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Raising Global Citizens

Writer's picture: Laura PetersLaura Peters

Updated: Feb 14, 2022


When I was 28 years old I was offered a very cool job in New York, but, although I had visited the Big Apple, I had never lived there and the idea of moving there scared me.

Luckily, I had a very cool job in San Francisco with Francis Coppola's Zoetrope Studios, so it was easy to turn down New York. But I know the real reason I turned down New York. It was because I was afraid of all the unknowns. Five years later I had spent plenty of time in New York, the fear was gone, and I could have taken that job. By then though, I had a wonderful husband and my first child, Hana.

When Hana was born, I already knew that I wanted to raise a person who would be comfortable in any culture, in any country around the world. A person who, unlike me, could, without fear, take a job in a new city. Unlike the three fairies bestowing gifts of beauty, song and a kiss from prince charming to break a sleeping spell, I hoped my child, and later children, would:

  • find arts, sports, skills, literature, and friends they loved to help them develop inner resources;

  • understand popular culture in the United States but not be subjugated to it;

  • be independent thinkers and people, because my husband and I both believe that you can’t have a good relationship with someone else until you have a good relationship with yourself; and

  • be comfortable anywhere in the world - true global citizens.

My husband and I have been wildly successful with these goals. All three of our daughters, raised in Los Angeles, are fearless travelers and have worked in:

Cochabamba, Bolivia

London, United Kingdom

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Bonn, Germany

Kunming, China

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Mpumalanga, South Africa

Chiapas, Mexico


And have lived in:


Bologna, Italy

Reykjavik, Iceland

Sapporo, Japan

Lund, Sweden

Oxford, England

Bristol, England

Manchester, United Kingdom

...to name a few places. I need to ask them if they felt afraid when they headed off to these parts unknown. I think it was more a feeling of anticipation. I'll check and let you know.


The photo is of my three daughters walking arm-in-arm along a street in Bristol, England.


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Welcome to Offspring Tourism, a travel memoir where you'll get fresh ideas for amazing and unusual travel experiences, tips on how to get the most out of travel, inspiration to travel alone, and suggestions on how to raise global citizens. 

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