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Through a unique organization called Servas, travelers can enjoy homestays and get to know people of many countries, while others can serve as hosts to visitors from near and far.  The objective of Servas is to help build world peace, good will and understanding.  Both  hosts and travelers have an opportunity to make deeper, more personal contacts - particularly significant when the exchange is between individuals of diverse cultures and backgrounds. Compared with the experience of traveling as a tourist, Servas offers a priceless opportunity to be accepted into a member's home and to share a microcosm of life in that country, learning about the hopes and concerns, daily life and the adventure of getting to know people of different backgrounds.  Travel within your own country is also possible.  Servas members find it refreshing to be a part of a movement that's non-profit, non-governmental, interracial and interfaith - no axes to grind, no political or religious criteria to meet, just mutual acceptance and respect for cross-cultural differences. Arthur Frommer honored Servas as the lead organization in his organization's new Hall of Fame, citing it as the "longest established and most respected free hospitality organization on earth, and its simple aim is to serve the cause of world peace by enabling people of varying cultures and outlooks to get to know and understand one another."

. US Servas is a worldwide cooperative cultural exchange network established in 1948 and composed of member hosts and travelers working together to foster peace, goodwill and mutual respect. Servas seeks to realize these aims by providing opportunities for person-to-person contacts between people of diverse cultures and backgrounds. The US Servas mission includes providing approved US and international travelers with opportunities to be guests of Servas member hosts around the world.  Servas visits can play a vital role in bringing harmony to a troubled world by helping people explore different cultural perspectives and ways of life. Hospitality and cultural education are our weapons against the spread of misconceptions which can lead to mistrust, antagonism, and war. Dick George is a retired U.S. Air Force public affairs officer who has traveled widely and enjoys cross cultural exchanges.  He is a member of the US Servas board and chair of the communications committee. . Additional Resources Living Overseas  Moving to Europe  US Servas website  Contact Richard George .

The more than 50 members of Servas my wife Rusty and I have stayed with represent varied backgrounds and cultures, yet we've felt only the oneness and continuity that transcends individual differences.   For more than three years we were gypsies, traveling very basically in distant parts of

the world.  We have rented our house (which meant we had to go somewhere!) and visited most of the year-long international exchange students we'd hosted for 11 consecutive years.  Another goal was we had was to revisit some of the youth hostels I'd stayed in during the three months after college when I toured Europe.  Today, this is facilitated by the dropping of the word youth - it's now Hosteling International.  You just have to be young at heart!  We stayed in more than three dozen with furnishing ranging from a futon on a tatami-mat hostel in Japan, to a lighthouse keeper's cottage on the California coast, to an 11th century castle in Toledo, Spain. But much as we relished these experiences, it was our Servas contacts that enriched our travels most and provided

Budha Temple, South Korea

an unforgettable dimension which we continue to emotionally and intellectually feed on as we relive parts of our odyssey, daily.  How rewarding to find folks with similar interests who open their homes and their hearts and provide the chance to discuss concerns about social issues, local and 

international problems and share in routine chores that made us feel part of the family.  Some Servas members offer companionship during the day - they may have a small apartment but a big desire to show their city or community.   While two day stays are customary, in some cases the bond is so immediate that the welcome mat is extended for a longer period. To be in a strange country at Christmas can be a lonely time, but a young architect in Buenos Aires told us she was staying with her fiancé's parents to celebrate the holiday and made us feel at home in her apartment.  During the next few days we got to know her and her future husband and his parents.   In Brazil, we helped celebrate the birthday of the son of a couple whom we presented with an Atlanta Braves shirt we'd

The Royal Orb of Hungary

originally planed to give to one of our exchange students in Venezuela. We arrived in Winnipeg, Canada, to find that our hosts were helping Habitat For Humanity build 25 houses.   We stayed several additional days to participate and thought what a small world it is as we ate one table away from former president Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. 

For more than a year, we traveled from México by bus and train through every country in Central and South America, except the Guyanas. While some countries don't have Servas chapters yet, in others we met several national Servas officials and were particularly excited to sample authentic 

home cooking and regional delicacies.  In Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, we stayed in a hotel next to the train station, awaking each morning to the stoking of a steam engine that burned aromatic hardwood instead of coal!  We frequently stayed in such budget hotels or pensions until we'd exhausted our sight-seeing, so that our home-stays with Servas members could be largely devoted to getting to know them, particularly when we could be with them during a weekend when they had more free time.  We found it particularly rewarding to stay with members away from large cities and tourist

Havana, Cuba

areas - they get fewer travelers but add an important dimension to the travel experience. Many live on farms and ranches, secluded cabins or on lakes and beaches. 

But even a shop employee's modest apartment can be rich in the most important remembrance of the trip, the shared experience.  While we were careful to show respect for differing opinions, we found that with an open mind, curiosity, and tolerance of other views, no topic was off-limits, 

including religion an politics.  We learned much from in-depth discussions with our hosts, and at the same time were happy to share our views on our region, country, lifestyle,  etc.  Hosts and travelers alike are de-facto ambassadors of their countries but the best approach is for neither to profess that they're necessarily an "expert" or "typical"!  We worked hard at learning the fundamentals of Spanish.  How we envied the young people in our class in Quito, Ecuador, who seemed to soak up the vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation almost effortlessly.  While we developed a basic ability to communicate, we stayed only with individuals who indicated in their country directory that they were fluent in

Ottoman Empire, Turkey

English.  It's easy to become spoiled since English is so widely spoken all over the world, but coming from a one-language culture, you appreciate how many multilingual people take this communications bonus for granted.

National Servas Directories vary in the degree of individual host member's background, but all provide a thumbnail sketch: age, occupation, interests, organizations in which they're involved, how many people they can accommodate, address and telephone number, directions if traveling by car,

bus, train or plane, and amount of advance notice required to be considered.  Also included are the countries in which the hosts have traveled or lived.  Some will take same-day telephone requests; others prefer a letter.   Some hosts offer special assistance for handicapped travelers or will meet travelers at the transportation center.  A backpacker sort at heart, I'm accustomed to covering a limited number of miles a day, savoring the experience.  Poet and writer Gary Snyder wrote about a visit to the interior of Australia, where he met with an aboriginal wise man. They drove out to a sacred site.

Christian beehive huts, Ireland

Soon after they started, Snyder became aware of the increasing speed with which the aboriginal man was telling the story of the site's significance.  Faster and faster the man talked until Snyder could no longer comprehend his tale.  Then suddenly, Snyder understood.  It was customary to walk to the site.  The old man sensed he was moving so fast in the car he had to speed up his walking tale in order to complete it by the time the car arrived. 

So it is with a Servas visit.  If you have only a couple of days to spend in Paris and seeing the Louvre and a night at the Moulan Rouge are your primary goals, don't try to cram a Servas visit into this tight schedule.  Of course, with working members, you're on your own during the day, but quality time together is what makes each stay special.  And while it's not required, courtesy suggests that the traveler provide (or perhaps prepare) the main meal on the second day.

Someone described the world as a book and those who don't travel read only one page.  Through Servas, everyone can share in this wonderful adventure.  Prospective hosts and travelers can get more information by sending a business-size stamped and self addressed envelope to: US Servas, Inc. 11 John Street, Rm 505, New York, NY 10038.  Ask for a host or traveler application (provide departure date if appropriate). Or you can down-load the forms from the web site: http://www.UsServas.org/. 

You'll be asked to provide two letters of character reference and arrange for an  interview to complete the application.  Following the interview and membership processing, you'll look forward to new horizons as you help to dissolve barriers between people while having fun and making friends.
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