The Trip Designers and Leaders:

Dan and Pat Cook are adventurous world travelers and world citizens. After 45 years of traveling individually and together, their students and friends inspired the couple to lead international trips to exotic places in India, Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim, Southeast Asia and Turkey.

Dan is a well know art dealer, owner of Rudi South Fine Art and a specialist in ethnographic art. Pat is a specialist in the field of indigenous and contemporary cross-cultural music healing traditions, anthropology and culture. Together their combined knowledge makes for a unique skill-set and vast travel connections

The Open Ear Center’s Educational Travel Program began in 1995. Pat and Dan design their trips around themes each year. Spiritual pilgrimages, experiencing classical and indigenous world music, exposure to great art of ancient and contemporary cultures. As the world shrinks we continue to look for those special places less traveled. In contrast we frequent great cities and regions that illustrate in exciting and grand ways the evolution of human history including Lhasa, Istanbul, Bangkok and Bombay. Many of our fellow travelers have returned year after year for the next adventure. New and old friendships are enriched by the travel we share.

One of the main reasons that Pat and Dan lead international travel programs, is to share the privilige and profound experience of being a world ambassador. In tenuous times between nations this is a significant contribution that cannot be underestimated. The experiences shared with fellow travelers has been extraordinary!