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Can travel change your values? Can encounter with other people and cultures make you more liberal -- politically or socially -- or more conservative?

LaVonne Neff wondered about this as she read travel guru Rick Steve's new book, Travel as a Political Act (published by Perseus). Neff's reviews and commentary have appeared in Books and Culture, Christianity Today, U.S. Catholic, God's Politics, Publishers Weekly, and her own blog, Livelydust . I'm a particular fan of her work for CT's thoughtful women's blog, her.meneutics. Here's her review for the Faith & Reason Book Club:

Known for his travelogues, guided tours, and guidebook collections, Rick Steves is also a devout Lutheran and a proponent of reforming America's marijuana laws. His diverse interests coalesce in his new book.

His message is simple: Go to other countries. Listen to people who live there. Learn new ways of seeing and doing: some could widen your horizons and improve our country.

Steves draws on stories from four continents to encourage Americans to pay attention, not dominate. A self-avowed capitalist, he nevertheless sees value in some of Europe's social programs. An unapologetic Christian, he is comfortable with secular Islamic -- not Islamist -- governments. Appalled by Iran's totalitarianism, he finds common ground with people he meets there. And he thinks Europe's ways of curbing drug use are much, much smarter than America's.

"This planet is home to billions of equally lovable children of God," Steves writes. More of us should get acquainted.