Tour With a Passport to Political Hot Spots

Chiapas. Palestine. Havana. What these destinations have in common is that they’re all in the news almost constantly, yet most Americans are not allowed or are too afraid to visit them.

Enter Reality Tours, a high-concept travel group that is less about vacationing than it is about fostering international relations. It has been offering a gritty blend of politically correct and taboo travel for nine years.

“The whole idea is building people-to-people ties--to get beyond the concise sound bytes on TV and to ask people first-hand about their issues,” says Malia Everette, director of Reality, which is based in San Francisco.

These trips aren’t available to just anyone with a wad of cash and two weeks off from work.

“Our applications are pretty extensive,” Everette notes. Applicants are required to submit an essay on why they’d like to participate.

“If it’s a group that wants to hang out and have margaritas on the beach, I’m sorry,” Everette says. “I can’t help.”

This year Reality is offering two New Year’s trips: to Havana, Dec. 27 through Jan. 4, and the other to Chiapas, Dec. 28 through Jan. 5.

While participants may have the chance to sip a chilled cerveza, the bulk of the trip to south-central Mexico is designed to teach about the conditions leading to the rebel uprising there. During this eight-day tour, participants will meet with people from all walks of life: religious figures, textile workers, members of women’s cooperatives and local government officials.

So if you’re more interested in picking up a trunkful of tchotchkes, you may want to revisit Tijuana.

Ditto for Cuba.

Americans traveling there are forbidden from purchasing anything. Doing so is a violation of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Trading With the Enemy Act.

The only reason Reality Tours is allowed there is because it’s partnered with host organizations that have the right to invite visitors. The trip to Havana is sponsored by the Institute of Friendship Amongst the Peoples, a Cuban organization.

Depending on the sponsor, some groups include as few as six people. Others may bring thousands.

All accommodations and meals are paid for in advance and arranged by Reality Tours, which also provides local transportation, guides and translators. If you miss the New Year’s excursions, Reality Tours is offering 12 more trips to Cuba throughout 1999 and has tours scheduled for Costa Rica, Haiti, India, Iran, Ireland, Mexico, Palestine and South Africa.

For more information, call (800) 497-1994.