Sadly, most people in the States haven't traveled much at all, if out of the country at all. This article breaks down how people travel (business, leisure etc.) and you can imagine that of those that do travel outside the States for leisure, most are going to tourism hot spots and stay in hostels or hotels and rarely make it to the less frequented areas where the life is a struggle.

I would contend however that in the end, what we do does matter in terms of the propagation of ideas. Not in the eventuality that there is some metaphysical reward or punishment after death, but in terms of how we impact the system that is ongoing and continues on after we are gone. There are some ideas that are worth struggling to realize even if they are impossible to achieve in our lifetimes, such as the non-aggression principle, altruism, self-sufficiency, freedom, mutual respect and, yes, above all things: love. And if that means having to toss one's hat into the arena of ideological endeavor and getting one's hands dirty, well.... I guess I signed up. :P

Thank you for the taking the time to craft a thoughtful and heartfelt comment, I very much appreciate it!