A rich data set was collected during the pilot study.  The quotes below give a taste of transformation through travel.  Note, you can place the mouse-pointer on the text to pause it.

"Meeting local people personally, sharing food, laughter and life broke through years of stultifying cultural indoctrination, and set me at the beginning of a decade of interest in and passion for small/minority peoples, cultures, languages and concepts."

"Traveling opens your eyes and scope of how other people live and once you visit a place, you have a better understanding of what is happening there and make less judgments..."

I find that the more we travel and meet different world conditions, the more we can understand how different we are and how, at the same time, we are the same."

"When visiting a country and getting to know how people live, eat, drink, play, smile, is a sure way to understand their condition and their geo-socio-economic-political situation..."

"Returning from Asia made me realize that we, in North America, need a lot around us to feel that we 'live'... That you can be happy with your basic needs covered... Over consumption made it difficult to simplify life, which many people complain about these days."

"I believe travel is the perfect antidote for ethnocentricity. Every trip opens ones eyes as to other ways to think, behave, believe and subsist..."

"For some reason I have become less patriotic. Maybe because I have a greater sense of patriotism toward the world as a whole than my country. I have also learned how my countries behaviors help and hinder other nations, and conversely how blind many of us are to those policies."

"I was 'stripped' of my everyday 'subconsciously formed world/life view' and forced to really look at life and its goings on for what it REALLY is."

"I hope I've always been tolerant but I appreciated the chance to see alternative perspectives of Islamic culture. It was really educational to see that there are many forms of expression of the Islamic faith, not just the very strict version we may see represented in the Western media. So, I am prepared to be more understanding and appreciative of difference after this trip."

"From the moment I stepped out of the airport terminal my life was different. I was no longer to be an average Midwestern young man with a narrow minded point of view."

"China changed my views in as much as I learned the value of a simple life, which has certainly changed my career perspectives and the types of jobs I apply for and am prepared to do."

"Generally, India in itself was a life-changing experience. The constant attack on all the senses was incredible - the sights, sounds, smells - everything about it was amazing and my first opportunity at seeing life outside the west. I surprised myself at how quickly I assimilated into Indian life."

"The understanding of wealth and privilege is probably the most significant change that I have undergone through my traveling experiences. It drives me to utilize my education and experience to help others realize their potential. I believe that this is a complete change in my worldview. This understanding of my personal power to help others will lead to a lifetime of service and travel that will hopefully in some small and yet significant way benefit the world."

"Living with them showed me how generous people can be, as even though they did not have a huge amount of money (even by Thai standards), they wanted to buy almost everything for me. They knew I had some money as I obviously could afford to go overseas, yet they were so giving because that is the Thai way. They didn't expect anything in return but my company and friendship. The experience showed me how money really isn't everything and how in Western society we often place money too high up on our list of desires. They knew they only needed a certain amount to get by and didn't seem to stress about getting more and more and more... It certainly made me think about being happy in a job rather than getting the highest paying job."

"I came from the plane and was immediately confronted with a big township. Up till that moment I only had seen them on TV and it made a big impact, the poverty, the dirt, the whole scene. Life was never the same again to be honest... That we in Europe... are very privileged and complaining about stupid things while other people in the world have to survive we complain we cannot go on holiday or something stupid. The awareness was already there but my travels to other parts of the world and the experiences there have made it stronger."