Transitions Abroad Magazine July/August 2006 Vol. XXX, NO.1

How will we represent ourselves to the far corners of the world, to those who may never have the privilege to travel?

Renowned travel writer Pico Iyer asked this question at the 2006 Educational Travel Conference, where Transitions Abroad, Planeta.com, and Indigenous Tourism Rights International helped organize a responsible travel forum. This seems a worthy question to consider as Transitions Abroad turns 30 and looks to its future.

For a magazine that has been credited with fostering the budget and backpacking paradigm shift of the 1980s and ‘90s and popularizing the travel-to-learn concept, you may wonder where Transitions Abroad will go next.

Fortunately the path forward is clear thanks to you, our readers, many of whom are also Transitions Abroad writers. You have led the way in making mainstream what was dubbed “alternative” travel in the early days of Transitions Abroad. You’ve affirmed Transitions Abroad founder Clay Hubbs’s vision that educational, informed, and responsible travel matters to you and that immersion in a foreign language and culture is a catalyst for change, as the title “transitions” was intended to suggest (see Clay’s article, “Thirty Years On.”).

We see you increasingly taking trips that not only are educational but also help preserve, protect, and improve the conditions of the people and environment of your destination. We are proud to say that, in this time when you are most needed, Transitions travelers are world citizens at home and goodwill ambassadors abroad.

That you are making the world a better place when you study, travel, work, volunteer overseas, or vacation with the people of your host country is the best testimonial Transitions Abroad could ask for after 30 years of publishing.

Exciting changes are afoot for Transitions Abroad as you will see this fall when all the opportunities for education abroad will be gathered into two special bonus issues for subscribers. It’s a fitting transition for the “Year of Study Abroad,” as we work to provide high school students, college students, recent graduates and their respective academic institutions with more of the practical information they need for study opportunities, grants and fellowships, work, volunteering, and interning abroad, as well as pedagogical topics.

You will see further changes reflected in this issue’s redesign. We’ve included more color, more photos, and a few surprises to inspire you along the way—although we’ve got enough history behind us to know it’s not a glossy style but rather the strong vision of our writers that has given Transitions Abroad longevity.

As Transitions Abroad enters its 30th year, we hope you will celebrate this milestone with us! Take advantage of our anniversary subscription special and share our magazine with your friends and family (see the back inside cover). I also encourage you to call or email me with your feedback and inspired ideas. There’s never been a more critical time for Transitions Abroad, and we would value your help in making our magazine even more relevant to you in the years ahead.

—Sherry Schwarz