Esperanto-USA

Are you the kind of traveler who can't decide where you want to go next? Maybe you want to see the Great Wall of China this year, then next year the great cathedrals of Europe, or maybe you want to want to ride the Trans-Siberian Railroad or take a bike ride through half a dozen countries. But how do you find a way to do all of that, and on a reasonable budget?

Don't want to take a bus trip with a bunch of tourists? Would you rather really experience a country -- talk with locals, try the native foods, find out how people really live? How do you do that, with any size budget?

The answer is the International Language, Esperanto.

Esperanto is a language published in 1887 that has grown into a vibrant, world-wide community. Esperanto is designed to be easier to learn than any other language, yet it has a flourishing community. All kinds of people learn Esperanto, but they have one thing in common -- they're interested in the wider world.

And people who speak Esperanto have a unique resource available to them: Pasporta Servo, which is a directory of over a thousand Esperanto-speakers in 89 countries who offer free accommodations to other speakers of Esperanto. These hosts open their homes and share a part of their lives in a way that's not seen by tourists staying in an expensive hotel. For both hosts and guests of Pasporta Servo, Esperanto is bridge to better understanding. Read more about Pasporta Servo at Wikipedia.

For people who speak Esperanto, the possibilities for travel are unlimited. Every year, there are dozens of Esperanto festivals and conventions, from weekend events in Italy, Germany, France, to events hosted by the Himalayan Esperanto Association in Nepal. The largest of these, the World Congress of Esperanto, draws thousands of people from all over the world and is held in a different country every summer, from Japan to Italy to Brazil to China to Poland. For many travelers, the prospect of making travel arrangements for so many countries, in so many languages, can be daunting, but Esperanto makes everything simpler. With one language, you'll be able to talk to the world.

People who speak Esperanto also arrange exciting events for the more adventurous traveler, including hikes and bike trips across multiple countries, or a week-long adventure by train from Moscow to Beijing across Siberia.

The first step to participating in this exciting world is to learn more about Esperanto. The Learners tab has a number of resources for getting started, or you can find a local group in your area and start meeting other Esperanto-speakers today.