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Going Places: Empathy For Travelers Caught In Political Decisions

Ryan Kang
/
AP Photo
Attorney Sabra Gandhi holds up a sign while travelers pass by as protests against President Donald Trump's executive order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries continue at Los Angeles International Airport Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017.

The legal fight over President Trump’s travel ban is working its way through the courts, in part because of a lawsuit brought by Washington state.

The ban is suspended while that happens, but seeing the ban take effect a few weeks ago got knkx travel expert Matthew Brumley thinking about his own passport.

He shared some thoughts, on this week’s Going Places. Hear them below:

When the now-suspended executive order took effect at the end of January, people arrived in the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries, only to be turned around or detained for hours. Some of those detained were holding valid visas.

“That is a really terrifying, scary situation for a traveler,” Brumley said. “I would just advise people, myself included, to practice empathy and sympathy for these people. They’ve already had a rough go of it. They’ve been on the road for countless hours, are probably not sleeping well, many haven’t had access to proper shelter, and they’ve been through nightmare experiences.”

His full thoughts are in the audio with this story.

Going Places” is 88.5’s weekly segment on travel. Matthew Brumley is the co-founder of Earthbound Expeditions, on Bainbridge Island. The company provides small-group travel to clients including KNKX. Never miss an episode again. Subscribe to Going Places with iTunesGoogle Play or Stitcher.

Ed Ronco is a former KNKX producer and reporter and hosted All Things Considered for seven years.