Advice well worth sharing

I so agree with Christopher Reynolds’ advice [“Next Stop: Somewhere Else,” June 24]. My two grown children have always said one of the best gifts I’ve given them is the love of travel. To initiate them, I told them their high school graduation presents would be trips abroad.

My son’s was a month’s backpacking in Europe on his own. He made friends at hostels, made the most of his Eurail Pass and stayed within his budget.

My daughter and I spent two weeks with friends in London and Paris after her graduation. She got to practice her high school French, which later inspired her to minor in French in college and spend part of her junior year at the Sorbonne. After college she joined the Peace Corps, volunteering in a Frenchspeaking African country. Those first experiences outside their own world inspired confidence and curiosity.

Whether here or abroad, travel is the best education there is. MACKAYCRAMPTON

Ojai

:: I’ve been following Reynolds’ articles and columns for many years. His June 24 article was his best ever.

I lead international trips for the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club. Although most of my participants are 55-plus, there were many gems in his article that apply not only to young travelers but also to all new travelers. I will share some of these with our participants in a Bali/Komodo dragons trip at a pre-trip meeting in August.

Thank you for enlightening us. JOHNLAJEUNESS

La Crescenta

:: I just finished reading Reynolds’ article, and I have a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. It’s so true. Some of the best moments of my life are the silliest little things, but they happened abroad and have a starring role in my memory. My last epic adventure was in Ecuador, but that was 18 years ago and how I became a Lopez.

Three kids later, my husband and I are ready to get back on the road. You don’t have to be young. DEBORAHLOPEZ

Agoura Hills