people around the world live. The reality of what most people endure - particularly children- on a daily basis should remind those of us privileged enough to travel to work for the betterment of the world. Thank you for that reminder today, Professor Wolter. God bless you and your family. 💖
Yes I agree that it's definitely important to be aware of what children have to endure - particularly in countries where society forces children to to be subjected to the abject indecency of dragkkkween story hour and so-called " pride acceptance training " aimed at corrupting youth irreparably and grooming them for a cycle of perpetual abuse for generations to follow.
I’ve been watching your videos for quite while now. Want to thank you for pairing your privilege with the corresponding responsibility of caring for the world’s citizens. We are truly one people and it’s attitudes that pit us one against another. When we are privileged whether we travel to see other lands or live in our little green patch, we each have the responsibility to care and share what we have with so many who don’t have the ability to live their life in a free manner, especially children who haven’t learned to hate only to fear.
@@elgatofelix8917I think a more important issue is whether the kids have enough to eat and safe decent accommodation (home and school) and enough cash coming into the household to pay the bills.
Cuba reminded me to be grateful for the access to food that I have. Mexico showed me that your contentment doesn't have to be correlated to your net worth, and taught me how to be resourceful
This video is proof of how valuable traveling is in personal development. One of my most powerful moments was in my own state a couple of hundred of hundred miles from where I live. Thanks for sharing.
Working in engineering what really impacts me is the lack of sewage treatment, waste disposal and clean water supplies. In idyllic places hotels are built near the sea with no sewage system, no waste collection/disposal, and a difficult water supply. If it is like that for tourists - just imagine the horrors facing residents every day.
Louisville, KY - the plaques regarding one slave couple and how on one occasion, they were “rescued from riots in Detroit and brought back to their respective plantations.” Rescued. Riiiiiiiiight. Note - they eventually escaped and made it to Toronto, where they established a successful business - also on the plaques.
I think all young adults should be sent into the world, to experience what life is like for other people and other places. We take home with us a new appreciation for what we have and (hopefully) an understanding and respect of what makes us different.
Thank-you so much for sharing this, Mark. I knew about the horrors in the world, but your experiences really drives it home. Over 40 years ago, we were in Barbados, and a mother there wanted my husband and me to bring her two daughters back to Canada with us, and have them live with us, and send them to school here. She would have given us her last cent to take them.I was in tears hearing your experiences. Your a great teacher, and person, Mark. Keep on doing what your doing. God Bless.
This is why I will always appreciate and respect Mark and his family and what they do. It takes a lot to really recognize this stuff in the world and acknowledge it and act accordingly as well. Thank you
I live in the Belgian Ardenne, in the heart of the Battle of the Bulge battlefieds. My wife is from Normandy. The two regions where two terrible battles took place at the end of WWII, two regions full of memory and memorials of these fights, including as you are mentioning American and German graveyards. In our times of peace the German border is only a 20-30 minute drive from home; German license plates on cars are nothing unusual on our side of the border (I live in a touristic town)itde, and we frequently visit neighboring Germany. Each time I cross the border I kind of feel this privilege and freedom to live in modern day Europe where enemies of the past are now friendly neighbors, a privilege and a freedom that were indeed not granted 80 years ago. As noted in the video, we've been able to overcome our differences, decades of hatred and umpteen wars, and move on. There presently are two wars going on in Eastern Europe (Ukraine is only 1500 kms/a bit over 900 miles from where I live) and the Middle-East (not very far from after all); let's hope that the people involved can in the future go the same path that we in Western Europe and the Rwandan people have taken.
@@billymarino4452 I was there in June for the 80th anniversary. Not sure if you have a full itinerary made yet, But if you have time, while visiting Omaha Beach, you should make a small detour and visit the Medics Church. It's a small church in Carantaen, where 2 American medics, paratroopers, set up shop, and treated both Americans and Germans. At one point, it fell into German hands, but when the German commander saw the medics were treating Americans and Germans, he respected that, and helped get supplies for the medics. At one point during the fighting, a mortar broke through a window, and cracked a tile. Had it gone off, it would have killed everyone inside....but it was a dud. There is still blood on the pews, and the cracked tile from where the mortar lands is still there to this very day. It's quite a moving experience. Just 10 minutes away from the medics church, is Caramels d'lisigny. Got the best caramels of my life there. They were absolutely amazing...and they do not stick to your teeth. Also, I highly recommend the D-Day Experience Museum, which is also in Carataen. They put you in the fuselage of a C-47 on hydraulics, and basically run you through a simulation of what it was like that night to be a paratrooper. It was VERY good. Lastly, if you like hard cider, I highly recommend Domaine Familial Louis Dupont in Victot-pontfol. Which is about 45-60 minutes east of Bayuex. I had the best cider of my life out there. Stuff is dangerous, because you hardly taste the alcohol...and before you know it, you have downed a bottle and are drunk. lol
Thanks a lot Mark for sharing those moments with us. I think that travelling is the best and most valuable school available. It opens up horizons, and shows us how lucky we are with our first world problems. My 3 most powerful memories: In Laos, I was in a bus, and there was a woman with a cute young baby standing next to me. I made her a compliment and smiled at her and the baby, and she wanted to give the baby to me, and said "50 dollars". I think she wanted to sell the baby to me, not because of the money, but because she wanted her baby to have a better future and a much greater chance at surviving. She saw that I am from a "rich" country, and she thought that I could give her baby a better life. How desperate must a mother be, to do this ? S21 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The pictures of the woman, men and kids who were killed and tortured there, most often for no reason. The pure horror on their faces. The most horrible place on earth I have yet visited. I guess in a way comparable to your experience in Kigali. Pakistan - on a bus trip from Islamabad to Peshawar, I met a family of refugees from Aghanistan. They invited me for lunch the next day. A family of 4 living in a very small room, with a shared toilet and shower, and with cooking on a wok in the hall way of the building (and with no money at all). But still, they created a feast for me, just out of hospitality.
No wonder I was such an avid watcher of yours when I was early 20’s (almost 32 now) and the same things you say I feel about my places. One we have in common, the province of Quebec (where I started learning French) and Texas (my home state) both of which you speak so accurately on. You miss no small details nor a bucees brisket sammich 🤤 I guess we all have a place that is special to us in our heart whether it’s home or half a planet away. God bless you and your beautiful family mark. You don’t know me in person but I’ve enjoyed you all for about a decade or longer now and it means the world to me.
I guess you can also be affectd in a positive way. I was amazed on how much the elderly is various contries in Europe enjoy their lives at restaurants, cafes, walking in the city, etc... They comtinue to be part of a vibrant community.
I was blown away when I went Ypres in Belgium, and I saw the Canadian graves from World War I, I could not believe how manicured they were, and how perfect the Belgians looked after it. I choked up, I am very lucky to not go through what they did, and have the freedom that I have and where I live.
We traveled to Recife last spring. Unfortunately, conditions have only continued to be the most disparate that we've ever experienced. The poverty still haunts us. Thank you for shining a light on this beautiful place that could do so much better for their poor.
Dachau! Can't describe the stab in my heart as I walked through the museum and looked at the pictures of what was done to those poor people. Just quit crying when we came upon the "shower" and oven building then faucets on aqgain. I'm sure all the other camps will give you the same feelings and I at one time I wanted to visit them but I don't want to ever have that punch in the face again. Thanks for your Video's Mark they are always informative and useful.
Oh? And did you notice all the windows on the left wall of the "shower" room? And did they mention the team of engineers that inspected it and concluded it was indeed just a shower room? Get a grip.
I visited Dachau last month. I thought I would experience what you felt but there was a high school field trip in the crematorium and the kids were laughing and horsing around. It was a reminder of why we never seem to learn.
Took our kids on a medical mission to the Philippines with our kids. While we tended to people in need they were charged with passing candy out to kids. They saw kids their age that looked like them (I'm first gen Filipino American) that had nothing and how appreciative that we were bringing help and resources they and their families needed. Without perspective we foster a very one sided opinion and sheltered opinion of how we view our lives and the world. Something I think a lot of folks, especially the young need to gain. Not just traveling to destinations but smaller towns and less traveled destinations. Great video.
One of the things that affected me the most while traveling was the slums that line the runway flying into Manila. I also saw poor children in downtown Manila. My friend's wife grew up in Manila and she has relatives in the provinces. She said some of the kids there lack for basic necessities for school like backpacks and shoes and have to walk miles every day to school. I want to set up a fund to help those people. I will be visiting again in January 2024.
You are definitely an enlightened soul, my friend! ❤ Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. -Mark Twain
When my daughter was young we lived just a couple of miles from the Mexican border. Every weekend we'd go grocery shopping in Tijuana, and my daughter would play with the chiclet kids. At Christmas time a social group that I was a part of would donate refurbished bicycles to the kids. FFWD to my daughter's high school years. She was fortunate enough to be chosen as part of a student group that went to Europe where she worked on different programs for things like homelessness and food programs. She also participated in a water conservation program at The Hague. It was those experiences in her youth that shaped how she viewed the world. She now works for a npo that focuses on mental health and addiction. International travel at that young age definitely changed her.
Amen, until people love others more than power videos like this will be necessary. Thank you for the reminder about how important grace and kindness is.
The people who run the planet don’t want us to get along despite our ‘differences’ , I’ve travelled a fair bit and people I’ve met just want to raise their families and live their lives , but there’s a lot of money in conflict and division , cool channel though
this is it. no matter what normal people do, the masses are controlled by vested interests with powerful tools. With our modern era, we have whole government departments dedicated (look up the book or ted talk Economic Hitman to begin the rabithole), with our taxes, to causing strife and division whether for foreign interests or corporate, its all the same result. With current events (this is 2024 at the time of this comment), more and more people are realizing their government doesnt serve them. And that others control our public servants.
Hey Mark, I just discovered your channel last night. I’m looking forward to getting ideas of places to travel in the good ole USA now that my husband is semi-retired. This particular video (and question) is a great lesson for students to learn from international travelers. OMG, I’ll bet you could write a book, hint-hint. During the summer after my sophomore yr in high school (1970) I took a 6-wk group trip to study in Mexico. “Speaking against the president of Mexico” was an offense that could get you thrown in jail and was one of several eye opening experiences I learned while there. Anyway, your 2nd answer is what pulled at my hear-strings. “Focus on getting along” isn’t just a world-wide dream; it’s something I pray for every night here in America! PS- I got my BBA-Marketing Univ of TX 1976 so I’m also watching your vids to see what’s changed in 50 yrs! 😂
Hello from Aruba. I love these types of videos and interesting to hear of things that have impacted you during your many travel experiences. Keep it up!
A tour of Arizona and New Mexico. The only time when I never wanted to go home. Two places that brought home the plight of the Jewish people: Budapest and Shoes on the Danube. And Berlin and the Holocaust memorial. You don’t realise how disorienting blocks of concrete can be until you walk through them.
I feel the same about those 2 states. I haven’t had the chance to visit Europe like that but here in Houston we have I think the largest holocaust museum as well as a large Jewish area of town. I was lucky to take my driving school at the Jewish community center and they taught me so much about their traditions, holidays, etc. I’m a Christian gal and it was convenient to my summer classes but I cherish those days today so much. They actually expanded the old museum and reopened because it’s so big. And free! By our state and local laws you can’t profit off of tragedy. The one in dallas has a fee that’s honestly for the “headphones” you can tell them no. But the movies they show there, came from Houston’s museum. If you ever come see us here, do take some time. We have an additional 14 museums that have free times/days as well. God bless.
When I was at that Berlin Holocaust field of concrete . Kids were sitting on the tops and partying Very disrespectful . Gads, the designer even put the "gift' shop underground to be respectful.
That’s what I love the most about traveling. Learning, sharing experiences and seeing things that are not in text books. Rwanda on my traveling bucket list thanks to you Walter.
At the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial there’s a photograph of all the prisoners cheering at the arrival of allied forces… it was all over. The photo is huge and part of the whole exhibit section. You can really see and feel the expressions on all their faces. I stood there completely moved by all those faces.
Well said Mark. Thanks. Its really impressive that the people in Rwanda have found a way to reconcile and rebuild their country. And well done for just observing and remembering the little girl with the matches.All kids should have the basic necessities which includes toys. I guess it feels difficult to know what to do to help from far away though. But 100% hats off to you for emphasising that we can have compassion and cooperste, work together.
Rwanda had an incredible impact on me too. Have been back a second time, and will go there again. Also got involved to raise money for a wonderful charity, Handspun Hope in Musanze. I can recommend anyone visiting Rwanda to do a tour of their facilities. The work they do is so needed and so hard. They empower genocide widows, teaching skills such as spinning and dyeing wool with natural dyes. Absolutely worth a half day visit.
I've only ever been to two other countries. Sri Lanka several times to see my wife's family. But the very first time I went abroad was to Egypt. One of the things that I'm impacted me was when getting a tour bus to the pyramids we went past a graveyard. Could clearly see that many people were actually living in the monuments. And when we went past a residential tower block, one face had come away and you could clearly see people were still living there. That shocked me, and gave meal a valuable perspective.
When I went to Ukraine in 1979; we crossed the border between Poland and Ukraine I wept because I felt as though I had come home. My ancestors came from there and I was so overwhelmed by my feelings
I suppose you've already changed a lot by educating people here on yt and also in your "day job" ;) For me it was probably either Egypt or Morocco. I probably spend more time learning people's stories and helping a little to improve their english or french rather than seeing "the sights" ... Worth it though. People are fascinating. Love to learn about what makes people tick and what motivates their actions.
I've had some similar experiences. A few things in Budapest got me . . . wow :-( But sometimes I travel just because I know I'll appreciate home more when I return. Even if it's just my own bed and shower that I know how to turn on to the right temperature. Silly little things, but you don't notice how nice they are until you don't have them. Much love and hugs!
Your perspectives are admirable! Thank you! I have gone to countries where I couldn't speak the languages beyond a few basics and intentionally put myself in situations that showed me how people coming into USA must feel on a daily basis.
Of course, walking on Wolter's footsteps in Prague was the most impressive. If we could live forever like vampires, we would see a change between the centuries.
I still haven’t traveled half as much as you but I experienced something that touched me too. It was actually in Colombia - the scale of poverty that I didn’t expect to see in this country….but too many women and kids in the steets asking for food, money, some of them from Venezuela and other just locals. And prostitution going along with it, especially Medellin and Cartagena. Really sad thing
Beautiful video, mark. How about doing a video for travelers that want to participate in volunteer projects abroad? Think you’d be doing a great service not only for your viewers but for society at large.
Have you never seen the ghetto in the states, the homeless in the streets, trailerpeople? Never heard of it. A very very big problem. In what kind of bubbel you live?
When I went to France, I was expecting it would be even better than Australia because we often heard that their welfare system is better than ours. Turns out they have a deeper unemployment and ghettoisation problem that welfare alone couldn't fix.
For me it's also two places: 1) the WW1 memorials (places like Verdun, Ypres, Tyne Cot, Langemark). For instance the ossuary in Verdun, where you can see inside to see just piles of bones of unidentified soldiers. Or the names written on the back walls at Tyne Cot of people they never found back. 2) Robbeneiland prison near Cape Town, South Africa (the place where Mandela was a prisoner for years). They had this colour set they compared the prisoners with and the more white you were, the better you were treated. Prisoners were also put to work in a limestone quarry where a lot got severe eye sight degradation because of the sun on the white limestone simply blinded them.
Living in Budpest for 3 months. Susan and I had been seeing each other for about 2 years. She wanted to travel and I had never been to Europ. She selected Budapest for the "castles and Cathedrals" and I was happy to go for the history and culture as the country was recovering from decades of brutal occupation from the Nazis and then the Soviets. We agreed on two months as that was as long as we could be away from my non profit projects. I learned how people handle wastre management, public transportation, vehicular traffic and foot traffic. I learned about how they dealt with healthcare, mental and physical. I learned how they could embrace the new but still honor their cultural heritage. I have tried to bring some of that perspective home to Newark, NJ. After 2 plus months in a country where we were the only native english speakers we decided that, as we both survived and left (almost) no blood on the floor, we shouls marry and stop wasting money on multiple rents. 7 years in June of 2024 and in our mid 70's. Working hard, appreceating art, music and American culture, we are revisiting the City from the end of March to the end of February with a Danube cruise from Passau to Budapest
I subscribe to the UA-cam channel Natasha's Adventures, a young Russian woman who relocated to Georgia. I imagine in addition to the tourists there are a lot of Russians fleeing the Putin regime.
@@timmmahhhh you're not imagining it, at least a million men left Russia after the war started; that's only men, mind you. Many of them stayed in Georgia.
For me, that was my trip to Jodhpur, India. I saw some street people who clearly didn't have anything to their name, and yet they were smiling and clapping to some nearby music. One couldn't even walk upright, he was "walking" on all fours. And yet... he was smiling. (And not AT ME, to get money from me, as I was obscured from direct view at the time.) It was a reminder that happiness and joy comes from within.
One place that really affected me was Belize. Most of the people there only have the basics of life but are so warm and friendly. I remember walking around on Cay Caulker and stopping to talk with a man who operated a reef diving business. It was as if we had known each other for years.
It has become fashionable in recent years to complain about how America is a terrible country. A lot of people take for granted the privilege of living here, but we are not as divided as the people who want to divide us all into boxes want us to be.
Its exactly the same in the UK- people who have it so good and have no context to how difficult most of the rest of the world have it just complain about everything.
@@mrfrisky6501 I grew up in Brazil and now live in UK , the UK is a terrible country to live in and can't wait to leave. Everyone who complains about this country is 100% correct, it needs massive change
@@dresdi yet your still here.... So you don't like living in places like Cornwall, or the lake district or the cotswolds, the Highlands of Scotland? What about some amazing towns and cities like York, Bath, Edinburgh, Keswick, Padstow etc etc - I think you less likely to get robbed and murdered in those towns than a 3rd world crime ridden country like Brazil kid.
I’m from Recife and lived in Canada and now in US… i really love your videos in general, but this one just ticked me and reminded how I’m fortunate! Thank you! ❤
The two places that impacted me the most as a person where the holocaust museum in Washington D.C. and the Berlin Wall in Germany. I think the holocaust museum is pretty self explanatory in terms of the effects and eye opening things you read and see there. It is such a sad and dark time in our history and I’m glad it has been preserved in museums around the world so we will never forget what those people went through. Visiting the Berlin Wall in Germany was special for me as well. Underneath the wall and back a little bit from it there is a sort of outdoor museum that starts with WW1 and goes until the end of the Cold War. I loved reading the history but it was sad to read about so many lives being ruined and so much destruction.
I hope you didn’t get the “V” a few years back, nor go along with your local businesses in excluding those who didn’t get the “V”, and I hope you didn’t walk around in a dehumanizing mask. Until people see what that whole thing was all about, in light of the Holocaust and other atrocities, evil will continue to pervade earth’s societies.
Thank you for sharing your heart in this video. It touched me deeply about brought me to tears. Seeing the human need and doing my small part is what motivates me to travel the most. No matter who we are, we can each take some small steps to make this world a better place. I work at a recovery ministry, and have been so blessed and privileged to travel to SE Asia and help people find healing through Jesus. Whether someone is a person of faith, or a person with compassion, we can all help make this world a better place.
that’s heartbreaking about the little girl with burnt matches. on a positive side, these types of situations enhance one’s creativity…i used to love to have nothing to do and use my imagination to create something…out of just common household things
Hi Mark, just come back to NZ from Cambodia, what you say about the genocide museums, is so correct, it is so moving. But these places that people must travel to the people are fantastic, and yes your visit helps them.
Gosh I had to hunt you down! I haven’t got your videos in my feed in like FOREVER. I didn’t have notifications on and I couldn’t remember your last name. Glad you’re still around and traveling!
I remember the reports of the Rowanda genocide and the methods used to kill the victims. Horrifying and barbaric. I am so glad to know there is lasting peace in the region. When I was a child, we used sticks, stones and holes dug into the earth to create entire magical towns for our world of make-believe. I always played best with my imagination than with a store-bought toy. Ah, the good ol' days.
Everyone who travels is affected in a different way by that travel. With me travel increases my desire to learn, particularly science and history and it makes me more spiritual. All are impacted differently though and there is no right or wrong.
The more I travel the more I realize how basically similar human beings are. We all want peace, freedom, friendship and the best for our children. For me being in Cairo months prior to the Uprising in January 2011 was my eye opening event. You could feel the tension and see in the faces of the local population the effects of an oppressive regime that was Mubarak's.
Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, former PM of NZ Jacinda Ardern, Trudeau…are just a few people that come to mind reminding us that not ALL people want freedom…they are tyrants who want oppression for their own citizens. These are the evil ones that we will read about in the museums of the future. They are still out there.
When my husband and I travel frequently, I get a bit lonely. We don’t know anybody in the country we are visiting. We do not speak the language. We observe people going about their daily lives and here we are, just the two of us, our family and friends thousands of kilometres away. Do you and Jocelyn get lonely sometimes when you are travelling?
Wow, if the Hutuss & Tutsis have learned to move beyotthat horrible time then I must say ai am truly humbled. I remember the atrocities of irish troubles, bosnia campaigns, then Rwanda right after. Very sad times in the world then.
I really enjoy your videos!!!! Living in Pisa during my college junior year changed me in many ways. It made me braver and more open to opportunities AND to scams. I'm vision impaired and so my senses became uber-heightened for both Good and Crappy events. Questions: Any suggestion for senior single women travelers? Places to go that aren't huge cities, like Paris or London or Rome. (Been there, done that.)
Bravo for you to be out there travelling! I can highly recommend Belgium for a solo female senior traveler. I am also a senior and have friends there, so I have often gone there on my own to visit. In the northern Flanders area there are numerous interesting cities such as Ghent and Antwerp. Visit the Belgian coast, or go to Yores to learn the heartbreaking history of WW1. You will find almost no language barrier in these areas because the Flemish speakers are typically master linguists and speak very fluent English. For us seniors, a round trip train ticket to any destination within Belgium only costs 7.80 euros. It's a quieter European destination, but one that packed with top tier sights and easy to navigate. Happy travels!
This is one of the most important reasons to travel. My Dad was military and we lived in Panama from the time I was 10 up to age 14. There was a lot of poverty there. Living in a less-developed country as a child changed the rest of my life. It gave me an awareness of the world I would not have had otherwise, and I am sure it changed the trajectory of my choices as an adult. I am grateful for the experience.
This is hands down the most important video you’ve ever done. Thinking of all the times we traveled with my grandparents when we were children: every time we went somewhere, my grandparents took us to every part of the destination, not just the sights tourists visit. The sides of town or locations where the impoverished people lived, particularly. From a Sicilian immigrant grandfather to his grandchildren his message was always how privileged we are and to never forget how MOST people around the world live. The reality of what most people endure - particularly children- on a daily basis should remind those of us privileged enough to travel to work for the betterment of the world. Thank you for that reminder today, Professor Wolter. God bless you and your family. 💖
Yes I agree that it's definitely important to be aware of what children have to endure - particularly in countries where society forces children to to be subjected to the abject indecency of dragkkkween story hour and so-called " pride acceptance training " aimed at corrupting youth irreparably and grooming them for a cycle of perpetual abuse for generations to follow.
Not in impoverished countries
I’ve been watching your videos for quite while now. Want to thank you for pairing your privilege with the corresponding responsibility of caring for the world’s citizens. We are truly one people and it’s attitudes that pit us one against another. When we are privileged whether we travel to see other lands or live in our little green patch, we each have the responsibility to care and share what we have with so many who don’t have the ability to live their life in a free manner, especially children who haven’t learned to hate only to fear.
@@elgatofelix8917I think a more important issue is whether the kids have enough to eat and safe decent accommodation (home and school) and enough cash coming into the household to pay the bills.
@@alicequayle4625Physical things are not everything.
Cuba reminded me to be grateful for the access to food that I have. Mexico showed me that your contentment doesn't have to be correlated to your net worth, and taught me how to be resourceful
This video is proof of how valuable traveling is in personal development. One of my most powerful moments was in my own state a couple of hundred of hundred miles from where I live. Thanks for sharing.
Me too my most pivotal moment came at a distance of approximately 8 inches you can't predict the distance or if travel is necessary.
I'm so glad you're able to show your kids all sides of life
Working in engineering what really impacts me is the lack of sewage treatment, waste disposal and clean water supplies. In idyllic places hotels are built near the sea with no sewage system, no waste collection/disposal, and a difficult water supply. If it is like that for tourists - just imagine the horrors facing residents every day.
Louisville, KY - the plaques regarding one slave couple and how on one occasion, they were “rescued from riots in Detroit and brought back to their respective plantations.” Rescued. Riiiiiiiiight. Note - they eventually escaped and made it to Toronto, where they established a successful business - also on the plaques.
I think all young adults should be sent into the world, to experience what life is like for other people and other places. We take home with us a new appreciation for what we have and (hopefully) an understanding and respect of what makes us different.
(Melanie here) Thanks for this video. Such a good message.
Thank-you so much for sharing this, Mark. I knew about the horrors in the world, but your experiences really drives it home. Over 40 years ago, we were in Barbados, and a mother there wanted my husband and me to bring her two daughters back to Canada with us, and have them live with us, and send them to school here. She would have given us her last cent to take them.I was in tears hearing your experiences. Your a great teacher, and person, Mark. Keep on doing what your doing. God Bless.
by far the most touching video of your travels Wolters, congratulations and keep going strong!
This is why I will always appreciate and respect Mark and his family and what they do. It takes a lot to really recognize this stuff in the world and acknowledge it and act accordingly as well. Thank you
Well said
Normandy was most profound for me. Especially the German and American graveyards. I’ve never taken my freedoms for granted since.
I'm going there in September, and I feel that's going to be one of the best travel experiences yet.
I've heard about this as well. I'm thinking of going when I get back to France.
I live in the Belgian Ardenne, in the heart of the Battle of the Bulge battlefieds. My wife is from Normandy. The two regions where two terrible battles took place at the end of WWII, two regions full of memory and memorials of these fights, including as you are mentioning American and German graveyards. In our times of peace the German border is only a 20-30 minute drive from home; German license plates on cars are nothing unusual on our side of the border (I live in a touristic town)itde, and we frequently visit neighboring Germany. Each time I cross the border I kind of feel this privilege and freedom to live in modern day Europe where enemies of the past are now friendly neighbors, a privilege and a freedom that were indeed not granted 80 years ago. As noted in the video, we've been able to overcome our differences, decades of hatred and umpteen wars, and move on. There presently are two wars going on in Eastern Europe (Ukraine is only 1500 kms/a bit over 900 miles from where I live) and the Middle-East (not very far from after all); let's hope that the people involved can in the future go the same path that we in Western Europe and the Rwandan people have taken.
To think now our government gives weapons to the people who emulate those Germans and claims they are the good guys.
@@billymarino4452 I was there in June for the 80th anniversary. Not sure if you have a full itinerary made yet, But if you have time, while visiting Omaha Beach, you should make a small detour and visit the Medics Church. It's a small church in Carantaen, where 2 American medics, paratroopers, set up shop, and treated both Americans and Germans. At one point, it fell into German hands, but when the German commander saw the medics were treating Americans and Germans, he respected that, and helped get supplies for the medics. At one point during the fighting, a mortar broke through a window, and cracked a tile. Had it gone off, it would have killed everyone inside....but it was a dud. There is still blood on the pews, and the cracked tile from where the mortar lands is still there to this very day. It's quite a moving experience.
Just 10 minutes away from the medics church, is Caramels d'lisigny. Got the best caramels of my life there. They were absolutely amazing...and they do not stick to your teeth.
Also, I highly recommend the D-Day Experience Museum, which is also in Carataen. They put you in the fuselage of a C-47 on hydraulics, and basically run you through a simulation of what it was like that night to be a paratrooper. It was VERY good.
Lastly, if you like hard cider, I highly recommend Domaine Familial Louis Dupont in Victot-pontfol. Which is about 45-60 minutes east of Bayuex. I had the best cider of my life out there. Stuff is dangerous, because you hardly taste the alcohol...and before you know it, you have downed a bottle and are drunk. lol
Thanks a lot Mark for sharing those moments with us. I think that travelling is the best and most valuable school available. It opens up horizons, and shows us how lucky we are with our first world problems. My 3 most powerful memories:
In Laos, I was in a bus, and there was a woman with a cute young baby standing next to me. I made her a compliment and smiled at her and the baby, and she wanted to give the baby to me, and said "50 dollars". I think she wanted to sell the baby to me, not because of the money, but because she wanted her baby to have a better future and a much greater chance at surviving. She saw that I am from a "rich" country, and she thought that I could give her baby a better life. How desperate must a mother be, to do this ?
S21 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The pictures of the woman, men and kids who were killed and tortured there, most often for no reason. The pure horror on their faces. The most horrible place on earth I have yet visited. I guess in a way comparable to your experience in Kigali.
Pakistan - on a bus trip from Islamabad to Peshawar, I met a family of refugees from Aghanistan. They invited me for lunch the next day. A family of 4 living in a very small room, with a shared toilet and shower, and with cooking on a wok in the hall way of the building (and with no money at all). But still, they created a feast for me, just out of hospitality.
No wonder I was such an avid watcher of yours when I was early 20’s (almost 32 now) and the same things you say I feel about my places. One we have in common, the province of Quebec (where I started learning French) and Texas (my home state) both of which you speak so accurately on. You miss no small details nor a bucees brisket sammich 🤤
I guess we all have a place that is special to us in our heart whether it’s home or half a planet away. God bless you and your beautiful family mark. You don’t know me in person but I’ve enjoyed you all for about a decade or longer now and it means the world to me.
I guess you can also be affectd in a positive way. I was amazed on how much the elderly is various contries in Europe enjoy their lives at restaurants, cafes, walking in the city, etc... They comtinue to be part of a vibrant community.
I was blown away when I went Ypres in Belgium, and I saw the Canadian graves from World War I, I could not believe how manicured they were, and how perfect the Belgians looked after it.
I choked up, I am very lucky to not go through what they did, and have the freedom that I have and where I live.
Canada literally participated in destruction of other countries .
We traveled to Recife last spring. Unfortunately, conditions have only continued to be the most disparate that we've ever experienced. The poverty still haunts us. Thank you for shining a light on this beautiful place that could do so much better for their poor.
Dachau! Can't describe the stab in my heart as I walked through the museum and looked at the pictures of what was done to those poor people. Just quit crying when we came upon the "shower" and oven building then faucets on aqgain. I'm sure all the other camps will give you the same feelings and I at one time I wanted to visit them but I don't want to ever have that punch in the face again. Thanks for your Video's Mark they are always informative and useful.
Oh? And did you notice all the windows on the left wall of the "shower" room? And did they mention the team of engineers that inspected it and concluded it was indeed just a shower room? Get a grip.
@@maxjohnson1758 If that were true I'm sure the tour guides would mention it. Please supply reference always willing to learn more about history.
Yes, visited Auschwitz last week... powerful moment.
@@maxjohnson1758what the hell is wrong with you! Are you a psychopath with nothing better to do with your time? Go see a good psychiatrist!
I visited Dachau last month. I thought I would experience what you felt but there was a high school field trip in the crematorium and the kids were laughing and horsing around. It was a reminder of why we never seem to learn.
Mark, I was crying when you mentioned a girl playing with burnt matches, and you talking about Rwanda.
Took our kids on a medical mission to the Philippines with our kids. While we tended to people in need they were charged with passing candy out to kids. They saw kids their age that looked like them (I'm first gen Filipino American) that had nothing and how appreciative that we were bringing help and resources they and their families needed.
Without perspective we foster a very one sided opinion and sheltered opinion of how we view our lives and the world. Something I think a lot of folks, especially the young need to gain. Not just traveling to destinations but smaller towns and less traveled destinations. Great video.
One of the things that affected me the most while traveling was the slums that line the runway flying into Manila. I also saw poor children in downtown Manila.
My friend's wife grew up in Manila and she has relatives in the provinces. She said some of the kids there lack for basic necessities for school like backpacks and shoes and have to walk miles every day to school.
I want to set up a fund to help those people. I will be visiting again in January 2024.
This is one of the coolest videos you've ever made. I'd like to request a follow up about more impactful travel experiences!
You are a big man with a BIG heart!
Love your channel!!
You are definitely an enlightened soul, my friend! ❤
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.
-Mark Twain
When my daughter was young we lived just a couple of miles from the Mexican border. Every weekend we'd go grocery shopping in Tijuana, and my daughter would play with the chiclet kids. At Christmas time a social group that I was a part of would donate refurbished bicycles to the kids. FFWD to my daughter's high school years. She was fortunate enough to be chosen as part of a student group that went to Europe where she worked on different programs for things like homelessness and food programs. She also participated in a water conservation program at The Hague. It was those experiences in her youth that shaped how she viewed the world. She now works for a npo that focuses on mental health and addiction. International travel at that young age definitely changed her.
Amen, until people love others more than power videos like this will be necessary. Thank you for the reminder about how important grace and kindness is.
Love, Peace, Kindness Connection and Healing.
Very powerful, Mark. I believe it was Twain who said travel can only make one a better person. You and your channel are a testament to that.
The people who run the planet don’t want us to get along despite our ‘differences’ , I’ve travelled a fair bit and people I’ve met just want to raise their families and live their lives , but there’s a lot of money in conflict and division , cool channel though
this is it. no matter what normal people do, the masses are controlled by vested interests with powerful tools. With our modern era, we have whole government departments dedicated (look up the book or ted talk Economic Hitman to begin the rabithole), with our taxes, to causing strife and division whether for foreign interests or corporate, its all the same result.
With current events (this is 2024 at the time of this comment), more and more people are realizing their government doesnt serve them. And that others control our public servants.
Love it! Thank you for sharing! Awesome experiences and lessons.
Hey Mark, I just discovered your channel last night. I’m looking forward to getting ideas of places to travel in the good ole USA now that my husband is semi-retired. This particular video (and question) is a great lesson for students to learn from international travelers. OMG, I’ll bet you could write a book, hint-hint. During the summer after my sophomore yr in high school (1970) I took a 6-wk group trip to study in Mexico. “Speaking against the president of Mexico” was an offense that could get you thrown in jail and was one of several eye opening experiences I learned while there. Anyway, your 2nd answer is what pulled at my hear-strings. “Focus on getting along” isn’t just a world-wide dream; it’s something I pray for every night here in America! PS- I got my BBA-Marketing Univ of TX 1976 so I’m also watching your vids to see what’s changed in 50 yrs! 😂
Hello from Aruba. I love these types of videos and interesting to hear of things that have impacted you during your many travel experiences. Keep it up!
DO you EVER just go home and are glad to be home??? Nice to see you!
A tour of Arizona and New Mexico. The only time when I never wanted to go home.
Two places that brought home the plight of the Jewish people: Budapest and Shoes on the Danube. And Berlin and the Holocaust memorial. You don’t realise how disorienting blocks of concrete can be until you walk through them.
I feel the same about those 2 states. I haven’t had the chance to visit Europe like that but here in Houston we have I think the largest holocaust museum as well as a large Jewish area of town. I was lucky to take my driving school at the Jewish community center and they taught me so much about their traditions, holidays, etc. I’m a Christian gal and it was convenient to my summer classes but I cherish those days today so much. They actually expanded the old museum and reopened because it’s so big. And free! By our state and local laws you can’t profit off of tragedy. The one in dallas has a fee that’s honestly for the “headphones” you can tell them no. But the movies they show there, came from Houston’s museum. If you ever come see us here, do take some time. We have an additional 14 museums that have free times/days as well. God bless.
Regarding the Holocaust - have you ever been to Auschwitz Concentration Camp?
@@Kelner_z_Manhattanu going this Christmas when we visit Krakow for the markets
@@stephenbrown4211 Great idea, Auschwitz is not gonna be a nice place for sure but I think it's a must. However Krakow - you will enjoy a lot 🙂
When I was at that Berlin Holocaust field of concrete . Kids were sitting on the tops and partying Very disrespectful . Gads, the designer even put the "gift' shop underground to be respectful.
That’s what I love the most about traveling. Learning, sharing experiences and seeing things that are not in text books. Rwanda on my traveling bucket list thanks to you Walter.
What a great question, and what a powerful answer. Thanks, WW.
At the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial there’s a photograph of all the prisoners cheering at the arrival of allied forces… it was all over.
The photo is huge and part of the whole exhibit section. You can really see and feel the expressions on all their faces.
I stood there completely moved by all those faces.
Well said Mark. Thanks. Its really impressive that the people in Rwanda have found a way to reconcile and rebuild their country.
And well done for just observing and remembering the little girl with the matches.All kids should have the basic necessities which includes toys.
I guess it feels difficult to know what to do to help from far away though.
But 100% hats off to you for emphasising that we can have compassion and cooperste, work together.
Rwanda had an incredible impact on me too. Have been back a second time, and will go there again. Also got involved to raise money for a wonderful charity, Handspun Hope in Musanze. I can recommend anyone visiting Rwanda to do a tour of their facilities. The work they do is so needed and so hard. They empower genocide widows, teaching skills such as spinning and dyeing wool with natural dyes. Absolutely worth a half day visit.
I've only ever been to two other countries. Sri Lanka several times to see my wife's family. But the very first time I went abroad was to Egypt. One of the things that I'm impacted me was when getting a tour bus to the pyramids we went past a graveyard. Could clearly see that many people were actually living in the monuments. And when we went past a residential tower block, one face had come away and you could clearly see people were still living there. That shocked me, and gave meal a valuable perspective.
Why were people living in the grave yard?
@@jamie123b I guess they had no home of there own. Was quite a lot of poverty.
@@mrwibble70 that’s really sad. Although I would not stay in a graveyard if I was homeless and in poverty I don’t think, as it would be scary at night
I love, love, love how you expressed the importance of positive thinking 💚 Thank you so much for sharing!
When I went to Ukraine in 1979; we crossed the border between Poland and Ukraine I wept because I felt as though I had come home. My ancestors came from there and I was so overwhelmed by my feelings
Making me teary eyed, in many ways.
I suppose you've already changed a lot by educating people here on yt and also in your "day job" ;) For me it was probably either Egypt or Morocco. I probably spend more time learning people's stories and helping a little to improve their english or french rather than seeing "the sights" ... Worth it though. People are fascinating. Love to learn about what makes people tick and what motivates their actions.
I've had some similar experiences. A few things in Budapest got me . . . wow :-( But sometimes I travel just because I know I'll appreciate home more when I return. Even if it's just my own bed and shower that I know how to turn on to the right temperature. Silly little things, but you don't notice how nice they are until you don't have them. Much love and hugs!
I do appreciate your deep gaze to social gap in Brazil, Wolters. You´re very welcome here, anytime.
It’s a dump. I’ve been there.
@anthonydavis3424 oh so sorry about your bad time being here, Anthony. Glad the World is so huge that you can make choices.
Your perspectives are admirable! Thank you! I have gone to countries where I couldn't speak the languages beyond a few basics and intentionally put myself in situations that showed me how people coming into USA must feel on a daily basis.
Thank you for sharing your stories!
Of course, walking on Wolter's footsteps in Prague was the most impressive. If we could live forever like vampires, we would see a change between the centuries.
I still haven’t traveled half as much as you but I experienced something that touched me too. It was actually in Colombia - the scale of poverty that I didn’t expect to see in this country….but too many women and kids in the steets asking for food, money, some of them from Venezuela and other just locals. And prostitution going along with it, especially Medellin and Cartagena. Really sad thing
Beautiful video, mark. How about doing a video for travelers that want to participate in volunteer projects abroad? Think you’d be doing a great service not only for your viewers but for society at large.
For me it was the gehtoos of France 🇫🇷 that made me realize how good we have it here in the USA
Have you never seen the ghetto in the states, the homeless in the streets, trailerpeople? Never heard of it. A very very big problem. In what kind of bubbel you live?
When I went to France, I was expecting it would be even better than Australia because we often heard that their welfare system is better than ours. Turns out they have a deeper unemployment and ghettoisation problem that welfare alone couldn't fix.
For me it's also two places: 1) the WW1 memorials (places like Verdun, Ypres, Tyne Cot, Langemark). For instance the ossuary in Verdun, where you can see inside to see just piles of bones of unidentified soldiers. Or the names written on the back walls at Tyne Cot of people they never found back.
2) Robbeneiland prison near Cape Town, South Africa (the place where Mandela was a prisoner for years). They had this colour set they compared the prisoners with and the more white you were, the better you were treated. Prisoners were also put to work in a limestone quarry where a lot got severe eye sight degradation because of the sun on the white limestone simply blinded them.
That colour chart is Twisted. But I suppose it is an example of apartheid in a nutshell.
Travel is truly mind and soul expanding. These are beautiful examples.
Great question, great answer. Thank you for posting this Mark
Fantastic video - we can all learn from your memories! Thank you!
Living in Budpest for 3 months. Susan and I had been seeing each other for about 2 years. She wanted to travel and I had never been to Europ. She selected Budapest for the "castles and Cathedrals" and I was happy to go for the history and culture as the country was recovering from decades of brutal occupation from the Nazis and then the Soviets. We agreed on two months as that was as long as we could be away from my non profit projects. I learned how people handle wastre management, public transportation, vehicular traffic and foot traffic. I learned about how they dealt with healthcare, mental and physical. I learned how they could embrace the new but still honor their cultural heritage. I have tried to bring some of that perspective home to Newark, NJ. After 2 plus months in a country where we were the only native english speakers we decided that, as we both survived and left (almost) no blood on the floor, we shouls marry and stop wasting money on multiple rents. 7 years in June of 2024 and in our mid 70's. Working hard, appreceating art, music and American culture, we are revisiting the City from the end of March to the end of February with a Danube cruise from Passau to Budapest
Mr Wolters really loves York, cant blame him
Thank you for sharing this.... Along with fun and adventure, travel can expand your consciousness....
Positivity ❤
You should visit Georgia (the country), nestled in the giant caucasus mountains, it is slowly getting more touristy!
I subscribe to the UA-cam channel Natasha's Adventures, a young Russian woman who relocated to Georgia. I imagine in addition to the tourists there are a lot of Russians fleeing the Putin regime.
@@timmmahhhh you're not imagining it, at least a million men left Russia after the war started; that's only men, mind you. Many of them stayed in Georgia.
For me, that was my trip to Jodhpur, India. I saw some street people who clearly didn't have anything to their name, and yet they were smiling and clapping to some nearby music. One couldn't even walk upright, he was "walking" on all fours. And yet... he was smiling. (And not AT ME, to get money from me, as I was obscured from direct view at the time.) It was a reminder that happiness and joy comes from within.
Oh wow I am watching this video in York right now. That is so cool, I hope you have a great time. (Or had)
This was so awesome to watch Mark. Yes, we can all get along and my wish that everyone would realize that. You sir, are a great man. :).
One place that really affected me was Belize. Most of the people there only have the basics of life but are so warm and friendly. I remember walking around on Cay Caulker and stopping to talk with a man who operated a reef diving business. It was as if we had known each other for years.
This why everyone should travel.
It has become fashionable in recent years to complain about how America is a terrible country. A lot of people take for granted the privilege of living here, but we are not as divided as the people who want to divide us all into boxes want us to be.
Most people that say they want to leave the US have never been outside it and have no idea how good they got it.
@@RaylanGivens123 yes
Its exactly the same in the UK- people who have it so good and have no context to how difficult most of the rest of the world have it just complain about everything.
@@mrfrisky6501 I grew up in Brazil and now live in UK , the UK is a terrible country to live in and can't wait to leave. Everyone who complains about this country is 100% correct, it needs massive change
@@dresdi yet your still here....
So you don't like living in places like Cornwall, or the lake district or the cotswolds, the Highlands of Scotland?
What about some amazing towns and cities like York, Bath, Edinburgh, Keswick, Padstow etc etc - I think you less likely to get robbed and murdered in those towns than a 3rd world crime ridden country like Brazil kid.
Mark, you’re the best!
I’m from Recife and lived in Canada and now in US… i really love your videos in general, but this one just ticked me and reminded how I’m fortunate!
Thank you! ❤
Amen Walter!
Cheers Walter! Uplifting.
This video is more important today more than ever❤️❤️
The two places that impacted me the most as a person where the holocaust museum in Washington D.C. and the Berlin Wall in Germany. I think the holocaust museum is pretty self explanatory in terms of the effects and eye opening things you read and see there. It is such a sad and dark time in our history and I’m glad it has been preserved in museums around the world so we will never forget what those people went through. Visiting the Berlin Wall in Germany was special for me as well. Underneath the wall and back a little bit from it there is a sort of outdoor museum that starts with WW1 and goes until the end of the Cold War. I loved reading the history but it was sad to read about so many lives being ruined and so much destruction.
I hope you didn’t get the “V” a few years back, nor go along with your local businesses in excluding those who didn’t get the “V”, and I hope you didn’t walk around in a dehumanizing mask. Until people see what that whole thing was all about, in light of the Holocaust and other atrocities, evil will continue to pervade earth’s societies.
Thank you for sharing your heart in this video. It touched me deeply about brought me to tears. Seeing the human need and doing my small part is what motivates me to travel the most. No matter who we are, we can each take some small steps to make this world a better place. I work at a recovery ministry, and have been so blessed and privileged to travel to SE Asia and help people find healing through Jesus. Whether someone is a person of faith, or a person with compassion, we can all help make this world a better place.
that’s heartbreaking about the little girl with burnt matches. on a positive side, these types of situations enhance one’s creativity…i used to love to have nothing to do and use my imagination to create something…out of just common household things
Peace ☮️ that is what we need in this world 🌎 peace ☮️
Beautiful and touching video. Thank you.
thank you for making this video and the powerful message at the end
Hi Mark, just come back to NZ from Cambodia, what you say about the genocide museums, is so correct, it is so moving. But these places that people must travel to the people are fantastic, and yes your visit helps them.
Hey Mark, awesome and insightful video
Gosh I had to hunt you down! I haven’t got your videos in my feed in like FOREVER. I didn’t have notifications on and I couldn’t remember your last name. Glad you’re still around and traveling!
Thank you for this wonderful and thoughtful video 🫶
This is the most impactful video I’ve ever seen.❤
We can overcome.... we just have to want to, thx for the video
Thank you so much.
Beautiful! Thank you!!!
You are So Cool and Logical. Keep Up the Good Works.
I remember the reports of the Rowanda genocide and the methods used to kill the victims. Horrifying and barbaric. I am so glad to know there is lasting peace in the region. When I was a child, we used sticks, stones and holes dug into the earth to create entire magical towns for our world of make-believe. I always played best with my imagination than with a store-bought toy. Ah, the good ol' days.
Everyone who travels is affected in a different way by that travel. With me travel increases my desire to learn, particularly science and history and it makes me more spiritual. All are impacted differently though and there is no right or wrong.
The more I travel the more I realize how basically similar human beings are. We all want peace, freedom, friendship and the best for our children. For me being in Cairo months prior to the Uprising in January 2011 was my eye opening event. You could feel the tension and see in the faces of the local population the effects of an oppressive regime that was Mubarak's.
Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, former PM of NZ Jacinda Ardern, Trudeau…are just a few people that come to mind reminding us that not ALL people want freedom…they are tyrants who want oppression for their own citizens. These are the evil ones that we will read about in the museums of the future. They are still out there.
Wow
Love your videos!
A great question! And answer:)
When my husband and I travel frequently, I get a bit lonely. We don’t know anybody in the country we are visiting. We do not speak the language. We observe people going about their daily lives and here we are, just the two of us, our family and friends thousands of kilometres away. Do you and Jocelyn get lonely sometimes when you are travelling?
Great insights and video!
Thank you I enjoyed this
Very touching, thanks sir.
Wow, if the Hutuss & Tutsis have learned to move beyotthat horrible time then I must say ai am truly humbled. I remember the atrocities of irish troubles, bosnia campaigns, then Rwanda right after. Very sad times in the world then.
❤❤❤❤
I really enjoy your videos!!!! Living in Pisa during my college junior year changed me in many ways. It made me braver and more open to opportunities AND to scams. I'm vision impaired and so my senses became uber-heightened for both Good and Crappy events.
Questions:
Any suggestion for senior single women travelers?
Places to go that aren't huge cities, like Paris or London or Rome. (Been there, done that.)
Bravo for you to be out there travelling! I can highly recommend Belgium for a solo female senior traveler. I am also a senior and have friends there, so I have often gone there on my own to visit. In the northern Flanders area there are numerous interesting cities such as Ghent and Antwerp. Visit the Belgian coast, or go to Yores to learn the heartbreaking history of WW1. You will find almost no language barrier in these areas because the Flemish speakers are typically master linguists and speak very fluent English. For us seniors, a round trip train ticket to any destination within Belgium only costs 7.80 euros. It's a quieter European destination, but one that packed with top tier sights and easy to navigate. Happy travels!