Books & Writing
The ultimate guide for those who want more than just a vacation, but a chance to cross boundaries, connect and make the world a better place.
It’s not where you travel, but how.
“Aziz Abu Sarah is a guide in the truest sense of the word, ushering in the powerful new age of experiential travel. Read Crossing Boundaries, and get off the beaten path to discover your own humanity. Let the adventure begin.”
Mark Bauman
Former EVP National Geographic Television“Long before “Responsible Travel” became a buzzword, Aziz was showing the world what it was. I hope all travelers read this book.”
Jean Newman Glock
Travel writer, Top Ten Worldwide Travel Expert (Klout),
CEO JNG Worldwide
For such a time as this, Aziz’s new book presents the case that travel has the power to heal divides, increase tolerance and make the world a more peaceful place.
In this moving and powerful book, Aziz relates his experiences of creating cross-cultural connections in places like Afghanistan, Northern Ireland, Russia, Venezuela, and Vietnam. Readers are given a road map for engaging with the "other" through socially conscious travel and are given practical peace-building tips applicable wherever one goes—near or far.
Join the journey of those changing the world one trip at a time and order your book today.
Other books co-authored by Aziz include:
Strangers, Neighbors, Friends: Muslim-Christian-Jewish Reflections on Compassion and Peace
By Kelly James Clark, Aziz Abu Sarah, Nancy Fuchs Kreimer.
Chapter Excerpt:
Cairo’s Garbage City -
In Cairo, we often take groups to Garbage City. Despite the uninviting name (stemming from the fact that the neighborhood is traditionally the place where poor Coptic Christian garbage collectors brought the city’s trash), the neighborhood and its story is nothing short of inspiring. Once a neighborhood overflowing with piles of refuge many stories high, it is slowly being transformed by a new industry: recycling.
Every morning, lines of trucks enter Garbage City, carrying the trash of Cairo. After the community separates the trash into different kinds, colors and sizes, it is sent to recycling workshops dotting the neighborhood. There are workshops for plastic, paper, metal, computer and electric components and so on. According to the community, 80 to 85 percent of the garbage that enters the community gets recycled—a rate higher than in most first world countries, and double or even triple the rate compared with most recycling companies. It was hard for me to comprehend that this small neighborhood in North Africa beat first- world countries in recycling. And yet, they do.
During our tours, we connect with NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) in the neighborhood that take us to visit the workshops and speak with locals in the recycling business, who explain to us why recycling in Cairo is so important. Cairo is one of the largest cities in the world, and it has for years struggled with a garbage problem. The garbage city residents are a major part of Cairo’s garbage collection strategy. Women use the recycled material to make new products such as textiles, and the children learn about the recycling process in school.
Travelers who visit Garbage City leave informed and transformed. About six years ago I took my sister to the neighborhood for a visit. My sister, who lives in Cairo, at times helps me with tours there. Stereotypes are pervasive in Egypt; for instance, many Muslims believe that all Egyptian Christians are wealthy, while most American Christians assume that all Egyptian Christians are poor (since many Anerican visit the church near Garbage City and make contributions to the Christian community there). In, fact, like most communities, Egyptian Christians are diverse. My Muslim sister was surprised when I took her to Garbage City and she saw its Christian residents were far from wealthy. It is true that the richest Egyptians are Christian, but that doesn’t mean all Christians are wealthy. For my sister to see a neighborhood that defied her stereotypes of Christians had a major impact on her.
A frequent media writer, Aziz has authored opinion pieces for The New York Times, and The Washington Post, and has been published by National Geographic, Haaretz, Al-Quds and CNN.