You are so right about the “gotcha” with electeds and travel. With the current economy it is hard, but even in a good economy, we always receive Public Disclosure requests on travel … wanting to expose the junkets. I’ve gotten to the point that I only travel when I’m invited to speak and they will cover the costs. This is limiting, but I’ve had great opportunities to travel abroad and around the country.

Travel that I believe has been very significant in the green building/green communities movement in Seattle. Without these trips, I truly believe we would not be as far as we are in this respect.

The Short Story: Sustainability Study Tours to Denmark and Sweden … just five days in country. They started in 2004, and now probably a dozen trips later, with more than 200 people participating … mostly from Seattle, but from Portland and other places – architects, developers, property owners, engineers, and yes, public officials. (They have a scholarship program for non-profits and public officials, which helps immensely.) Initial trip included those who were already green but wanted to learn more, those who were kinda there, and those who weren’t there at all but wanted to know what their competitors were learning. ALL came back absolutely committed.

Here is the website (as you will see, we’ve traveled to many more places as well) … http://www.i-sustain.com/

Are we ready to retire the old bugaboo that any American mayor better think twice before visiting a foreign city — that the press back home will pillory him or her for “junketeering”?

Just possibly. “Gotcha” stories about foreign travels are still feared by mayors. But they’re dangerous anachronisms. Our cities’ economies and well-being actually require inventive foreign connections.

Public officials do still get grief for traveling internationally even here in the Puget Sound region whose economy is more tied internationally than any other in the country. It’s self-destructive behavior. As anyone who has been on one of the Trade Alliance’s business or study missions can attest, the last thing they are is “junketeering.” They are exhausting, hard work and as Peirce himself notes in his column, they are “eyeopeners.”

There are two things we must continually remind ourselves. One is that other parts of the world often operate differently than we do. In many places, government plays a more prominent role so providing opportunities for our businesses requires getting access through governmental structures. Guess what? Those governments often like to meet with their peers so bringing government officials on international missions is crucial. It helps open up a market.

Second, to be successful, you have to go to the customer. And you know where lots of our customers are? That’s right, overseas. To be successful we need to go to China, Germany, Japan, Korea, the UAE and many other places.

So the next time you see your local public official is traveling internationally, instead of reflexively reaching for the bugaboo, check out the content of the trip. What is the purpose? Is the agenda worthwhile? In a region like ours whose economic health is tied to being engaged internationally, our civic leaders need to travel to our customers and to learn from a rapidly changing world. Well constructed and executed trips aren’t junkets, they’re essential.