Is Travel Selfish?

It's only human to want to help the disadvantaged.

Even before our schools and churches ingrained in us a duty to give aid to those who need it, we instinctively see this as the right thing to do.

We support a government that not only taxes our earnings to redistribute significantly to the less fortunate in the form of welfare and food stamps but also has a negative income tax at the bottom rungs where "tax payers" get refunds larger than what they pay in.

As we grow older, some may appear to become more callous. While those with physical and mental deficiencies still tear at our heart strings, encountering an able-bodied young man lounging outside the grocery store begging with a Starbucks cup might seem more worthy of tough love, mumbling, "Get a job," rather than tossing a few coins that he seems likely to spend on liquor or drugs to perpetuate his downward spiral.

It brings to mind the old adage, "Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day; teach a man to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime."

Do you believe that is truly the best way to help others to a better life?

Long ago, Adam Smith theorized that when individuals provided goods and services to others in order to earn money to care for their own families, an "invisible hand" acts beyond selfish intentions to lift all touched by it.

Therefore, while you may initially feel a bit selfish when you indulge on your first cruise vacation, you are in fact helping others. In fact, I truly believe it is far better than any government foreign aid policy.

Aboard most cruise ships, you'll find a hard-working crew sourced from around the world. Your friendly room steward may be making far less than US minimum wages, but those standard gratuities paid by guests on the final bill add up. At the end of a six month contract, many room stewards and restaurant staff go home to third-world villages where their wages create jobs for others.

In earning that money by providing valuable services, they've learned valuable skills they can apply back home, teaching others to do the same.  If you want to help the third world, give a bigger tip to those who excel when serving you.

Yes, it is still great to choose a charity like "Food for the Poor," which helps truly poor people in the Caribbean and Latin America, and the American government will continue to provide foreign aid even to countries that hate us, but you as a traveler do much more by pursuing your own dreams, which indirectly teaches them how to earn a living through service.

Cruise ships strive to perpetuate traditional cultures of places visited by bringing their stories, entertainment and cuisine on board.

In addition, cruise ships provide wonderful opportunities to support the arts. Each ship hires many talented musicians and singers, providing venues for classical music, jazz and musical theater in addition to classic rock, country and pop.

Regardless of whether or not you attend an art auction, the cruise line always has a collection on display throughout the ship.

Are you ready to do some good for the world?

Book your next great vacation today.