‘Traveling the World Then and Now’ with Tricia and Mick Sullivan

by Tricia Sullivan

On Friday July 11, Tricia and her husband Mick gave a presentation to the Ashby Village, a non-profit organization in the East Bay. They both have been volunteers at Ashby Village, and she had given a book talk there three years ago.  This talk on Friday focused not only on her travel memoir (Overland Before the Hippie Trail. Kathmandu and Beyond with a Van a Man and No Plan), but brought in a discussion comparing their travel of 60 years ago to the state of the world for travelers today. The presentation was well received with 40- 50 in attendance and included lively questions which continued in small groups after the presentation.

Here are Tricia and Mick then and now.

Tricia and Mick then.

Tricia and Mick now.

Here is the introduction/invitation to the presentation published by Ashby Village:

The world has changed dramatically since the 1960’s when Tricia and Mick Sullivan set off for Europe. They had quit their jobs, sold everything they had, and packed their bags. They had no clear idea of where they were going, what they were going to do, or how long they would be gone. It was 1965, and for the next two years they found themselves continually traveling eastward, overland from Europe and across the Middle East and Asia until they reached Japan. Like many young people in those early Hippie Trail times, they lived in their VW bus. After selling it in Kabul, they continued traveling on trains, buses, and hitchhiking.

In this presentation they reflect on the world of 1965, comparing it to traveling today. What countries exist now that didn’t exist 60 years ago? Which borders that they crossed then are now closed…and which are open?  Which wars and other conflicts have diminished and which have emerged? In what ways is the life of an itinerant world traveler easier? And how is it harder?  They look at countries, borders, languages, conflicts, and social changes as they examine maps, tell stories, and show photos.

Tricia and Mick have been Ashby Village volunteers since 2015. During Mick’s career, he was an instructor and provost at De Anza College. Since his retirement he has been a volunteer teacher of world geography at Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco.  Tricia taught in the Education Department at UC Santa Cruz, as well as being a teacher trainer in China, Vietnam, and Turkey. After her retirement from UCSC she joined the US Foreign Service and was based in Kyiv, Ukraine.  She is a 2024 Gold Award recipient from Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE) for her memoir Overland Before the Hippie Trail: Kathmandu and Beyond with a Van a Man and No Plan.