Don George has a dream job. He gets to travel around the world and write about what he sees and does for Lonely Planet. He also gets to interview famous travel writers. Before I left for Samoa, I was able to see him talk with one of the giants, Jan Morris, on the campus at Berkeley. I also was lucky enough to take a travel writing seminar with the man around the same time.

On his website (part of the LP world), you can find transcripts of many of these interviews and his weelkly columns. His latest is about the politics of travel after 9/11. It's interesting even though he comes across as a Lonely Planet wonk, but since they are signing his (hefty) paycheck, I can't really find fault with him.

For anyone who has traveled abroad since September 11, 2001, his article elegantly confirms what we've already experienced, that travel security is a pain in the ass and that most people in the world are able to differentiate between Americans and the actions of the American government. For anyone who hasn't, and I suspect that is most of you, the article is a window in the realities of the world outside the headlines.