I believe that travelers are volunteer diplomats. While we sit in kitchens and restaurants and cafes around the world, telling stories about our travels, we’re building bridges of understanding. We’re revealing the complexities of the world one moment at a time. It’s not always pretty. There will always be barriers we can not cross, but I know that I have been continually surprised and honored by the opportunity to reach greater understanding and sympathy through the sharing of stories.

I believe that good writing, regardless of form, matters. Writing well makes stories transportable. When people dismiss blogging as an inferior method of communication, I think, oh, that’s just bad writing you’re reading. Some of the finest writing I’ve read in the last few years has been published on independent blogs. That stuff deserves to be shared.

I believe in the power of travel to make change for the better. You know, that’s the tagline for Passports with Purpose. It’s kind of our mission — activate travelers to make the world a better place. We’ve been wildly successful; I think that’s because lots of other people believe it too. When you witness the world, you are moved to make it better. In big ways, like through our Passports with Purpose initiatives, and in small ways, by sharing stories that help explain the world.

A digression: One of my companions on the trip I took to Antarctica was a well spoken, good humored German. A professional. And we got to talking, I’m not sure how, about immigrant populations in Europe. He was making some broad remarks about what “they” wanted and how “they didn’t want to be part of German society.” Well, I’ve been an immigrant in Europe, I lived that life and I took German classes with refugees from Bosnia and Croatia, and I’d heard their stories. And I’d faced my own — trivial by comparison — struggles with language and society. I told my German friend about my experiences. About how the engineers in my class had taken factory jobs because their credentials were irrelevant in their new home. How I couldn’t find a German class at first because all the material promoting German language education was… in German. We talked and this German who’d decided all about immigrants and their lives in Europe, well, his faced changed. I watched it. I know he would not have heard this story from the Muslim girl from Kosovo in my class, but I could pass this story along for her. I watched this man change right before my eyes, I could see it, the way his closed expression just opened up, the way his eyes widened. I’m keenly aware that my status as a privileged American made it possible for me to share this story, but I also feel like I was required to do so.

I want to share your stories about change. About connection. About barriers reached and maybe crossed, or maybe you had to turn back, maybe there was no common ground. Maybe you saw and tried to understand and could not, or maybe you built a bridge where there was none. I want to share your stories about how travel changes us, how it helps us understand, or at least inspires us to try.

I want to highlight the excellent writing that happens on blogs, too. I’m compiling an anthology — a sort of “best travel writing on blogs.” I’ll produce it through a publishing on demand service. 100 percent of the profits will go to benefit Passports with Purpose. You will retain all rights. I’ll be the primary editor on this project, but because I know my shortcomings and preferences, I’ve recruited a (for now, super secret) reader who will help me give a second look to the kinds of things I might pass over otherwise. Later this year, I’ll release the book for sale and again, 100% of the profits will go to Passports with Purpose.

Want to submit your story for this anthology? The submission guidelines are here.