travel with kindness

when we travel, we meet many people – from the folks working at the airport to the person driving your cab to the bartender mixing you a drink to a server bringing your appetizer to a ranger working at a tourist stop.  and if you treat each of these people with kindness and with the same respect you expect, then your trip will be a smoother, more pleasant, more rewarding, more enlightening experience.  so when the doorman at your hotel opens the door for you, say “thank you, sir” – and when your travel guide finishes your 2 hour tour through the Sedona red rocks, say thank you and give him a tip – and if you have to valet your car or store your bags at the hotel, then say thank you and give them a tip.  this is what you are supposed to do and this is how you are supposed to act.  be thankful for the many people you come across in your travels and be kind to them in every way.  they will treat you better and it just feels good to be kind to others.  also, you will surprise them because they are not used to people being kind back to them.