Rob and I are fans of Rick Steves. We totally subscribe to his “packing light” philosophy, which we talked about here, as well as his belief that spending more money does not necessarily get you a better travel experience. His book, Travel as a Political Act, was an inspiring read on how to travel with more than your own comfort in mind. While we may not get as “close to the ground” in our travels as Rick does, watching his shows or reading his blog encourages us to push ourselves a bit further in where we go and how we spend our limited travel dollars.

Which I guess is at least part of the reason behind our visits to Morocco, Belize, and Nicaragua. And, to a great degree, New Orleans. Our first visit to New Orleans was pre-Katrina, but the year after that devastating storm we didn’t hesitate to go right back, in the hopes that in some small way our support of the local restaurants and shops would help just a bit.

This is the overall theme of Rick’s latest FB post, “Thoughtful Consumption in Our Travels“, and something we hope to keep in mind as we plan for a longer vacation later this year, most likely late October/November.